QuoteProject
Busy people tend to forgo the one activity - TV watching _ that is most lethal to community involvement
Robert D. Putnam
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

Engaging in watch TV can hinder people's participation in community activities.

Robert D. Putnam's quote emphasizes the idea that individuals who are busy with various responsibilities often neglect communal engagement, particularly because the time spent watching television detracts from opportunities to connect and contribute to the community. This highlights the detrimental effects of excessive TV consumption on social participation and the importance of prioritizing active involvement in community life.

Themes

CommunityInvolvementTelevisionEngagementActivity

In practice

Example use cases

During a community meeting, one might quote Putnam to encourage members to get involved rather than spend hours in front of the TV.

More from Robert D. Putnam

Social capital may turn out to be a prerequisite for, rather than a consequence of, effective computer-mediated communication.
Robert D. PutnamRead
Our national myths often exaggerate the role of the individual heroes and understate the importance of collective effort.
Robert D. PutnamRead
People may go to the library looking mainly for information, but they find each other there.
Robert D. PutnamRead

Similar quotes

You create a community with music, not just at concerts but by talking about it with your friends.
David ByrneRead
We need better neighbors, neighbors that care about the schools in their neighborhood whether they have kids in them or not, because they know that the health and vitality of that neighborhood depends on it.
Thomas FriedmanRead
There is no executive order; there is no law that can require the American people to form a national community. This we must do as individuals and if we do it as individuals, there is no President of the United States who can veto that decision.
Barbara JordanRead
During natural disasters or emergencies, the most resilient communities - places that suffer the fewest casualties and rebuild more quickly - are not the wealthiest neighborhoods or ones that have spent the most on physical infrastructure, but rather the communities with the strongest social infrastructure.
Michelle WuRead
Business, labor and civil society organizations have skills and resources that are vital in helping to build a more robust global community.
Kofi AnnanRead
What makes community organizing especially attractive is the faith it places in the ability of the poor to make decisions for themselves.
Paul WellstoneRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.

Quote by Robert D. Putnam | QuoteProject