Principia Discordia

Ok guys, i personally think that avoiding the TV as if it were a pox is one of the most healthy things one can do.

And i mean healthy in a physically and psychichally sense.

My hypothesis is that most people on this forum watch little to none.

*********************

NOTE: watching TV as in satellite and cable, but not as in watching DVDs or selected recordings.

NOTE 2: i guess actively watching TV compared to having it in the background is very much different. Anyhow lets not do that distinction on the voting, but do explain so in commentz.

does it being on but not paying attn to it count?  :lol:

The internet has destroyed my ability to concentrate to the point I can't pay attention to TV anymore.

there's never anything on  :argh!:

but i like maddow and olberman

my tv is always on when i am awake and in the room because i hate silence. i also usually have headphones and music on to drown it out tho  :lol:

I went years without watching tv during my 20s. I can't say that it made me any smarter. I can't say that it made me any stupider either, although I would if I were to judge it using as my sole datapoint the pleasure I'd get from advertising the fact I didn't watch tv.

Dumb folk do tend to watch a lot of tv, but is it correlation or causation? I mean, some people just don't enjoy thinking. If you can't force them to do so, then the glowing box isn't the problem as they'd just find something else to be absorbed by like stamp collecting or whatever.

Quote from: fictionpuss on October 19, 2009, 01:34:06 AM
Dumb folk do tend to watch a lot of tv, but is it correlation or causation? I mean, some people just don't enjoy thinking. If you can't force them to do so, then the glowing box isn't the problem as they'd just find something else to be absorbed by like stamp collecting or whatever.

Even just from an activity standpoint... TV is passive and "stamp collecting" you have to be active.

I personally think of it, in its origins as a correlation, and after some time as causation of lower brain activity.

Let me try an example... 2 hours of either: watching TV as opposed to just walking around randomly;

while watching TV, the pace in which you receive the information is always gonna be faster than you can completely assimilate it, therefore, you cannot filter and rationally discern it... therefore its mostly information that is going straight to you unconscious. (advertisements, cultural/ideological colonization)

on the other hand... technically speaking, if you walk, you arent "actively thinking"... BUT the constant rhythm of your walking pace will put you into meditation (alpha state anyone?), and it will be a self-induced meditation process, that can help you sort out anything and your personally important issues will pop out naturally, giving you thus a period of time for reflection.

So on a sense, it boils down to: a bombardment of maliciously intended information OR a period of time for introspection/reflection.

I don't really watch any TV. Sometimes I watch shows online but even that isn't real often.

If there's something I am interested in watching, I'll download it but there hasn't been much in a while. I can't stand advertising and how it breaks up the shows. You really notice them when you haven't been exposed to them in a while.

That being said the smug sense of unwarranted self importance some people get from saying "I don't watch tv" has become so irritating that its almost embarrassing to say anything similar.

Quote from: ☂Faust☂ on October 19, 2009, 02:50:57 AM
If there's something I am interested in watching, I'll download it but there hasn't been much in a while. I can't stand advertising and how it breaks up the shows. You really notice them when you haven't been exposed to them in a while.

That being said the smug sense of unwarranted self importance some people get from saying "I don't watch tv" has become so irritating that its almost embarrassing to say anything similar.

So fucking what?  I don't watch that fucking thing, and I'm not bothered to say so.  Does that make me smug?  If so, I don't give a fuck.

I don't watch much TV, but Colbert, Stewart, Olberman, Attenborough, and the living satire of Fox News make it worthwhile to occasionally watch it.

I certainly don't pay for it though, since it is indeed 99% mind-rotting garbage.

I have the internet. Why would I need TV? I think the last thing I made an effort to watch was the premier of Glee but that's because a friend of mine is in it. And I kind of stopped paying attention once he had been on the screen for long enough for me to grin and remember how I thought he was a girl the first time I met him.

Though I will watch Antiques Roadshow for a little while if I'm in the room and they're got an interesting item on.

I watch so little TV these days that I'll probably end up saving myself the money once I have my own place. Internet does a good enough job of eating my brain.

I watch Stephen Colbert, the Discovery Channel, and the Daily Show. In that order.
Every now and then I'll look ahead in the schedule, record some stuff, then watch it later. Total TV time per week is around 2 - 2.5 hours.

Internet Time = ~3 - 4 hours. Per day.

I used to watch a ton of tv, but ended up stopping for about 2 years...I flipped on the tv last week to see what the good american public watches and I couldn't stand it. Who wants to be a millionaire was horrormirth for me and the political debate was both sides using flash words with no real debate.

