Educational Television

Who says television can't be educational? I mean after all, I learned lots of important things from television. I perfected my use of the English language by watching Sesame Street. I learn about the world around me on a constant basis by watching the news and shows on the History Channel. So who says that television is subversive or sending the wrong message? Well, perhaps the good officers down in central Kentucky. This past weekend they arrested 36-year-old Michael Hobbs on suspicion of robbery. When taken into custody and interrogated, Hobbs revealed that he learned how to break into houses watching the show "It Takes a Thief" on the Discovery Channel.

What's the show about? Well, I myself have never watched it but in reading descriptions, the show is hosted by two ex-burglars who have seen the errors of their way and have taken to helping homeowners understand where the vulnerable points of their homes are. Basically in each episode they come to a house and run through a scenario which they would use to rob that particular house and then go through a practical demonstration. None of the property is actually stolen but the hosts show that they could easily get to it and they then offer up advice on how to prevent such theivery. Interesting huh?

Some will undoubtedly look to this article and call for the end of such a show but I think it argues for itself. One can say that the show helps would-be thieves gain an understanding of how to penetrate houses and do so in an efficient manner but I also contend that it shows would-be victims how to defend against incursions into their houses. You can argue both sides effectively but I think the case for keeping this type of show on the air is stronger. How so? Well think about it. Shows like this have educated people on the effects of smoking over the long run and how not wearing seatbelts can be hazardous (and deadly) to your health. No one argues there that it is educating you in a bad way.

That doesn't mean that I'm encouraging people out there to watch the show so that they can quit their jobs or take up burglary as a profession. On the contrary, I think it will encourage us to take more steps to protect our homes from such incursions. A few years back when the Club was touted as the most effective deterent to car theives, television journalists did reports to determine if it truly was an effective protective device and the found thieves who then demonstrated how easy it was to still bypass the protection and steal the car. Even at that time there were people who called for the banishment of such 'educational' shows since it showed thieves that they could still steal a car despite apparent protection.

All that being said, did Michael Hobbs have anything from the houses he broke into? Well when police searched his house they didn't find a single piece of evidence that indicated that he had stolen anything. The evidence that police had, prior to his confession of learning his skills from the Discovery Channel, was that he had been offering gutter cleaning services in the neighborhoods where the burglaries occured. The case apparently came together from there though the debate on the status of the show continues. There hasn't been any statement by the Discovery Channel as yet with regards to whether the show will be yanked off the air or not but my gut feeling is that the show will remain on the air.

As I said, I think it's beneficial in the long run to have such a show on the air because when you watch a few episodes you'll most likely be inspired to secure the homestead. Sure there will be those, like Michael Hobbs who will want to see if the methods of breaking into a home are as 'easy' as they're shown on television but that doesn't mean that this will lead to a sudden rise in home invasions. What it will likely mean though is that the Discovery Channel will definitely see a brief rise in viewership as more people tune in to see what this show is all about. True story or an attempt to boost ratings? You decide.