I Shake My Fist
I hate T.V. I really do. I've lived much of my college career without one. And half the time when I did have one, it was broken in some way. Example: there is a TV in my current apartment, but it has no remote and only one button for changing the channel, which means you can only always go up. So, if you go past your intended channel, you have to surf through sixty fuzzy channels to get back to where you were. I don't think there's a way to change the volume. There are two buttons that can turn the TV on--these sometimes alternate in functionality, sometimes don't.
There are a few shows that I have come to enjoy watching: "Biggest Loser" and "The Office," for example. I dabble in others. I enjoy cooking shows. But truth be told, I could stop watching any and all of those this instant and not look back. I used to like "The Office" because it was clever. And it is, sometimes. I like "Biggest Loser" because it's inspirational. And it is, sometimes. But none of it truly excites me. When I came out here the only TV I missed was world and national news (preferably with Peter Jennings, RIP. I did actually watch the two-hour, commercial free tribute to him when he died) because I used to watch it every night with my dad. There are very few things on TV that I've seen that were actually meaningful to me: the president's inaugural address, the pope's funeral, Conference (if you can count that).
I despise having the TV constantly on and flipping through channels of nothing to try and find something to watch that's slightly less nothing than something else. I hate the way TV so often kills social interaction. Like watching TV while playing a game. Everyone stares bug-eyed at the glowing monitor, their cards limply in their hands, the game a mere background activity and conversation silenced. DESPISE it.
Sitting there watching feels like a waste. Maybe it's just because I'm so busy right now. If I had more time it probably wouldn't feel like so much of a waste. But why sit there when I can read/ write/ call someone I haven't talked to in a while/ cook/ bake/ draw/ run/ clean/ tickle someone?
When I lived at Cinnamon Bear (or, Cinnamon Tree, as the sign "says")our apartment had an entertainment center and no TV. We put the fish bowl where the television set would've gone. Maybe I'll take my vendetta to a new level and go around kidnapping peoples' TVs and replacing them with fish bowls. I'm sure there's a really tacky outlaw name I could give myself for that, but I can't think of it.
There are a few shows that I have come to enjoy watching: "Biggest Loser" and "The Office," for example. I dabble in others. I enjoy cooking shows. But truth be told, I could stop watching any and all of those this instant and not look back. I used to like "The Office" because it was clever. And it is, sometimes. I like "Biggest Loser" because it's inspirational. And it is, sometimes. But none of it truly excites me. When I came out here the only TV I missed was world and national news (preferably with Peter Jennings, RIP. I did actually watch the two-hour, commercial free tribute to him when he died) because I used to watch it every night with my dad. There are very few things on TV that I've seen that were actually meaningful to me: the president's inaugural address, the pope's funeral, Conference (if you can count that).
I despise having the TV constantly on and flipping through channels of nothing to try and find something to watch that's slightly less nothing than something else. I hate the way TV so often kills social interaction. Like watching TV while playing a game. Everyone stares bug-eyed at the glowing monitor, their cards limply in their hands, the game a mere background activity and conversation silenced. DESPISE it.
Sitting there watching feels like a waste. Maybe it's just because I'm so busy right now. If I had more time it probably wouldn't feel like so much of a waste. But why sit there when I can read/ write/ call someone I haven't talked to in a while/ cook/ bake/ draw/ run/ clean/ tickle someone?
When I lived at Cinnamon Bear (or, Cinnamon Tree, as the sign "says")our apartment had an entertainment center and no TV. We put the fish bowl where the television set would've gone. Maybe I'll take my vendetta to a new level and go around kidnapping peoples' TVs and replacing them with fish bowls. I'm sure there's a really tacky outlaw name I could give myself for that, but I can't think of it.
posted by Sylvia Louise at
3:16 PM
8 Comments:
Hopefully you don't hate that I am your first commenter, again. I might be scaring other people off.
Well, if I needed another reason to just LOVE that you are marrying my brother, it would be this. I hate hate hate tv and I can't STAND when people turn on the tv when people are over, unless there is some discussion and decision about a movie or particular episode on occasion. I haven't had a tv in my home since I left home 10 years ago and I think we do just fine with our computer.
We do watch movies and tv on DVD, which I maintain is SO different from watching tv. I want to kill myself every time I'm stuck watching commercials for 10 minutes out of each half hour.
Although, I have to admit, when we were staying elsewhere during the flooding, we were obsessed with food network, and I didn't even blink during commercials because I was on the edge of my seat wondering WHAT the iron chef would be cooking NEXT! And whether the chinese guy would say anything other than 3 words.
I seem to share your opinion. I seem to have painted a picture to express this opinion. It seems to be hanging in my living room.
TV just makes me depressed. lethargic. sluggish. bleah.
except for that diners, drive-ins, and dives show on food network, because i love to watch people make greasy food. and then eat it.
I felt the exact same way in college--I hated that my roommates were always watching stupid shows when there was always sooo much to do. Then, once I finished and didn't have anything to do--especially during Noah's naps, I got sucked back in. Watching TV sounds a lot more fun and relaxing than doing dishes, mopping the floor, or folding laundry. But now that I have become addicted, I am working really hard to break the addiction because there are times that I would rather watch a show than do something with the hubby. And that makes me sooo sad. I want to able to watch a couple shows still because it really is a nice break in monotony so this is how I compromise (by the way, we don't have tv so I watch it on the internet): I watch a few of the past gen conf talks and then if I have time and a specific show to watch, I can watch it while I fold laundry, crochet, and eat lunch only during Noah's naps. Watching TV while other people are around is out of the question.
Hooray for other people hating TV! I think my disgust stems from spending a lot of time at a guy's apartment where the majority of its residents can't seem to breathe without the TV on.
Hmmm.
I think I must know what guy you are talking about.
And I'm not sure that it's just his roomates, either.
He tries. He's better than most of his roommates. He tries to be aware of it. It's nice.
Holly--you have good ideas. And you crochet! I've been taught to crochet at least six times (no exaggeration). And amen to not watching TV when other people are around.
Cassie--do you ever watch "Man vs. Food"? It's full of good, greasy eating. It makes me hungry and queasy.
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