I've learned a lot from food network.
How it's made is pretty interesting as well as myth busters.
history channel has some good documentaries on every once in a while.


it's good background noise.

I watch more stuff online than on the boob tube. I seem to watch a bunch of Fox shows on Hulu: House, Lie to Me, Family Guy, American Dad, Sit Down Shut Up. The only stuff I actually watch on tv anymore is football and Good Eats.

See, i think implicitly in this forum's discourse its expressed that TV sucks, but at the same time i don't think it's mentioned explicitly but on rare occasions.

I think TV is one of the greater evils nowadays, because many things are consecuenses of it.

Like i dont know, if one didnt have an easy and efficient way of tuning-out of reality they even would have to think even if they didnt like to do it.

I don't think tv sucks. I think certain channels and a lot of shows suck, but there's a lot of crap on tv that's pretty good.
Advertisements suck and I hate those but who doesn't.

Quote from: Squid on October 19, 2009, 06:38:23 AM
I don't think tv sucks. I think certain channels and a lot of shows suck, but there's a lot of crap on tv that's pretty good.
Advertisements suck and I hate those but who doesn't.

Ben Mack. For him, it's  :fap: every time a new product appears on his screen.

But you're right, there's some great stuff out there. PBS was what I watched as a kid (plus The Simpsons) and they've still got awesome stuff.

Also, two words: SHARK WEEK. I loved that and I almost miss cable for it.

And I enjoy Keith Olbermann and Colbert and Stewart. None of whom suck imo. And on one of my local channels, Alfred Hitchcock Presents is shown at ten pm weeknights which I enjoy immensely. Glee, House, and Pushing Daisies (is that even still on?) are/were great.

I like TV well enough, but again, I have the internet.

In regards to some certain television series...

I'd rather rent or buy the DVD's for the seasons, etc.

Yes, the advertisements are major part in my opinion.

But i guess certain programs wont ever be released in DVD...

Quote from: ☂Faust☂ on October 19, 2009, 02:50:57 AMIf there's something I am interested in watching, I'll download it but there hasn't been much in a while. I can't stand advertising and how it breaks up the shows. You really notice them when you haven't been exposed to them in a while.

That being said the smug sense of unwarranted self importance some people get from saying "I don't watch tv" has become so irritating that its almost embarrassing to say anything similar.

I'm not a big fan of smug unwarranted self importance, but in the case of not watching TV I'll gladly make an exception and prefer if people around me didnt watch TV and were smug about it.

Except they aren't. A few of them don't watch but they arent being smug about it. Compared to a couple of years ago, I do get the impression that "funny/cool commercials" are less part of the discourse now than they were, for which I am grateful.

Speaking of smugness, there's some people that think they're pretty smart and decided they need TV to "keep up". And whenever some part of the news is being discussed and I ask them a question, "what exactly is X, who is Y, did he say why he said Z, etc", they are all like "see and that's why you should watch TV".
regardless of the fact that they don't really know what X is apart from a word they used on the news, Y is some unimportant tabloid "celebrity" and of course the news didn't cover the motivations behind statement Z and they surely never gave it a second thought (no really, why does Geert Wilders want to tax head scarfs?)

That's a kind of smugness that annoys me. I mean sure I understand why, of course it's tiring for them that when they talk about some dutch criminal kid that drugged and killed some blonde american girl on some far away island beach that really nobody would give a fuck about (except direct relations and authorities) if it weren't for the media beaming all that shit into the collective discourse, that they cannot start right away re-re-re-retelling the latest tidbit of information the media has fed them and happily speculating on whatever, but yes, no, you shall have to re-tell the last couple of chapters of the story to me, because, yes I know the story, but I haven't followed it that close, and oh yeah, we're both real people and when you sum it up like that you suddenly feel pretty stupid because normal people usually don't insult eachother's intelligence with empty stories like the TV does.

That said, the Internet also poses some problems for me. See I agree with JohnnyX that, from all the things you can do while "doing nothing", watching TV is probably the worst. I'm not sure about background, I know I couldn't stand it, but just giving that box 10-15 minutes of your attention puts you in a trance like, very toxic state.

But the Internet, it's different and it's the same. You have to actively choose what channels you want to watch, otherwise Squid would probably be all over Google Video, since it doesn't have good documentaries "some of the time", but really whenever you want one.

