Why do you even bother watching TV?

[LeftHander]

Are you that bored?

Is your life that dull?

Do you have to bathe in the light of a endless stream of drivel to feel normal?


I mean...COME ON PEOPLE! Television is THE BIGGEST PROBLEM facing our society RIGHT NOW.

Television does nothing but perpetuate the corporatized consumer culture. There is nothing and I mean NOTHING that television gives you that you can't live without. But yet SO many people cannot function unless they are watching TV or talking about TV.

HOLY SHIT Ammerica was no not built by TELEVISION. Corporate fortunes were built by television and since TELEVISON entered into our homes our society has been in a slow death spiral. Our real culture stopped 20 seconds into Uncle Milty.

People have been fawning over every TV bullshit news story up here at anytime 50% pf the threads have some relationship to eitherFox News, Katie Couric, The Daily Show or some other seemingly "important" TV event.

Makes me puke.

Here have some puke:

:puke:

Count it up people. Count up the hours you spend watching TV...add to that the hours you spend talking about TV...it is more than 30 per week I bet...for many. I know....I was there once. TV addict....TV King...sofa king....channel surfer...remote boy

Those who say..."Oh I watch to keep my enemies close..." well duh....you aren't seeing WHAT the real enemy is...it is television.

[hobbit709]

1. I want my Mythbusters

[RevolutionStartsNow]

118. That show is like a virus on my Tivo!

I love it, and my 10 year old son gets a lot out of it, but we it seems to record about 5 episodes per day!

[Monkeyman]

2. only thing I will be watching is football

[nolabels]

62. Basketball sometimes has a few highlights as well

Football and basketball are fun to listen to on the radio when you don't have the time to watch the screen also. The premise of this thread seems like the ole there are evil people so that means all people are evil. Perhaps a time for a little self reflection for somebody :shrug:

[whistle]

3. I don't....MythBusters I can get on YouTube

[johnnie]

4. I used to hate TV when I was a kid too

As to why I watch TV now, it really isn't any of your concern. Is it? It's entertainment for me. I also like to learn things and sometimes I just want to turn my mind off and watch some stupid shows.

[Redstone]

5. I don't, but that's not to indict TV in general. There's some good stuff

on TV. I just don't have the time.

And I'd never condemn anyone who DOES watch TV.

It's not for me to tell anyone else what they should or should not do, nor to question or impugn their reasons for doing so.

Redstone

[ScreamingMeemie]

82. It is for me to say....

:yourock:

I had more difficulty saying that down thread. :hi:

[rurallib]

6. Keith Olbermann and Amy Goodman

With a slice of Maher.

[NMDemDist2]

30. agreed. Also Jon Stewart and Colbert n/t

[Eric J in MN]

42. Ditto. NT

NT

[SmokingJacket]

7. TV is shit. nt

[we can do it]

165. Total Shit - A Total Waste of Time

[Demit]

8. Television is the biggest problem facing our society right now?

Surely you jest.

And how do you know what television is or isn't giving people since you apparently don't watch it? Wipe the puke off your smiley and ratchet back a bit.

[LeftHander]

64. Yeah...you are so RIGHT.....give me more kool-aid

If you haven't noticed....TV is pervasive in our culture. If I go to a party...the TV is on. If I go to a bar, resturant, gas station, health club, airport, buses, health clinic, waiting rooms,....the TVs are blazing.

TV first invaded our living rooms...now they have spread to even fucking GAS PUMPS!....

So even though I don't watch TV at home it unfortunately it manages to be be seen many other places.

I also have spent a lot of time sitting listening to people talk about TV programs...to me it is a huge waste of mental energy.

So I quit watching some years ago. Now when I see a TV...and hear the din of commercials and listen to people talk talk talk about soaps, American Idle, football, blah blah blah it really is simply boring and I usually walk away.

"Did you see...X, I love that show?"

"No I didn't....I don't even know what that is...why is it so important...?"

"Because! It's good and I can't wait to see what happens next. You see...blah blah blah blah...and then she blah mwah muwah blah blah muah muah...It is soooo awesome."

"No, I don't even know who that is or what you are talking about. I don't watch TV."

"You don't watch TV? What is wrong with you?...freak."

[Demit]

170. Maybe you need to hang out with different people. nt

[John Gauger]

9. I don't watch television

It's all lies. Especially when C-SPAN broadcasts Congress. People tend to stare when you yell at the TV.

[NRaleighLiberal]

10. I have to agree. 90% garbage, surrounded by enless advertisements.

What really makes me wonder is why anyone would buy anything because the tube tells you to, or that is works, or is better. "reality" shows? empty news broadcasts? We watch the occasional show on PBS, an old move on TCM, or some sports events - as well as Daily Show, Colbert, and Olbermann...very, very little else.

[hobbit709]

14. Spinrad's Law

"90% of everything is crap" You have to find the paydirt in the muck. Are most books out there worth reading, are most movies worth watching, is most of the stuff on the internet? Hell No! But I try to find something to occupy my mind. My network viewing is maybe 3 hours a week.

[NRaleighLiberal]

32. Good point - I am watching a Bergman flick as I read DU!

[sofa king]

180. The Seventh Seal, by chance?

I like to imagine myself as the Gunnar Björnstrand of Internet message board commentary. But sometimes I have a pretty high opinion of myself.

[DavidDvorkin]

79. Sturgeon's Law

Theodore Sturgeon, not Spinrad.

[rman]

182. It's the other way around: it's mostly advertising, the rest is filler.

With a few exceptions.

[Mojambo]

11. I don't agree, and I'd tell you why, but I'm watching King of Queens. n/t

[Zensea]

12. I don't

I haven't owned a TV in over a decade.
But since I'm not a recovering addict I don't preach about it that often ...
I make an exception when someone else brings up the subject.
Might have something to do with this --- Society of the Spectacle, although I read this after I stopped owning a TV.
More like it gave me more ammunition for my attitude.

[1620rock]

15. The weather channel comes in handy at times. n/t

[Broken_Hero]

56. Thats the truth

weather channel is almost a must in the midwest, especially with tornado seasons, and other severe storms...I don't trust my local news weathermen at all....:)

[we can do it]

164. Not Really - Get Yourself a NOAA Weather Radio, You Can Get the Forcasts

Without electricity (battery powered) out in the yard or your car, or have an alarm go off while you sleep....btw, cable tends to go out alot in bad weather (I don't have it, but I often hear others freaking out about it) - so the weather channel again fails you when you need it.

[datasuspect]

67. for seamen and outdoorsy types NOAA radio

on VHF radio or available on many am/fm radios.

source data for the weather channel.

you get the weather without the exposure to corporate advertising and blathering hosts.

[LeftHander]

75. yup....WC was the last to go...

I use my marine handheld VHF, NOAA website and a weather station at a kite store via internet for my weather. Also the space sicence and engineering center from UW for GOES sat pix...the "mostly useless" internet is great for weather.

[Berry Cool]

17. People who choose to watch some TV don't deserve castigation.

And one thing people who don't should consider is this: you may not watch it, but a whole lot of people who vote do. So what appears on it, and what doesn't appear on it, may have some impact on you.

