-Anonymous
 
I guess it’s a testament to how far television has come…that things are so real on TV that you often have a difficult time differentiating between what is reality and what is fiction. I guess in your case, what you watch unfortunately does translate into real life occurrences. I am a fan of CSI and Law and Order and all of that, mostly because what goes on when it comes to crime investigation is so complicated and always interesting. I don’t think you have to cut back on your TV watching or find something else to like. You are obviously drawn to these programs for a reason. However, it is important to know that while shows like that are either based on actual cases or are representative of things that could happen, YOU are safe. You are in your own home with your parents, who I am sure lock up every single night. Nothing is going to happen to you. It might help to alternate shows, watch the crime ones and then add in a funny/happy one like Friends at the end so that your last waking moments are spent watching something that makes you feel good. Whenever I watch something scary I put on the Food Network or Disney (don’t judge). It calms me down and gets my mind off of other scary things that I have just watched and believe me, I have a nightlights all over my apartment because I scare very easily.
 
A positive that can come from you watching these shows is 1. They are often portrayals of realistic situations, learn from them. Some valuable lessons can be learned from shows that recreate dangerous situations.  2. They give a little insight to what goes on in police investigations, which is cool to know and 3. You are probably drawn to them because you have an interest in law and social responsibility. I can’t say that life as a lawyer, a judge, a policeman or a crime scene investigator is always that exciting, but those professions definitely do good for humanity. Maintain a balance and you will be fine. If it becomes too much to handle, maybe you need to take a break from all of those shows for a while.
 
XO,

9/22/2008 5:36:00 PM