But the Internet, it's giving me information overload. Took me too long to realize it, but reading shit on the Internet is addictive as fuck, and if you don't control yourself you go on an information binge, lose a couple of hours and the worst part, see I gotta admit, watching TV is somewhat relaxing, even if you watch Fox News, after a while you get this trancelike state and your brain switches down a gear and relaxes. But not so on the Internet, my brain speeds up, and when finally after a few hours of guzzling information, I manage to pull myself loose from that sticky screen, sometimes I actually have to close my laptop screen to break the spell, it's really like a spell, also a trance, but a different one, because afterwards I feel all washed out, tired. That wasn't that way with the TV. You just watched and after a while you notice nothing's on and you get fed up with the crap and switch it off but at least your head is not spinning and you go do something else. Anyone else have this? I noticed some people talk about tvtropes in that way, but I also have it when reading up on this forum, how do you deal with it?

Area Man Constantly Mentioning He Doesn't Own A Television http://www.theonion.com/content/node/28694

:wink:

I couldn't afford cable about ten years ago so I stopped watching TV. Broadcast reception was shitty so I didn't bother trying. I used to like a lot of stuff, like on Discovery or whatever. But I don't really miss it; instead I spend too many hours on Internet. Now I live closer to city center so I could probably get reception but my TV is too old and doesn't have an HDTV receiver, and I don't care enough to get a converter box. I do watch TV if I go to someone's house and it's a shared thing, but it's hard for me to sit down by myself and do it because I get bored/distracted.

I watch maybe five hours a week.  A few series I have stuck with for a while (Lost, Fringe, House) and a couple of in depth TV news programs, like Newsnight.  I occasionally download a program based on suggestions by others (TV Tropes's forum normally has a few) but otherwise, I'm OK.

Mrs LMNO enjoys watching TV, often using it as background ambience.  I watch with her.  Usually, the TV is on between 6 pm and 10pm. On weekends, it could be on more or less every time we are awake and in the house. 

To be fair, it rarely if ever is network TV (CBS, NBC, CBS, Fox).

As you might notice, this level of TV has not diminished my ability to produce quality creative work.

My wife and I usually only have the TV on between when Portia goes to bed, and we go to bed, which is an hour and a half to 2 hours.  Usually the 8 O'Clock hour is Countdown, unless Keith is on vacation because frankly, all of his fill-ins suck.  9 O'Clock varies.  Monday we watch the Chuck Lorre shows in CBS (2 1/2 men, Big Bang Theory), Tuesdays usually a rerun of some procedural crime show (CSI, Law and Order, Criminal Minds), Wednesday is Criminal Minds night (until Lost comes back), Thursday is The Office, and Friday we usually find something On Demand. 

We also enjoy some of the shows on the Food Network like Iron Chef, Chopped, etc., and I think it is because my wife and I both hate cooking but enjoy watching others do it, and wish they lived with us so we don't have to do any of the cooking. 

Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on October 19, 2009, 02:55:18 AM

Quote from: ☂Faust☂ on October 19, 2009, 02:50:57 AM
If there's something I am interested in watching, I'll download it but there hasn't been much in a while. I can't stand advertising and how it breaks up the shows. You really notice them when you haven't been exposed to them in a while.

That being said the smug sense of unwarranted self importance some people get from saying "I don't watch tv" has become so irritating that its almost embarrassing to say anything similar.

So fucking what?  I don't watch that fucking thing, and I'm not bothered to say so.  Does that make me smug?  If so, I don't give a fuck.

You don't make a holier then thou condescending point of it though, that's the difference.

Quote from: Triple Zero on October 19, 2009, 07:30:56 AM

Quote from: ☂Faust☂ on October 19, 2009, 02:50:57 AMIf there's something I am interested in watching, I'll download it but there hasn't been much in a while. I can't stand advertising and how it breaks up the shows. You really notice them when you haven't been exposed to them in a while.

That being said the smug sense of unwarranted self importance some people get from saying "I don't watch tv" has become so irritating that its almost embarrassing to say anything similar.

I'm not a big fan of smug unwarranted self importance, but in the case of not watching TV I'll gladly make an exception and prefer if people around me didnt watch TV and were smug about it.

Except they aren't. A few of them don't watch but they arent being smug about it. Compared to a couple of years ago, I do get the impression that "funny/cool commercials" are less part of the discourse now than they were, for which I am grateful.

Speaking of smugness, there's some people that think they're pretty smart and decided they need TV to "keep up". And whenever some part of the news is being discussed and I ask them a question, "what exactly is X, who is Y, did he say why he said Z, etc", they are all like "see and that's why you should watch TV".
regardless of the fact that they don't really know what X is apart from a word they used on the news, Y is some unimportant tabloid "celebrity" and of course the news didn't cover the motivations behind statement Z and they surely never gave it a second thought (no really, why does Geert Wilders want to tax head scarfs?)