[Zensea]

33. I didn't castigate anyone

That's your projection.
All I said was that I haven't owned a TV in over a decade.
Of course it's impossible to not see something on TV in this country now and then, in the airport, in a bar and so forth.
I don't count that as "watching" it though.
You don't even have to watch it that much to have a pretty good idea what appears on it.
A little goes a long way especially once you turn it into being an unusual thing to see.
There is a certain parallel to its being a drug in this.
Just like someone who hasn't had a drink in a long time will get drunk on a very small amount, if you rarely watch TV all it takes is five minutes or sometimes even five seconds to get the whole picture in one fell swoop.
Plus people talk about it all the time.
There's constant threads about it on DU.
There's transcripts on various web sites.
It's on the covers of magazines constantly.
There's really no escape ... but you can escape the effects it has on you from actually sitting in front of it for any length of time.

[Jcrowley]

13. Television is damaging

Television commercials and television shows both promote the purchase of commodities. Advertisers and television networks don't want viewers to go out and search for the answers on their own. They want to provide the answers on television. If your head hurts: buy Advil (or some other pain relieving drug). Is your stomach growling? Drive your Pontiac to Taco Bell or Burger King. Every guy wants a fast Lexus and every girl wants to look like the women on the NBC television show Friends. Watch the Dallas Cowboys' RB score a touchdown, watch the replay (Sponsored by Coors Light), then watch the same RB do an advertisement for Pizza Hut.

Television is promoting a lifestyle. It is a virtual reality that advertisers and networks seek to promote in order to gain additional revenue.

Psychologically, television causes people, especially young children, to become passive, incommunicative, paranoid, and have low self-esteem. Many people believe that the act of watching television is a relaxing activity which helps them "forget about the world". In reality, television constantly "pours" images into people's minds, always having it filled with useless, obsessive thoughts. Worst of all, this inhibits one's ability to think by exhausting one's mind with someone else's obsessive thoughts. Television content also manipulates your emotions thus, over stimulating them. Television programmes have the ability to activate strong and volatile emotions within the viewer. Emotions such as sadness, joy, anger, fear, sympathy, and passion are common emotions that are brought up when watching a dramatic television programme. By going on this emotional "roller-coaster" ride, where the fore mentioned emotions are activated one after the other in less than one hour, television severely hinders one's mental stability.

Don't own one. Only hear about TV cult-ure through people talking about TV which is completely alien to me and it takes awhile before I realize they are not talking about real acquaintances.

[Lorien]

130. Amen jcrowley. I've seen it happen with my own 64 year old father

He was TV free for most of his life, but when he broke up with his girlfriend years ago he bought a home theater system. Now he constantly worries about home invasions, murders, terrorism, the disease of the month, and even gets caught up in celebrity gossip. It's hard to believe that my own father-a Ph.D and noted psychologist-can get brainwashed by such bullshit so quickly and easily. He keeps saying that he "hardly watches any" TV, but I know that he's there in front of it 4-6 hours a night. I really miss the guy I knew before he got his set. :-(

And I know exactly what you mean about the TV cult-ure. Often I feel like a stranger in a very strange land.

[sweetheart]

16. I presume this internet terminal is not a 'tv'

or i'm screwed! :-)

watch DVD's from a uk 'netflix', do i need cable? i agree, an aquarium is much more
informative and progressive.

[silverweb]

18. Three reasons.

(1) Olbermann.
(2) Stewart.
(3) Colbert.

[CatholicEdHead]

34. 1. BSG

2. FSN North (Twins Baseball)

[Jo March]

157. Alabama Crimson Tide football

Carolina Panthers football.

Dora the Explorer and Blues Clues.

Colbert Report. The Daily Show. Countdown with Keith Olbermann.

[Eric J in MN]

43. Me too. NT

NT

[Tyo]

19. We haven't turned on the TV for a couple of weeks at least

If "Everyone Loves Raymond" is on and my partner is really really bored he'll watch that. Otherwise it might be a few mins
of "news" before going to sleep. And then we just lie there and talk about what crap it is. Most of the time the TV just sits there.

I know that we are probably missing some good stuff on PBS or The History Channel, but we never think to check the schedules. Basically, who needs it? I do feel kind of out of it when people at the office, mainly middle-aged, start going on about Survivor and American Idol or sports or whatever but listening to them just reinforces the fact that I really haven't missed much. There are too many other options. TV doesn't even really make the list.

[LeftHander]

66. Keep going!....After 30 days of no TV life changes...

the world is much more interesting. (good) Radio and music become more interesting. Nature and the colors of the sky and sound of the nieghborhood become better. Smell, taste and hearing improve.

Life slows down a little bit and relationships grow...

And you start to entertain each other....how human is that.

that is why TV is the biggesnt problem to our society. It stops our natural cultural development...

Turn it off and enjoy...

:)

[liberalpress]

72. You live without TV.

.. that's fine. My wife and I enjoy some favorite programs together, and then we'll watch some "other material" and enjoy each other!

I'm glad being without TV has improved your life.

It doesn't seem to have made you any less angry, judging by your vitriol

To each his own.

[LeftHander]

128. I take Vitriol twice a day....

It keeps me young.

[AnnieBW]

20. Some of it is good

Some of it is actually thought-provoking. "Lost" and "Battlestar Galactica" are two of my favorites. Both deal with issues of community survival. Don't write off all of television because of boring crap. Remember, 90% of everything is crap, but there's 10% of good in there.

[Moochy]

21. The bumper sticker reads Kill *YOUR* television

read carefully...

*YOUR TELEVISION*

not mine. :P

[Bluebear]

22. 'Are you that bored?' ...Well, maybe I am.

So there.

[Rainscents]

23. I only watch KO

BOYSCOTTED all others.

[Bluebear]

26. Not me. I love Red Sox ballgames. Golden Girls reruns.

And the Amzing Race. So sue me. :hi:

[Rainscents]

37. OK, I didn't boyscott all and I must admit, I watch Seattle Mariner

and NY Giant!!! :hi:

[AngryAmish]

24. Because I like professional wrestling.

whooooooo!!!!

[Broken_Hero]

58. Ric Flair....:) Guy is still amazing....:) nt

[mmonk]

25. I'm enjoying Rockstar Supernova. It's the only thing

that seems real other than Keith O.

[Mythsaje]

121. This thread deserves hijacking...

So who's your pick for winner? I used to think Dilana, but now I'm figuring Storm or Toby. Dilana shot herself in the foot. Repeatedly.

She does have an amazing voice though.

[NMDemDist2]

27. cuz DH is a vidiot. on the other hand we have literally hours and hours

of old Hogan's Heroes, Star Treks and M.A.S.H.s that is his normal fare.

When I have the "comm" we watch CSpan and Free Speech TV

[napi21]

28. Speak for yourself. I watch a lot of csppan,CNN, MSNBC, but

I also have several favorite shows. The Daily Show, Desperate Housewives, Law and Order,Boston Legal, and I'm looking forward to Studio 60 that is a new on this fall and some of the sctors from West Wing are on it.

Sure there are lots of nights I look through the lineup and say DAMN how can you have 300+ chanels and there's nothing you want to watch?

