Turn it off.

[Itascapark]

Turn it off. Cut the cable; disconnect the dish; make rabbit ear origami. Burry the remote, snip the power cord. Turn it off. Get a library card. Correspond. Start a non-fiction book club; enroll in a History course. The Right-wing’s consolidated power is television. It’s no longer “the medium is the message,” it’s the medium is the muzzle, the gag, the hush-hush of political weapons. Television drugs the will; television dampens the rage toward the craven powerful and turns that rage against the classes, the races. Television is the devil-may-care of our culture.
Can’t live without “The Apprentice” and those peevish go-getters? The campy, tongue-in-cheekiness of “Desperate Housewives”? “Joey”’s sweet nothings? Fuck it. Addicted to U.S. cable news and our overpaid news poodles waxing nothingness on nonsense? Pick up The Times, The Nation; read The Guardian. PBS documentaries your thing? Rent them.
Turn it off…turn it off…Turn it off.

[Lex]

1. If I stop watching TV, does that mean that the right wingers will?

If the right wingers are consolodating power through the television, if democrats stop monitoring events on TV, then won't the right wingers control of the airwaves be complete?

Is that a good thing? They are in control of the airwaves and we have our magazines?

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

12. Uh, they are in control of the airwaves

and who cares what they do?

The only way to free ourselves from the real danger is to take the profit in pandering to the RW away, and the only way to do that is for them to see their numbers drop.

[Khephra]

2. Gee, some of us manage to do all those alternatives AND

watch TV.

Answer me this: how am I supposed to rent The Daily Show? NOW with Bill Moyers? All the great shows and live events on CSPAN that aren't right-wing? Howabout Sundance and the Independent Channel? Trio? Bravo?

Go ahead and give up on TV if you want. That only means the Right has won.

We didn't give up when the Right took over the radio waves and now we're finally making headway there. Go ahead and forget about TV. Those of us who are sticking in there and fighting for change on the airwaves will be oh so thankful for your help when you start watching again after we've helped create a new balance.

[Itascapark]

4. "That only means the Right has won."

I'm not going to point out what that phrase reminds me of...I reckon you can, as a busy, well informed guy, figure it out on your own.

Yes,C-SPAN, et. al. are important "Fair balanced" options...so far. What will four more years of FCC control under the watchful eye of Micheal Powell produce...no, I think we've passed a threshold with this "election". As nice as those channels are to have, I bet they convinced exactly "0" Bush supporters pre-election to change their vote.

[Khephra]

8. If we were to apply your TV logic just a few years back to books

Then you'd have to be telling people not to buy political non-fiction books because the Right had a virtual monopoly on that section of the media. Radio, as I mentioned above, was bought out during Clinton, a Democrat, yet now we've got AAR and more Liberal hosts than I can even listen to in a 24 hour period because some of us stuck out the rough years. In both those areas the Left has won or at least won ground.

If you want to turn off bad, corporate or Right leaning shows, more power to you. That's what I've done. But to abandon the media because it's controled by corporate or Right Wing interests is as futile and harmful to the cause for reform as it would be to abbandon politics because the RW controls the show now.

When liberals abandon tv then all the people that they'll get ratings from will be Conservatives...and then they'll make more and more and more Conservative shows, brainwashing those who haven't been brainwashed yet because there's still good programing on TV.

Yes, TV sucks for the most part. But take a look at the radio ratings and book sales lists. Conservatives control as much of those markets as TV. Are you refusing to read books or listening to the radio too because of the Right's influence in those media?

[Jack Rabbit]

3. That's the spirit!!

Image from Kill Your Television

[Runcible Spoon]

5. I can't afford cable anyway.

eom

[ChoralScholar]

6. hell... I don't watch anything anyway....

Each night, I have a bourbon and Coke, watch West Wing at 10, King of the Hill at 11, and that's all the TV I watch. No addiction here... not to RW News anyway.

[Swamp Rat]

7. As long as I have free cable, I will watch CSPAN and the Daily Show.

I know, TV causes brain damage... but I read a book almost every day, articles in professional journals, dozens of newspaper articles and countless DU posts while listening to Bernie Ward, Mike Malloy, et al. for counterbalance.

My brother and I turned his TV into a shark aquarium (glued National Geographic cutouts all over it), but alas he is a better man than I. Foreign flicks, CSPAN, and the Daily Show are my Achilles Heel.

[Baja Margie]

9. We only get

channel 6 (fox), sometimes we get 8 & 10. Mostly all Mexican stations, and no cable. We just don't watch it anymore, get everything off the internet.

[Susang]

10. No, I don't think so

Instead, I'll continue to do what I've always done; watch television actively and critically. This may occasionally include watching shows that you don't personally approve of, but hey, them's the breaks.

Perhaps what should be turned off is the arrogance and pretense of thinking you know what's best for others. I know that the paternalistic attitude is very in tune with the times, but seriously ...

"Turn it off...turn it off...Turn it off."

[Itascapark]

11. Yes, well...

Just an opinion...it's interesting that some around here get their backs up when you SUGGEST they consider, CONSIDER a change in a mainstay, like TV...perhaps it's too ingrained in the culture that someone can't dare suggest a change without being accused of arrogance and pretense. Just a thought. O8)

[Susang]

15. Oh, please

Perhaps you should re-read your original post and get back to me. :eyes:

Perhaps I wasn't clear enough. It was arrogant and pretentious for you to suggest that the DUers you choose to converse with on the internet on a daily basis are not capable of making critical decisions when it comes to their television viewing habits. Your post suggests that you are far more qualified than they are to make that determination. Patently ridiculous

Sorry, but I call bullshit. If you want to make a case for never watching television, you had better do a much better job than you have on this thread. If you can't answer Khephra's points, how will you convince the people who actually watch The Apprentice rather than The Daily Show (whose viewers are more highly educated than most)?

[Itascapark]

16. Pretension squared!

"whose viewers are more highly educated than most" Boy, this just gets better and better...

Here it is: I start a "Modest Proposal" of sorts, and it disintegrates into a you're "arrogant", you're "pretentious" debate. Perfect! I'm not here to suggest anything about anyone...just that posters consider what I've suggested...before they post. I'm not here to give reading lessons Susang.

[realisticphish]

13. interesting

you work for a paper company, dont you ;)


:hippie: The Incorrigible Democrat

[Itascapark]

14. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!

No, I been found out!!!!:evilgrin:

[miss_kitty]

17. I can watch TV without getting sucked in

I don't have enough money to support the agenda thats being pushed there. And when I did have the Cable news available, I never watched it after a couple of times. Why does anyone want to listen to that big bunch of losers? So they can go online and complain about it? HEY! It's a one note tune that's been played over and over again. Not interested.

And The Times-hahaha! Turn off the TV and read THE TIMES? that rag? the NYT?-Sorry-way more dangerous than the mindless crap being pumped out over the airwaves. Because The Times has undeserved cred.

Check out the 'Calling of the Bullshit' on the NYT here:
http://www.fair.org/media-outlets/nyt.html

The OP could be an insult to one's intelligence, if it were allowed to be.

I'll make up my OWN mind about the telly, thanks.