Do the Soaps Really Matter?

Published June 13, 1985. For some time, I have had a concern about the images or models for marriage portrayed by the mass media. I have had a particular concern about the “soap operas” on television now so popular during both day and night time viewing.

When I was doing my doctoral work at Florida State University, I almost received permission to do my dissertation on the impact of television programs such as the soaps on contemporary marriage. One committee member declined permission because in his words, “The soaps really don’t make that much difference on marriage.”

I decided to write my dissertation on another topic and have given the soaps little thought since then. My interest was recently rekindled when Dr. Dennis Waitley, popular author and lecturer on human behavior, spoke at Brigham Young University. I was impressed with both him as a person and with his comments, and since that time I have been reading some of his writings.

In one of his books, “Seeds of Greatness,” Dr. Waitley recently made observations about the impact of television on our lives. He wrote, “You have heard the old cliché, ‘You are what you eat.’ I would like to offer you a new one to share with colleagues and family members: ‘You are what you watch and think.’ A biblical expression in the Book of Proverbs advised long ago, ‘As he thinketh in his heart, so is he’ (Proverbs 23:7). Unfortunately, too many people exist on a mental diet of television, motion pictures created to shock us, and slick publications designed to stimulate us. I consider most of what we have available as ‘junk food’ that leads to mental malnutrition and poor emotional and spiritual health.”

Dr. Waitley continues, “Television is an extraordinary invention which should greatly improve our lives. Our world has been changed by television. You can turn off the TV set, but you can’t turn off television’s influence. We have been exposed to a wide variety of cultures and been given insights into life around the globe and in outer space. Television programs bring us athletics, encourage physical fitness, and provide many opportunities for learning about medicine, the arts, economics, local and world news, and religious events. The potential learning opportunities afforded by television programming are unparalleled in the experience of any pre-television generations.”

After praising television and its potential virtues, Dr Waitley, however, gives these warnings:

“The sad truth, however, is that because of the type of sponsorship necessary to support television in a free market system, very little broadcast time is devoted to stretching our minds, expanding our spirits, and enriching our understanding of ourselves and others. Much of the influence of television is negative. Many programs are dominated by crime, violence, and stereotyped or deviate portrayals of people’s lives . . . Television constantly exposes children and adults to antisocial behavior performed by the incompetent, the uncouth, and the insane. At the other extreme are the superheroes with unnatural strength and superhuman abilities, who are beautiful and handsome. When average individuals compare themselves to their TV heroes, they usually see themselves as inadequate.

Dr. Waitley then makes this thought-provoking conclusion. “We are growing up with television as our ‘window to the world’, and the TV world has become the basis for many of our beliefs and values . . . We can’t really blame the television industry for the situation because the quality of programming is only a reflection of the character of our families in the American social scene. But let’s remember, if a sixty-second commercial, by repeated viewing, can sell us a product, then isn’t it possible for a sixty-minute soap opera or ‘smut-com,’ by repeated viewing, sell us a lifestyle?”