Television didn’t used to bother me, but over the past few weeks it’s become a set of long, chipped fingernails scraping across a chalkboard for me. There’s something about it — the mindlessness of most of it, perhaps? — that grates on my nerves. It’s becoming almost physical; I seriously have to put headphones on almost every time the TV’s on in my apartment or leave the room. For me, TV is anything but soothing.
Exception: narrative TV shows, which are effectively short films. Those don’t bother me, probably because they’re different from the normal television programming. I don’t really watch any of these regularly (actually, “hardly ever” would be a better fit), but they don’t make me want to dice the television cord and ship the pieces to Uruguay.
Note: this anti-television attitude may be due in part to my reading Neil Postman’s excellent book Amusing Ourselves to Death. But I realized while reading it that I’d subconsciously noticed most of his arguments against television and that’s probably why I haven’t really been much of a television watcher ever since my teenage years. And I feel fairly safe in saying that it’s going to stay that way. TV would be complete anathema to my creativity and productivity.
Postscript: I don’t think the mindlessness of television is actually Philo’s fault, just for the record. :)
(Sorry about the dearth of posts lately. Life got busy and I let the blogging habit slip. But I’m back. :))
Comments
While I don’t share your opinion really (except that an excess of tv can be bad, because I really do love my tivo and certain shows), I find your difference here from the rest of modern society (especially teenagers/young adults) very refreshing. Way to go.
Thanks, and don’t worry, I don’t expect most people to share my opinion on this. :)
I honestly don’t have time for TV. My life is hectic, especially during the school term, and I find nary a moment to fill by sitting on the couch mindlessly engrossed in a television program (let alone, the lengthy amount of commercials that interweave between segments).
Even if I did have time to relax in front of the tube, I probably wouldn’t. There are too many other more productive activities available to me. I’m behind in my journal writing, I’ve slacked on my piano/violin practicing and composing, a few drawings and paintings are waiting to be completed (or furthered in progress), unread books are calling my name, and the list goes on and on.
This is not to say that I don’t enjoy a good movie or sitcom, now and again. I’ve actually been watching episodes of “Leave it to Beaver”, recently. My mom gets DVD’s through Netflix and she’s ordered the first few seasons. Her generosity combined with a few hours of my freedom has permitted me to take a break and loose myself in an uplifting show about a simpler, more innocent time in America.
Television standards, in my perspective, have decreased A TON since the good ol’ days when “Leave it to Beaver”, “The Andy Griffeth Show”, “The Waltons”, and etc. filled the TV guide. Now, if you flip through the channels, sex, violence, and crudeness sneak their way into almost every show in some form or another. Off the screen pop images and out of the speakers float words and phrases that are then stuck in a person’s brain forever (even if said scenes and verbiage are unwanted) It is sad, really. This world can be a scary place and I’m bombarded enough by harmful thoughts and images as it is, I don’t need another source. If there were something worth watching, then perhaps my free time would have more of a percentage of TV watching. But, since TV doesn’t seem to be getting any cleaner, I’ll stick to my alternative forms of “entertainment.”
***I have the choice and I choose to participate in something more wholesome.***
The book, The Age of American Unreason, by Susan Jacoby discusses television, among other things, as a part in the development of what she calls “a culture of distraction.” If anyone is interested, I recommend this book. The author hashes her perspectives and opinions strongly and, like all reads, you should pick and choose the wheat from the tares, but it is a good read– one that gets ya thinkin’. Television and entertainment are discussed throughout the text, but mainly in the chapters titled “Junk Thought” and Culture of Distraction.” I’d go into more detail and maybe throw out some quotes, but I don’t have time, at the moment. Thanks. :)
Well-said. And I agree, most TV isn’t worth watching; standards have slipped and fallen quite a long way, and I don’t really think it’s worth it to desensitize ourselves to the point where those things don’t bother us.
This is a recent thing? Oh please, you’ve felt like this for a long time, haven’t you?
I suppose so, but I didn’t realize why until now. And I could vaguely tolerate being in the same room with the TV before, but now I barely can.
Hey careful, Philo is my Grandma’s cousin!
Cool. Do you like TV, then? :P
Throw in your two cents