[Bluebear]

31. Then you can watch the Magic Bullet infomercial!

:hi:

I'm with you, just happen to like my Tv and won't be lectured about it :)

[napi21]

35. HA! Yea, I've seen the MAGIC Bullet ads. ;o))

Some of them are actually pretty funny! Much better than the danm ambulance chasing attorney ads, or ALL the disgusting ads for DRUGS!

[NYCGirl]

71. Even more than the West Wing actors on "Studio 60" is the fact that Aaron

Sorkin in writing it! Can't wait!

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

29. I ran out of opium.

And the marx on my arms were getting ridiculous.

[LWolf]

36. I don't bother much.

When I do, it's because I'm too brain dead to engage in any thinking, too tired to do my books justice. Then I'll put something on; usually an old Law & Order rerun. Sometimes Monk. I rarely watch them all the way through; by the 2nd commercial break, I'm asleep, lost in thought about something entirely unrelated, or I've picked up my book again.

[Moochy]

38. HEAD ON: APPLY DIRECTLY TO THE FOREHEAD

APPLY DIRECTLY TO THE FOREHEAD
APPLY DIRECTLY TO THE FOREHEAD
APPLY DIRECTLY TO THE FOREHEAD

[Swamp Rat]

39. APPLY DIRECTLY TO THE FOREHEAD

[Moochy]

50. THE PRODUCT IS YOU!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=xb-jj4ncEzQ&mode=related&search=

(cough must stop shouting!) :hi:



Adbusters
A global network of artists, activists, educators, and guerrilla tacticians.
We want to build the new social activist movement of our information age.
Our mission is to take on the archetypal mind polluters and beat them
at their own game.
Click HERE to visit the Adbusters website

[readmoreoften]

40. Because I'm a professor of media studies. /nt

[LeftHander]

69. then you know what I am talking about....and should...

Do a study of what happens to people when they stop watching TV for 30 days.

Have them keep a journal. And have them in to gauge reactions to commercials after not watching for 30 days. What did they do to replace the time spent watching TV.

Do basic pysical tests as well, BP, blood work up...

Have them answer questions about current events.

I think the results would be facinating.

[glitch]

137. In my youth I traveled for 6 months, on the cheap. No telly.

When I got home to my parents' house I was shocked at how loud and obnoxious and jarring to the nerves the tv was.

But the sad thing is I got used to it again pretty quickly. But it did make me aware, and the tv is mostly off and rarely do I watch commercial tv. Now it's pbs, cspan and when my mind needs a break, Monk and Psych from itunes.

I've learned a lot from pbs and cspan, laughed so hard I thought my heart would stop from Monk, moderation is a good thing.

[Synnical]

41. If I couldn't watch HOUSE and BONES I'd lose my mind

Smart characters, atheists, both. I need some HOPE, here.

[Mythsaje]

129. I'm with you...

Great programs, both of them.

[terminal_concept]

44. I'm with you.

I don't watch T.V. anymore .I don't think just turning it off will help because they don't know it's off.It won't help as a means of protest anyway but it will free us from propaganda.If you really believe there is something wrong with it turn your cable or satelite off.

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

45. K & R. With a few exceptions it's crap.

[JackDragna]

46. There's some good TV out there..

I find TV an invaluable resource for getting a good laugh. The Daily Show and Colbert Report, among others. I also think some of the best drama right now is on cable (The Sopranos, Deadwood, Six Feet Under). Not all television is drivel, just how not every book is a good read and worthy of intellectual pursuit.

So, thank you for insulting the whole lot of of us here. On behalf of all those who aren't that bored and know good TV when we see it, go jump off a bridge. Good night and good luck.

[Neshanic]

47. Turner Classic Movies. That's it. Only it.

[qwertyMike]

48. Didn't watch TV for years

But I got one for the Olympics - I was a Track and field guy before steriods.
And the last occasional movie watched "The Unforgiven
last night

http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Students/bas9401.html
http://www.marshallmcluhan.com/

The above is a bit heavy - I still watch "House" and "Lost" - I can't wait

Mick

[MetaTrope]

49. I only watch Korean TV dramas...on DVD...

It's nice to see some genuine emotion and polished storytelling for a change.

[NuttyFluffers]

57. oooh! love korean dramas lately!

do you do "Dae Jang Geum" mama ji?

[MetaTrope]

60. Yes, it's a great show

See if you can find the next series made by its producers, EMPEROR OF THE SEA (difficult to get on DVD in the U.S., since KBS has it in some sort of satellite broadcast package now).

[npincus]

84. are they subtitled in English?

I used to LOVE Japanese historical dramas, but the tee vee station lost it's funding for the service and translations were discontinued... BOOOO HOOOO.

[MetaTrope]

185. Indeed they are!

Visit www.yesasia.com for a look.

[npincus]

199. a big thank-you!

[SammyWinstonJack]

51. Who pissed in your Wheaties?

:shrug: What's wrong with a little TV viewing? Not everyone allows corporate sponsors to dictate their shopping preferences, ya know? Not everything on TV is bad. Lighten up, mmkay?

[ScreamingMeemie]

81. Shame on you, you non purist you.

;) :hi:

[EnviroBat]

138. It was me...

I peed in the Wheaties, I'm not a very good person...

[Feron]

52. Well since you asked:

-Background noise for when I workout. It's easier to flip on the TV than it is to fumble around with an mp3 player or some other gadget.

-Entertainment although I watch very little regular TV. I only have four shows this year that I watch.

And of course, I have DVDs that I will watch on occasion.

Most of the time though, my TV is turned off. I've traded my TV vice for my computer vice. :)

[Cobalt-60]

53. TV is nearly dead

I use to be a real Groover Mc Tuber.
But it has been a very long time since I watched anything but science fiction, old movies, and documentaries.
I could build a respectable pyramid from my VHS/DVD collection.
I moved recently and elected not to pay Charter's ridiculous prices for cable. I am masked from direct broadcast satellites and regular broadcast is useless.
While I have been waiting for the free cb tower - you take it away in the paper, I have watched my recordings.
The oldest population dates from the 90s. And if you just let it run rather than speeding through news ad commercials, you can see how much better the country was then.
Try it with an old time shift tape, if you have one.
I predict a big traffic in vintage tv, burned to dvd from time shifts like mine.

[NuttyFluffers]

54. My Grandfather calls it "The Most Powerful Contraceptive."

points out how huge families all but vanished by the advent of TV in his time. apparently he noted how couples were bored before at night, so they, um, yeah.... and now they watch 10 o'clock news, catch some Late Night Show, gaze blankly at late night infomercials, and then stumble into bed with dreams of consumption dancing in their heads. and he came from a 3rd world country, so it wasn't much about economic stability that reduced large families in his eyes. how sad, all that lost opportunity for sex... and in the age of the most readily available and successful contraception! and just so we can hear the latest thing to keep us afraid in our suburb, laugh at a stale, safe joke (for the water cooler tomorrow), and see the latest cheap piece of plastic that only costs $19.95! i think i'd rather enjoy the sex instead, though extra sleep isn't bad either.
:+

[raccoon]

99. Correlation doesn't equal causation. lol nt

[Broken_Hero]

55. sports, and news....

thats what I watch most of the time. If mtv, or vh1 ever went back to playing half way decent music, I would watch them.

on edit:to add Smallville to my list of shows, can't believe I forgot about it...:)

[ScreamingMeemie]

59. "it is more than 30 per week I bet"

You'd owe me. But I'm not going to apologize for the 3-5 hours I do spend watching. No siree. And framing the argument the way you have almost makes me want to watch more, just to spite you. :hi:

[LeftHander]

74. Turn it on....tune life out.....

TV is a slow warm smothering device.