That's a kind of smugness that annoys me. I mean sure I understand why, of course it's tiring for them that when they talk about some dutch criminal kid that drugged and killed some blonde american girl on some far away island beach that really nobody would give a fuck about (except direct relations and authorities) if it weren't for the media beaming all that shit into the collective discourse, that they cannot start right away re-re-re-retelling the latest tidbit of information the media has fed them and happily speculating on whatever, but yes, no, you shall have to re-tell the last couple of chapters of the story to me, because, yes I know the story, but I haven't followed it that close, and oh yeah, we're both real people and when you sum it up like that you suddenly feel pretty stupid because normal people usually don't insult eachother's intelligence with empty stories like the TV does.

That said, the Internet also poses some problems for me. See I agree with JohnnyX that, from all the things you can do while "doing nothing", watching TV is probably the worst. I'm not sure about background, I know I couldn't stand it, but just giving that box 10-15 minutes of your attention puts you in a trance like, very toxic state.

But the Internet, it's different and it's the same. You have to actively choose what channels you want to watch, otherwise Squid would probably be all over Google Video, since it doesn't have good documentaries "some of the time", but really whenever you want one.

But the Internet, it's giving me information overload. Took me too long to realize it, but reading shit on the Internet is addictive as fuck, and if you don't control yourself you go on an information binge, lose a couple of hours and the worst part, see I gotta admit, watching TV is somewhat relaxing, even if you watch Fox News, after a while you get this trancelike state and your brain switches down a gear and relaxes. But not so on the Internet, my brain speeds up, and when finally after a few hours of guzzling information, I manage to pull myself loose from that sticky screen, sometimes I actually have to close my laptop screen to break the spell, it's really like a spell, also a trance, but a different one, because afterwards I feel all washed out, tired. That wasn't that way with the TV. You just watched and after a while you notice nothing's on and you get fed up with the crap and switch it off but at least your head is not spinning and you go do something else. Anyone else have this? I noticed some people talk about tvtropes in that way, but I also have it when reading up on this forum, how do you deal with it?

I guess I have the advantage that I'm not exposed to the people you are describing TVwise, I often get people at work trying to talk to me about shit from the tabloids but they have realized I don't really care about that stuff so they don't bother me with it as much any more. The smug attitude just vaguely irritates me.

The internet information overload is a problem I've worried about. I've been limiting my time on it because its easy to be distracted when doing other things. I have to turn it off at least an hour before bed or I won't get a proper nights sleep because I'm still in concentration mode.
And whenever I am writing anything I have to disconnect completely, otherwise its like a presence even if you aren't checking it.

I don't watch tv (http://i35.tinypic.com/igmcsi.gif)

Quote from: 　 on October 19, 2009, 02:39:04 PM
I don't watch tv (http://i35.tinypic.com/igmcsi.gif)

:argh!:

Quote from: fictionpuss on October 19, 2009, 01:34:06 AM
I went years without watching tv during my 20s. I can't say that it made me any smarter. I can't say that it made me any stupider either, although I would if I were to judge it using as my sole datapoint the pleasure I'd get from advertising the fact I didn't watch tv.

Dumb folk do tend to watch a lot of tv, but is it correlation or causation? I mean, some people just don't enjoy thinking. If you can't force them to do so, then the glowing box isn't the problem as they'd just find something else to be absorbed by like stamp collecting or whatever.

Every medium makes us think differently.  Whatever thought process is endemic in the public, the popular medium is majorly responsible.  Television is as much of a change in medium as writing was from word-of-mouth, as it is about as different from writing as word-of-mouth is.

Makes people stupid?  Maybe, maybe not.  But it radically changes the way people think of their world.

I grew up with the TV on ALL the time.  A lot of the ways my brothers and I can relate to each other is through the shows we watched so often as kids.  But we also did other things and had a lot of imaginative play, read books voraciously, etc., and I never felt that TV made me dumber for it.

Now, I watch news shows that are NOT the main primtime bullshit, unless my husband's giving an interview or whatever, or there's a local issue I need to hear about for the kids' school, etc.  I watch some HBO/SHO shows, and I watch movies.  I rarely watch primetime shows, unless it's like Law & Order or something, and then it's only while I'm doing other things.  We do have the background noise thing going on, but usually, my husband's on his laptop researching, reading news, chatting on gmail chat, and I'm surfing the web, doing work, or stuck on here while the tv's on.   Not the healthiest, probably, but I sometimes use it as a time to defervesce.

Quote from: ☂Faust☂ on October 19, 2009, 02:50:57 AM
That being said the smug sense of unwarranted self importance some people get from saying "I don't watch tv" has become so irritating that its almost embarrassing to say anything similar.

Really? How is not watching TV something people can be smug about?

