Soap Operas

Today I would like to talk about soap operas. I know I have already talked about scumbag television in a previous post but I feel the need to elaborate specifically about soap operas. I have never personally watched a soap opera, but I have seen plenty of advertisements for them. I do not see the appeal of soap operas, to me they seem rather silly but I know there are many people who watch them religiously, and are actually addicted to them. I am not only talking about daytime soap operas, but also prime time soap operas. Back in the day, these would include Dallas and Dynasty. Nowadays, I would include shows like desperate housewives, Gray's anatomy, and many more that I can't think of right now. (Hopefully because I don't watch any of them.)

There was one particular young women's class I had when I was probably a beehive (12 or 13 years old) that I remember vividly. Our teacher admitted to us that she was addicted to soap operas. She told us how terrible and addicting they were, and cautioned us to avoid watching them. I have never had a desire to watch soap operas but that lesson reiterated to me, to avoid them.

When I was in junior high school, there were several girls who talked about watching soap operas, in particular "days of our lives". Apparently there was some big wedding or something that was going on at the time on that show which everybody was talking about. At the time, I thought these classmates of mine were just stupid. Looking back now, it is rather sad to think of girls 12 to 14 years old being addicted to soap operas, or any television program for that matter.

I found this article from the question-and-answer section February 1996 Liahona:
"It may seem like watching a television show regularly is harmless entertainment, but our attitudes and behaviors can be influenced in negative ways by these shows.
For example, ask yourself: Do the characters portrayed in soap operas have the values I have? Do I agree with the choices they make? Do the plots feature people who choose the good, uplifting things of the world?
As President Gordon B. Hinckley said, “You cannot afford to do any of those things which do not square with the precepts, the teachings, the principles which the God of heaven has set down because of His love for you and His desire that your lives be rich and full and purposeful” (Liahona, September 1995, page 6).
Church leaders and parents are concerned that constant exposure to the corrupt ideas and worldly models of behavior promoted in many forms of entertainment today may affect your view of what is good and pure. You may argue that you are strong enough in your understanding of good and evil to resist these assaults on your spirituality, but try this little test:
Remember back to when you first started watching your program. Weren’t there incidents portrayed in the show that you found shocking? If you think about it, you may find that the show doesn’t shock you anymore. Some experts call this being desensitized. As Alice Pagana writes from the Catania Branch, Italy Catania Mission, “The regular viewer becomes desensitized to the evil in soap operas. Immorality initially depicted in a small way eventually becomes a mountain of lies, adultery, and even murder. In addition, many soap opera characters claim they are victims of circumstance and not responsible for their immoral acts. This is completely opposed to the Lord’s teaching that we are accountable for our own actions.”
Another bad thing about soap operas is their addictive nature. In other words, do you rearrange your life just so you can watch a specific show? Can you go one day, one week, or one month without watching it? Nothing so trivial as a television show should have such control over you.
To really understand how a soap opera may be affecting you, we challenge you to stop viewing it for one month. At first it will be hard, but we suspect that at the end of a month you will feel a sense of freedom and maybe even relief.
President Hinckley has said: “You [cannot] afford to idle away your time in long hours watching the frivolous and damaging programming of which much of television is comprised. There are better things for you to do” (Liahona, September 1995, page 6)." Excerpt taken from Liahona February 1996.

I can somewhat understand how or why people start watching soap operas. It is an escape from everyday life, which may be mundane or stressful. But there are better outlets for relieving stress or escaping our everyday life. One of the best ways, I believe, is exercise. Not only is exercise good for your body, but it also releases endorphins, which make you feel better. Granted, it does not take away the stresses of your life, but I believe, it makes you better able to cope.

So, for anyone who may be addicted to soap operas, or any television program, or even trashy romance novels, or anything like it, I challenge you to follow the counsel from the Liahona. Stop watching soap operas for one month, and see how much better you feel at the end of the month.

That's my two cents.

PS click on title "soap operas" to read related article.