Life is a hard slap when compared to that.

[ScreamingMeemie]

80. sorry... Let's not go overboard here.

:eyes: 3-5 hours out of a very full life. Oh No!!! Look how much we're missing! Don't be ridiculous. I know it's cool to act "pure", but it's tiresome around here. :hi:

[LeftHander]

142. If only 3-5 hours then stop....

What is the point of having it then?

Far from pure...BTW...

But really....in the past week DU has become more of a TV guide....

We all bitch about stuff and work to effect change but little good it does if many of us plop our asses down infront of TV and get spoon fed a diet of crap from Bushco/Neocons and ads from Big Pharma for yet ANOTHER PILL....

Simply put....since I gave up on TV...it makes me ill to even try to watch it...

I get a dissapointed when this place is steeped discussions about what is playing on TV....

So...I rattle the cage. Not for the purpose of dividing people.

I just challenge people to stop watching for 30 days.

You should be able to give it up all together at only 3-5 hours per week...

[ScreamingMeemie]

147. Because I enjoy it. Sorry. Not giving it up.

:shrug: Rattling cages tends to produce more of the behaviour you're hoping to stop. :hi:

[Vinca]

61. Television bashers bug the hell out of me.

It's not as if I sit around watching soaps in the afternoon, cartoons on Saturday and "Desperate Housewives" whenever that's on. I enjoy keeping CSPAN on while I'm working and catching something every so often that either makes me mad as hell or moves me to tears. I've always been a newsoholic - prior to being a political junkie. When Kennedy was shot, I watched nonstop for a week or more. I was at work when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, but I stopped what I was doing, sat down in front of a black and white television and watched. When Waco happened, I was watching. When both space shuttles blew up, I was watching. When 9/11 happened I was watching. I don't see a thing wrong with watching history as well as reading history, so give the "why do you bother watching TV" a rest.:mad:

[LeftHander]

73. Try not watching for 30 days....

If you find life different and more fulfilling great. If it is empty and tedious and boring without it. Turn it back on.

I hope that people can one day realize that Television is unhealthy to not only people physically but to our culture...

TV is a distraction to life.

911 was one of the events that turned me away from TV...I saw the planes strike, the towers fall... 1000s of times.

Did I really need to see that over and over and over again?

Yes I saw the moon walk.

But you know what...I also saw my nieghbor the other day, smiled and waved to them while I sat on my porch on a beautiful evening.

I watced a butterfly migration underway across Lake Michigan....

I joined in singing at church.

How less important are these?

TV makes us spectators to life.

I choose to particpate.

[The Straight Story]

77. And DU is much better?

Hell, we got some good channels and bad ones here, but people still tune in day after day :)

[Mythsaje]

133. How many novels have you written?

How many top-rated essays here on DU?

Get back to me when you've matched my record.

And, by the way, the list of shows I watch?

Bones
Monk
Saved
Rockstar: Supernova
Gilmore Girls
Smallville
CSI (all of them--occasionally)
The Dead Zone
Criminal Minds
Veronica Mars
Medium
The Ghost Whisperer
Supernatural

And God, I still miss Buffy.

The best sci-fi show ever on TV? Firefly.

And somehow I still manage to work full-time, write, design graphics for my wife's website, work on my OWN website, participate in several e-mail groups, read hundreds of books a year, and live a full, satisfying life otherwise.

Wow...that Cloak of Superiority is pretty cool. Thanks for letting me borrow it.

[LeftHander]

146. Not into competing....but I've written a lot...

I am amazed at how people get so upset at the thought of no TV...like taking a cigarette out of the mouth of a smoker....gently...

...not trying to be superior in anyway...not watching TV is probably more abnormal in our society.
(say FREAK)

I am just saying try letting go of TV...for a while and see if it makes a difference in your life.

I grant you access to my scarf of snarkiness....it matches the cloak.....

lol

[Mythsaje]

152. I went years without watching much TV

when I was younger. Didn't bother me much. These days it's just another activity I enjoy.

My wife is the funny one. She never watched a lot of TV...and spent most of the eighties in Europe. You wouldn't BELIEVE how much of American culture just passed her by. References that most Americans would grasp instantly that she doesn't get at all.

Imagine not knowing what it means to "McGyver" something. LOL

Television today is MUCH smarter in general than it ever has been, if you pass up the sitcoms (which are invariably stupid) you can find a lot of intriguing ideas out there. Can't say I'm real big on "reality" TV either, other than Rockstar. I love hearing new versions of old songs, as long as they're done well.

If nothing else TV is a window into American pop-culture and valuable for that alone.

[wryter2000]

158. Novels

Good question. I've published four full-length romance novels (not that the OP will consider them real books), about 8 novellas, and 2 or 3 shorts (not sure when the third will be published). I've written gardening columns and humorous columns for an e-zine. I have a Ph.D. from UC Berkeley.

I grew up watching TV, and I still watch. 3.5 hours on work nights, 1.5 hours of that news, 1 hour of that Stewart and Colbert. A bit longer on the weekends, including news, sports, and PBS cooking shows.

I have a life, thank you very much, and if you're not castigating, I don't see any need for the puke smilie.

On edit: that last was meant to be directed to the OP.

[Mythsaje]

161. Nothing wrong with good romance novels...

Of course, I'm going to be kicked out of the GUY club for saying so... :D

[wryter2000]

172. Your secret is safe with me.

:thumbsup:

[Mythsaje]

176. Oh, who said it was a secret?

I think a lot of male authors could learn a little from reading Nora Roberts, or any of the romantic suspense authors like Catherine Coulter or Tami Hoag.

I know I have.

[wryter2000]

190. I know Catherine Coulter

She's one savvy lady.

[Mythsaje]

200. I can believe it.

I've been a fan for years.

[Shakespeare]

195. Ahem. You can do all of those things and STILL watch a little TV.

I watch football AND I play racquetball. I watch baseball AND I go hiking on weekends. Watch AND participate. See, you can do both!

Good lord. It's not an all-or-nothing thing, LeftHander. And it is unspeakably rude to condescend to tell others how they should live their lives. Not just tell, but denigrate. Bet you're a blast at parties, Mr. Turd-in-the-Punchbowl.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

63. Here's a few reasons...

NY Yankees
NY Giants
House
Justice (okay, it's new, but it looks promising)
Grey's Anatomy
Colbert Report
The Daily Show
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Assorted movies

[Fox Mulder]

65. I watch tv because I live in a small town with nothing to do.

I suppose I could tip cows if I wanted to. :eyes:

[datasuspect]

68. "HOW WILL THE DEMOCRATES WIN AN ELECTION IF YOU BASH TV??????

waiting for this one to pop up.

[tomreedtoon]

179. See below, message 178, from me.

And I'll expand on it. It's because "smart" people like you didn't want anything to do with TV, like keeping it honest and non-monopolized, that the Republicans now dominate the country's main mass medium.

When you complain about this ABC TV-movie, or O'Reilly, remember, YOU gave them control of the medium to the rich and the Republican because you were too disdainful of it. Do you like the results?

[TheFriedPiper]

70. Discovery HD Theatre and sports

Usually it is just on while I do other things.

I multitask and also spend a lot of time waiting on code and track files to render, so the TV fills in the spots I would normally be staring at the hourglass.

[underpants]

76. Hellooooooooooo! Fear Factor!

Duh!

[mccoyn]

78. I'm a productive member of society 8+ hours a day.

When I get home you will be sure to find me doing something that is relaxing and entertaining.

[noonwitch]

83. Because I want to know if Elizabeth is carrying Jason's baby

I'm a GH addict.

[bryant69]

Well aren't you special

It must feel good knowing how special you are for having rejected television. How superior you are. How wonderful it is that you can't take pleasure in television. After all the most refined person realizes what total crap all popular entertainment is and can't enjoy any of it.

Makes me glad not to be superior.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[Buzz Clik]

86. Half those who posted here agree with the OP.

I suggest you curb your defensive attitude.

[rinsd]

90. The self righteous find comfort in numbers.....

[Buzz Clik]

140. You missed the point.

I personally don't care at all who watches and who does not, but bryant69 was throwing a fit calling the author "superior" as if he was holding himself above everyone else. The reality is that many, many people forsake television for forms of entertainment that doesn't rely on consumer stupidity.

[rinsd]

150. Because the OP's tone was ridiculous and self righteous

"The reality is that many, many people forsake television for forms of entertainment that doesn't rely on consumer stupidity."

That I have little problem with. At the same time, we should try to respect one another's choices in life especially something so silly as lesiure activity. Some people collect stamps, some people watch birds, some people read literature, some paint, some watch TV, some play sports etc etc.

The whole I don't watch TV because its for stupid people is well...damn condescending and arrogant. And frankly I hate that. You will also see me on the NASCAR threads for the same reason even though I can't stand NASCAR. Its this need to proclaim(proclaim being the key word) one's virtue thru non participation in an activity and to degrade those that do that sets me off.

[bryant69]

98. Or what? What consequences will befall me if I fail

to curb my defensive attitude?

And it's not defensive - I honestly despise the position "TV is crap and anybody who watchs it must be a moron." It's a pathetic position - it's taking joy in your inability to take joy.

It'd be one thing if the poster said "Well I don't watch tv but to each their own." But that's not what he said.

[datasuspect]

105. engaging in a mind numbing passive activity like watching tv

produces joy?

damn, i wish i were that easily amused. wouldn't have to do all that "hard" stuff like learn, grow, and understand the large world all around us that we can actually PARTICIPATE in.

[bryant69]

110. see - contented in your superiority

I will point out though, that contrary to your rather shallow and self congratultory post, it is of course possible to learn grow and understand the large world all around us while occassionally enjoying good TV.

Bryant

[rinsd]

123. You just made Bryant's point about condescending self righteousness

"damn, i wish i were that easily amused. wouldn't have to do all that "hard" stuff like learn, grow, and understand the large world all around us that we can actually PARTICIPATE in."

Care to inform us what else you are an insufferable snob about?

[Buzz Clik]

143. No one is making points other than you and Bryant.

Please. Turn on the tv and never turn it off. Why would we possibly care?

[datasuspect]

162. sounds like they need to watch it more.

HAHAHAHA!!!!

[Mythsaje]

126. Oh, yes...God only knows I've never done anything but watch TV...n/t

[LeftHander]

136. TV addiction strong as cigarettes.....

TV is entertainment, a advertising tool used by the rich to promote our "American Way of Life" - continued consumerism and mass consumption to the deteriment of everyone else in the world.

It is certainly a propaganda tool we ALL despise. Yet many keep watching. The collective damage is seen here on this site. Endless conversations about Fox news, MSM manipulation of the masses, Katie Couric, Dan Rather, American Idle, Steve Irwin....blah, blah, blah....

..there is no truth on TV....try not looking for it there.

[bryant69]

139. Oh you are saying I shouldn't believe everything TV tells me?

Thank you mr. internet person. God knows I would never have come to that conclusion myself.

What about everything Internet people tell me?

Bryant

[Buzz Clik]

141. gawd. Touch a nerve, did I?

"What consequences will befall me if I fail to curb my defensive attitude?"

Nothing from me -- your attitude will be its own reward.

[bryant69]

149. As will yours. We all get the kind of hell we deserve, I suppose.

Bryant

[Buzz Clik]

85. TV? Not much!

I watch football and college hoops with the sound turned down.

I watch the Daily Show, Colbert, and Countdown.

On a rare occasion (twice per month), I watch Scarborough.

That's it.

[fishnfla]

87. The OP is on to something that viewers will never understand

Its a whole new world without the idiot box, but you have to take the first step.
Try not watching for 30 days, maybe you will see. I'm 3 years out, TV free.

You'll find your communication skills vastly improved, and yes, you will notice how dull regular TV viewers are. You will also notice how television permeates American life and destroys ones sense of self. As far as American culture, forget it.

You will also find your personal relationships are more real and and intensely improved. You will also be more relaxed in your free time. Clarity of thought and reason skyrocket.

The remote control and drive thru food are 2 pervasive devices that are ruining American individuality, health and intelligence.

[we can do it]

168. Amazing - Isn't It - A Conversation Not Involving Survivor, Amurkin IDull

Reading, gardening, volunteering, exercising, hiking, fixing up your house.....taking time to actually visit with someone, who'd want to give up tv to do any of that stuff????

[Beelzebud]

88. I too have stopped watching TV. It's a brainwashing tool.

They tell you what music is good, what clothes are "in", what food is "good", how to think, and what to think.

I can think for myself, and when I actually do some thinking about TEE VEE, I see it's nothing more than a mass mindwash tool. The corporate government LOVES it.

It's called "programming" for a reason.

[rinsd]

89. Gee a self righteous rant about a suppossedly corporate slave activity

Must be Wednesday.

[Initech]

91. I watch sports and that's about it.

And when the baseball season is over I barely watch TV at all, except for my nightly Daily Show / Colbert Report fix.

[ripple]

92. CSPAN and more CSPAN, that's why- nt

[ComerPerro]

93. I watch Gilmore Girls, Supernatural, Simpsons, Family Guy. that's it

sometimes Daily Show and Colbert, sometimes Olbermann, but I only get basic cable so usually its on the internet.

[0007]

94. Hmmmm

Do you give left handed hand jobs?

[lpbk2713]

95. Ever since I got broadband ......

I spend much more time on the WWW than I do on the vast wasteland.

[Triana]

96. I don't!! (n/t)

[leftofthedial]

97. why do you spend time on the Internet?

[LeftHander]

132. Porn and mostly useless information....

No just kidding....I like the mostly useless information...

[leftofthedial]

135. so, is "Lefthander" for typing

or for, umm, other uses while you surf the, umm, useless information?

[onenote]

100. but but but ...what about RADIO!!

Why pick on television. Didn't civilization start its ugly decline with radio?

:sarcasm:

[NYCGirl]

109. I hear we were a lot better off before the printing press was invented.

:sarcasm:

[malmapus]

101. Stargate SG-1 while it's still on =(

14 Episodes left *sniff*

[Cobalt-60]

181. Buck Up

All series end, it's Nature's way.
You have 10 years of re runs in the can.
If you start at the beginning and ration them, you'll be ok.
Remember, trekkers survived for decades on 3 years of syndicated Trek re runs.
There's already a spin off, perhaps there will be a feature.
Perhaps there will be a revival.
I like the series too.
I caught an occasional Showtime ep while on the road contracting, but only started getting into it last year on Sci Fi.
I just hope they sort the whole Origin thing before the end.

[malmapus]

201. Yup it had a good run

I've sorta been seeing the writing on the wall for a while now, espicially since every new enemy is greater than the last and with this Origin thing, who the heck can come up behind near god material heh.

[specimenfred1984]

102. Comedy & Sports

I classify TV "news" as comedy.

[mikelgb]

103. Computers + Internet =

New TV

didn't the monitor looking like a tv clue you in?

[Spider Jerusalem]

104. Tennis, professional boxing, soccer...

House, MD, the BBC World News, and the occasional movie. Other than that, I don't (and all of my television-watching may add up to five hours a week or so, which really isn't much).

[Mythsaje]

153. Now, see, on the other hand, I consider SPORTS, in general

the opiate of the American masses.

Talk about a waste of time.

:)

[Spider Jerusalem]

166. Yeah, well...

I don't care much for baseball, basketball, or football; English Premier League soccer is the only team sport I watch on anything like a regular basis, and that only about 2 or 3 times a month. Which hardly compares to someone who watches four or five baseball games a week, or four or five basketball games a week, or college football on Saturday and then NFL on Sunday and Monday, week in and week out.

[Mythsaje]

175. I hear you...

My Dad will watch almost any sport on TV.

I'm missing that gene, I think. LOL

[Name removed]

106. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Brazenly Liberal]

107. Give me a break

If you think the biggest problem facing our society is television, you need to read a newspaper.

In case you haven't noticed, there are some pretty heavy-hitting problems going on out there. Maybe if you turned on your television, you'd see footage of some of it and it might wake you up. TV is our biggest problem? Please. How about a couple of wars, a one-party government chiseling away at the Constitution, dire poverty, lost jobs, hate crimes, child abuse, a huge segment of the population nearing retirement age while their retirement nest eggs are disappearing, not to mention the fact that we're doing our damnedest to bring on global warming as quickly as possible.

If I want to watch "Big Love" or Keith Olbermann or Stewart or Colbert or "Weeds" or any goddam thing that amuses me while I clean the house or do some ironing or just relax after a long hard day, I really don't think THAT is the biggest problem in my own life, much less in the greater society.

If you don't want to watch TV, don't. Nobody's chaining you to the set.

Talk about wanting to puke!

[longship]

108. My TV watching is dramatically reduced these days.

I MythTV Olbermann and the World/Professional Poker Tour.

I'll catch an occasional "Law and Order", the old series on TNT with "Lennie Briscoe" (best wise-cracks on the tube--RIP Jerry Orbach).
The Humble Page of Great Lennie-Lines

That's about it. I used to watch flicks on TV, but they are so full of commercials these days that it's painful to watch them. Now, I use Netflix.

The so-called educational channels are all owned by Faux TV (History/Natl Geo/Etc.) That's why they have so much rubbish like endless Bible stories, tattoos and piercings, paranormal garbage, foul-tempered motorcycle builders, etc. Never watch those channels anymore.

Oh. I watch a little PBS. No commercials and some very good stuff.

I'll pop into C-SPAN once in a while, too.

[NYCGirl]

112. Do you get Turner Classic Movies on your cable lineup? Commercial free,

no cuts, and in its original aspect ratio (when possible). It's a godsend.

[longship]

113. No Turner Classics.

I'd love that, but they don't have it on basic cable and I won't pay extra to get 300 more channels of crap to get TCM. What's bad is our basic cable doesn't even have the other good stuff either, like the Independant movie channel.

So, I'm stuck with poker and Lennie Briscoe's wisecracks. Could be worse.

[NYCGirl]

116. Oh, that's too bad. If I had to choose only one channel to keep, TCM would

be it.

BTW, I'm a big fan of World Poker Tour (haven't had much time to check out Pro Poker Tour) — Howard Lederer is my fave.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

111. I have always found the "Kill Your TV" people....

to be full of crap. :eyes:

TV is only as "bad" as the programming you choose to tune into.

As someone whose passion is information and learning, I find the TV programming I choose to watch exciting and deeply enriching. I watch loads of documentary, science, history, wildlife, political, and arts programming. Yes, The Daily Show The Colbert Report, and Keith are also regular viewing. And guess what? I also watch "crap" like "Americas Funniest Vidoes" because it has made me laugh when I have wanted to do nothing but cry over the horror of the past 5+ years.

As to your assertion that a persons life must be "dull" if they like to engage in TV viewing -- my life is plenty full and satisfying, with starting my own business, heading my neighborhood association, regularly gathering with my clan, volunteering, and taking part in all the wonderful cultural opportunities a city like San Fracisco offers. And I also manage to find the time to regularly trek to the local park, sit in the midst of a redwood grove, and ponder life.

TV isn't the enemy. Narrow-mindedness, rigidity, and elitism can be.

[NicoleM]

114. Because I am a moron.

And also because I'm not as good a person as you are. It's sad, but I was born that way and there's not much I can do about it. If only we could all be you. . .

[Qanisqineq]

117. Ditto what she said

Great post!

[Phillycat]

127. ...

:thumbsup:

[wryter2000]

191. I third that

:applause:

[OzarkDem]

115. Home sick today

I've already had some puke, thanks. x(

I haven't watched CNN in ages and its much worse than I remember. They have really gone downhill and the Bush spin is making me sick again.

[Individualist]

119. Because I like Turner Classic Movies

To Kill a Mockingbird, Dr. Strangelove, Inherit the Wind, etc., etc., etc.

[RevolutionStartsNow]

120. It's just one part of what I do

I have a very full life, a job I love, wonderful kids and husband. We do a lot of outdoor activities, I play tennis with both kids regularly, go to the beach a lot especially now that my son is learning to surf. We go walking around downtown, go to movies, out to dinner, etc. We spend a lot of time as a family together in the same room, and part of that is watching TV. We have programs we watch together, like reruns of Frasier and Seinfeld (both very funny shows), and everyone has their favorite shows they like to watch. I would say there are about 2 hours of TV in our house every night, and almost none during the day. Everyone in the family is a good reader, though I have to say I'm behind on all my reading, not because of TV but because of work and this damn Internet.

We have TiVo so we can record the shows we like and never have to just watch "whatever's on."

If anything, Internet time has drastically cut into my TV watching and I'm thinking of cutting back on computer time. That seems like a much bigget time sucker than TV for most people these days.

Watching TV is like a luxury for me these days.

[mnhtnbb]

122. Lived without TV for several months in 1979 when I got divorced, but

went out to buy a set so I could watch the USC/UCLA football game.

I would find it difficult to live without TV again. We (hubby #2) are HUGE
football fans. My husband gets the cable sports package so he can see
college games all over the country.

I adore TCM and wish we had BRAVO, but our cable provider doesn't have it.

And I am absolutely addicted to the Weather Channel.

[Mythsaje]

124. I've read probably 15,000 books in my life, so far...

I've written 6 of my own, plus a number of short stories. I design graphics for my wife's review website. I work a day job, keep myself informed about what's going on in the world through DU and other outlets (I don't watch TV news. Ever.)...

There are also several TV programs I like and watch on a regular basis.

So what?

[Dob Bole]

145. I LOVE my tv shows on DVD...

No commercials! No monthly bill! I can watch whatever I want, whenever I want.

I get my news from the Internet, anyway.

[Mythsaje]

148. I DVR most of my shows...

FF through the commercials. Unless I'm leaving the room anyway.

I rarely watch LIVE tv anymore.

[Lorien]

125. I agree-it's garbage. But sometimes I'll listen to it because everyone

ELSE is watching TV! I live alone and getting my friends to do anything outside of the home after work is like pulling teeth. They usually want to "veg" in front of the TV. There's no way in hell that I can just sit there and watch; I have to be doing something else, something INTERESTING at the same time. The commercials are intolerable, and the VAST majority of what's on there is completely vapid dreck. Talking to TV junkies is boring as hell too; they seem more caught up in the lives of fictional characters and media celebs than their own. It's sick.

If anything decent does come to TV, then you can bet that it will be on DVD in due time. I have Netflix, so I've watched/ listened to the entire series of "Rome" and "Sex and the city" among others while I work, all commercial free. I never feel compelled to do any recreational shopping because I avoid commercialism altogether. Television just makes you feel inadequate and results in longer hours at work to pay for crap you don't really need.

[Ron Green]

131. There's a difference between "watching" TV and

studying it. I take several laps around the channels (almost) every day to get a sampling of what the various channels and networks are selling and how they're spinning it. I'll stop and watch only if I stumble onto a classic movie.

I think it's important to know what the Official Hook-up is spewing to the people.

[EnviroBat]

134. I learn a lot of good shit that's why!

Why just the other night I watched the history channel and learned some junk about Vald "The Impaler". It was great. I wish I could only pay for Discovery, History, Comedy Central, and Spike TV, (for when I really want to get back to numbskull mode). Other than that, yeah, it's all pretty much shit.

If Reality TV actually attempts to define reality, then we are in serious doo doo...

[Ganja Ninja]

144. Sports, Sci-fi, IFC and local news & weather.

That's about all I watch. By the way TIVO is a godsend.

[NYCGirl]

151. I love my TiVo.

No commercials, no channel surfing, no changing your schedule to watch shows, watch part of a show and then come back tomorrow at the point you left off. The only good thing I can say about former FCC Chairman Michael Powell is that he called TiVo "God's machine."

[LanternWaste]

154. There is absolutely nothing that books give us that we cannot live without

There is absolutely nothing that books give us that we cannot live without. Same with photography. Poetry. Fine art. Wine. Music (man, how many hours a week do we waste listening to music? Must be lot 'cause most people I know can name over 350 bands, but only thirty President's). It's all a waste of time.

Some people choose to waste time justifying their pre-occupations, some people choose to waste time with those pre-occupation and still others waste time by telling us which pre-occupations are worth wasting time on and which ones aren't.

Six of one and all that. :)

[wryter2000]

155. America's Test Kitchen, Colbert, TDS, Simpsons, local news

Olbermann is on too late for me, but I tape him when I think he's going to be good.

I watch Iron Chef, too. So what? It's fun. You have a problem with fun?

I also watch the local news and a network broadcast. Frankly, I get my news from links here, but I like to know what's going out to the sheeple as "mainstream." It helps me to debate them.

[malmapus]

169. Wow America's Test Kitchen is still on??

Use to watch it religiously back in 2000/2001 but ran into some rotten PBS stations afterwards and just kinda lost track of it :)

Was into a HUGE cooking / baking thing back then with my ex, use to watch this friar type bread maker guy too!

[wryter2000]

171. It's on now

I don't know if it's repeats or not. I only discovered it last winter.

[malmapus]

202. I still go by their meat loaf recipe!

Heh, that was one of the first ones I saw. Freaking amazing stuff.

[2tr4nqued]

156. TV reduces the number of crappy books.

If it weren't for TV, there would be even more pulp crap books in the bookstore, so I think TV is great. There's enough pulp as it is. And think of the trees that are saved.

[lies and propaganda]

159. holier than thou much?

the i dont even own a tv crowd always is.

There are countless amzaing things on television. Link Tv, Current, Newsworld International, Reuters, Amy Goodman, Keith Olbermann, and not to mention that life is hard and watching some football or Lost is a treat i feel I owe myself in these shit times.

[Tigermoose]

160. Agreed. I just finished reading Postman.

Amusing Ourselves to Death and Technopoly.

Watching TV lowers our ability to rationalize for extended periods. TV is a media that transforms everything into entertainment rather than information. The form determines the content. We are a rationally impoverished nation due to the TV.

George Bush is a result. He is a reflection of the people. And his handlers know how to use this media on a populace conditioned by its influence.

[rniel]

163. I get my television fix from

Crooksandliars.com

Everything you need is right there. I say throw away your tv and turn on the internet.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

167. Project Runway, Jon Stewart, and, when it was on, West Wing.

Sometimes Colbert or KO.

But I agree. The vast majority of TV is mindless schlock guaranteed to poison society.

[niallmac]

173. Shot ours between the eyes

Not that there aren't good shows but when I tried to have the kids watch them
the commercials and BS in the breaks was unbelievable.
We read like crazy in our family. Talk to each other.
Our kids are light years ahead in reading, history and such
compared to their video friends. True, they can't talk about
the latest TV show but somehow they still manage to have a life.
I've changed my sig a few times but I always come back
to the same one.
I agree with the OP. TV is for the most part a tool
of the corporate interests.

[GalleryGod]

174. Beats the hell outta this place,mostly.

If my sophomores are any indication..lotsa TV watching going on campus.

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

177. I don't watch TV at all.

My TV hasn't been turned on for close to two years. If I want entertainment I play a DVD on my computer (21" screen). My main entertainment is music, which I also play via my computer.

[tomreedtoon]

178. You lose elections because you DON'T watch TV!

Like it or not, TV is the medium through which most Americans live. It is their mirror to the world.

If you don't watch TV, and disdain it like a bunch of latte-drinking snobs, the Republicans WILL watch it. They'll continue to have control of it, and thus the hearts and minds of the voters.

In fact, that may be another factor for Democrats losing the last two Presidential elections. You didn't win the voters over because you don't know how they feel or think. And that's because you turn your nose up at the people's medium. And you let the right wing get control of it because you were too disdainful to get involved.

[LeftHander]

187. Not a mirror....a projector....

TV does not mirror our culture....it manfactures it, packages and projects culture to sell consumer products, drugs, religion and the RW political ideology.

The mirror of culture meme died sometime in the late 50's.

[tomreedtoon]

189. Then why don't you turn the projector into a mirror?

Why don't you get involved in it? Bringing back what YOU say is a one-way medium to something else?

Possibly because your "mirror/projector" metaphor is just an excuse to do nothing. Because, if you did deal with the people who watch TV regularly, they might tell you things that wouldn't boost your carefully crafted self-image.

You know, the things that have kept progressive thought from getting to people, like...progressives are self-centered, they don't really care about working people, they love inflicting strange social rules on people who aren't at fault, et cetera. Those are the attitudes that elected Republicans. They are WRONG, but because progressives hold themselves aloof from things like television and music and things, they don't understand that people actually think that way.

And as mentioned before, the Republicans DON'T hold themselves to be an intellectual elite, and they know how powerful these media are, and they have made great inroads in controlling people - because progressives were too "smart" or too "sophisticated" or too "refined" to care about ordinary people.

Perhaps dropping the mirror and putting on corrective glasses might be a good starting point for progressives.

[LeftHander]

194. Interestingly enough progressives take back communities...

Not TV...who wants TV? I say let it rot itself...it is doing a great job.

We introduce art, music, local economics, small business, human scale development and all the things that enrich local communities...

For years conservatives reduced taxes, crippled services and killed downtowns with developer friendly local zoning that ringed the suburbs. They purposely KILLED OFF small retail with shopping malls and 6 lane 45 mph, strip mall heavens.

Now the tide has turned and little economies are cropping up in once dead downtown business districts in once VERY conservative towns and cities thanks to PROGRESSIVES in local government.

No TV needed. SImply people working to make a once bad situation better by accepting new ideas and seeing what happens when people stop the cycle of mass consumption and big box retail development, the things that TV promotes and exists because of.

[Raine]

183. I enjoy it

that's why.:popcorn:

[timtom]

184. I had our cable disconnected 18 months ago

and that was none too soon.

Just recently, we got high speed cable internet access.

Traded a vast wasteland for a vast wonderland.

Evan my kids are happier.

[LeftHander]

193. Traded....vaste wasteland for a "mostly useless" vast wasteland...

About 90% of the internet is crap the other ten percent is very useful....

[timtom]

204. No way!!

Arcane questions answered on demand.

A veritable cornucopia of ideas.

An open forum for discussion for every taste.

Canned crap is one thing -- an immense repository of information is quite another.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

186. Cause I Feel Like It, Cause I Can And Cause There's No Reason Not To.

[mike_c]

188. agree 100 percent-- I disconnected the box 15 years ago...

...and occasionally see some TV-- maybe a couple of times a year, like when I'm traveling-- and I'm SHOCKED by how bad it is, and by how "normal" a part of so many peoples' lives it is. Not mine.

[LeftHander]

192. Next up on Oprah...LeftHander eats crow...Tune in....

Okay...here is a good dose of irony...and ample opportunity for me to eat a big hot plate of fresh crow.

I don't watch TV...My wife does. I define "watching TV" as regular and habitual. I do neither. The last programs I saw was SNL only for Neil Young's 1st music segment, a documentary on PBS on recording folk music for the library of congress and ten minutes of some match racing on OLN (sailing).

So yeah I have "watched" TV in the past 6 months. All of these occasions were brought to my attention by someone watching TV. Or I walked into a room and saw it on the tv and stood to watch the segment.

Anyway....

I get home yesterday...and my wife said a producer from the Oprah show called her. Apparently she responded to some questions on Oprah's website looking for people to appear on the show....The caller invited my wife and I to the taping of a show next tuesday.

For those of you not familiar with me...I came out of the closet about 20 months ago. I had repressed my true sexual orientation from an early age out of homophobia inherent in being raised in SOuth Dakota.

So after ten years of struggle in a 17 year marriage we were on the brink of collapse, I was overweight and stressed out and 18 months ago I ripped off the covering of heterosexuality I was wearing and realized that I was indeed gay...and since I have realized I was afraid to be gay my whole life. So afraid it became denial and then a lie...I lived the ultimate lie...a lie that I believed myself.

So back to Oprah. They called and want us to be the some of the "audience" members that sit in front and are asked questions to relate to the topic of the day. Which I believe will be featuring former NJ Governor McGreevey. McGreevey has a book out September 18th "The Confession" and Oprah has been jockeying along with other talk icons to get him in front of the camera. (so I have read).

Well anyway needless to say after my semi-annual rant here on TV watching I now find myself scratching my head...in a "WTF just happened" moment.

The tentacles of television's influence is inescapable so it seems.

I support my wife completely through my coming out process as she has me. We have had tough times, but we are moving forward and we have redefined our marriage and our relationship. She recently met my boyfriend of three months.

We still have a home, we're still a family and we are still parents.

My wife asked if I would go to Chicago with her to the taping of the show...I agreed. I may change my mind.

I don't think I have seen a Oprah show in the past ten years. I watched it a few times many years ago. I know my wife has tuned in frequently through the years.

I find television a vile predatory media and a propaganda tool of the neocons, I cannot escape it completely. I can choose to not watch it, but it seems that I cannot choose to prevent it from watching me, so it seems.

Oprah's show is providing us tickets and we had to send a photo of us together. My wife has to shuffle some appointments and I guess we will be there next Tuesday. We will drive down from Wisconsin to Chicago.

I do not watch TV...I don't talk about TV programs, but here I am talking about a TV program and potentially appearing on camera in a TV program.....

:::BLAT:::

That was my head exploding.

note: This could also be a well executed hoax...and if it is...good job to the freeper lurker who perpetrated it. So far all inquires say it is indeed genuine.

I would hate for my wife to suffer because of my "vitriol" toward television here at DU. She has already suffered plenty from me already...

:::BLAT:::

My head just exploded again.

:wtf:

[Shakespeare]

197. Life has a funny way of doing that to us, doesn't it?

:hug:

Just try to remember this: television also has the power to do good, and to educate, and it does both on a regular basis. I don't think any of us here would argue that what's on TV isn't 90 percent crap; but there's some good stuff to be found there, too. It can also encourage community by causing people to reach out, much like your wife did by answering those questions.

And you, my friend, are now in the enviable position of using TV to do a little good by telling your story and educating people--and a LOT of people watch that show--about the dangers of self-repression and homophobia. I hope you do decide to go with your wife to the show--and please let us know when we can watch.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

196. Somebody sure as hell had better be watching what the bastards are doing.

n/t

[fishnfla]

198. To all the viewers slamming the OP, I'd like to point something out

There are like one of these threads every few months. Meanwhile, on any given day on DU there are dozens, maybe over a hundred threads on television shows. So obviuosly there is only a small minority of DUers that feel the way us nonviewers do.

So if we are so arrogant and self-righteous and narrow minded, how is it that we dont trash the endless TV topic threads? There certainly is plenty of opportunity. For instance last week, this guy KO had something to say and boy you would have thought it was the sermon on the mount or something. There were like 20 threads on the KO show front page GD. So what became of all that noise? Not much. I hope his little speech played better on the airwaves than what I read in the transcript, because everyday on DU I read better informed rants than his.

And more to the point: why are there so many TV topic threads on DU? What exactly, is so important? How is it meaningful? What have you gleaned from the decades some have spent watching TV?

Its not about being arrogant, its more to me about self enlightenment, freeing oneself from a brainless sedentary lifestyle. When I think back on the 35+ years I spent watching TV everyday, I think: man what a waste.

[NYCGirl]

203. That "rant" you think is from an ill-informed Olbermann was read in the

Senate yesterday by Harry Reid. I guess he liked it.