Quote from: Slanket the Destroyer on October 19, 2009, 04:40:28 PM

Quote from: ☂Faust☂ on October 19, 2009, 02:50:57 AM
That being said the smug sense of unwarranted self importance some people get from saying "I don't watch tv" has become so irritating that its almost embarrassing to say anything similar.

Really? How is not watching TV something people can be smug about?

It's not. 

Quote from: Slanket the Destroyer on October 19, 2009, 04:40:28 PM

Quote from: ☂Faust☂ on October 19, 2009, 02:50:57 AM
That being said the smug sense of unwarranted self importance some people get from saying "I don't watch tv" has become so irritating that its almost embarrassing to say anything similar.

Really? How is not watching TV something people can be smug about?

in the same way that not being part of the "mainstream" (whatever that means these days) gives you street cred.

Monkeys can will be smug about anything.

You've made his point good sir. I tip my ridiculous stovepipe hat to you.
     \
(http://www.apparelsearch.com/Definitions/DEFINITION%20IMAGES/stovepipe_hat_top_hats.gif)


But seriously, I just can't picture someone acting smug about not watching TV.

"Oh man! Did you see the Daily Show last night?"
"Psh, I don't watch TV. I can't afford cable."

I'm not smug

8)

Quote from: LMNO on October 19, 2009, 04:42:16 PM

Quote from: Slanket the Destroyer on October 19, 2009, 04:40:28 PM

Quote from: ☂Faust☂ on October 19, 2009, 02:50:57 AM
That being said the smug sense of unwarranted self importance some people get from saying "I don't watch tv" has become so irritating that its almost embarrassing to say anything similar.

Really? How is not watching TV something people can be smug about?

It's not. 

Especially if they log multiple hours on-line.  (not related to work of course)  Screen time is screen time. 
It would be like a vegetarian screaming at a meat-eater while wearing a leather jacket. 

Quote from: Slanket the Destroyer on October 19, 2009, 04:45:35 PM

"Oh man! Did you see the Daily Show last night?"
"Psh, I don't watch TV. I do more socially engaging things, like jerk off to online WOW porn."

Fixed.

I sometimes watch television... for me is a random piece of entertainment like the Internet and books. If I'm in the mood to watch TV or read or play on the net,  then that's what I do. Arguing about watching vs not watching seems as dumb as arguing that you never drink Starbucks coffee... or that you always buy local or whatever other bullshit "Black sheep" meme happens to be popular.

If you don't like to do something don't do it... there's no need to stand on a digital street corner and proclaim that you don't do it.

Quote from: RWH1N1 on October 19, 2009, 04:46:29 PM

Quote from: LMNO on October 19, 2009, 04:42:16 PM

Quote from: Slanket the Destroyer on October 19, 2009, 04:40:28 PM

Quote from: ☂Faust☂ on October 19, 2009, 02:50:57 AM
That being said the smug sense of unwarranted self importance some people get from saying "I don't watch tv" has become so irritating that its almost embarrassing to say anything similar.

Really? How is not watching TV something people can be smug about?

It's not.  

Especially if they log multiple hours on-line.  (not related to work of course)  Screen time is screen time.  
It would be like a vegetarian screaming at a meat-eater while wearing a leather jacket.  

I don't think not watching TV is anything to brag about, but I wouldn't equate it with being on a computer either. Computers are kind of a two way street, TV is one way and it's not even like you can use your imagination like with radio. It doesn't encourage thinking or problem solving and it seems to be a detriment to that sort of thing when you go overboard. Granted, there's a fuckton of useless vapid time-wasting crap you can do on a computer, but there's a lot of things you can do to improve yourself as a person or improve the lives of other people like making WOW porn for snobby non-TV watchers to jerk off to.

edited because I forgot the punchline goes at the end

Quote from: Slanket the Destroyer on October 19, 2009, 04:53:39 PM

Quote from: RWH1N1 on October 19, 2009, 04:46:29 PM

Quote from: LMNO on October 19, 2009, 04:42:16 PM

Quote from: Slanket the Destroyer on October 19, 2009, 04:40:28 PM

Quote from: ☂Faust☂ on October 19, 2009, 02:50:57 AM
That being said the smug sense of unwarranted self importance some people get from saying "I don't watch tv" has become so irritating that its almost embarrassing to say anything similar.

Really? How is not watching TV something people can be smug about?

It's not.  

Especially if they log multiple hours on-line.  (not related to work of course)  Screen time is screen time.  
It would be like a vegetarian screaming at a meat-eater while wearing a leather jacket.  

I don't think not watching TV is anything to brag about, but I wouldn't equate it with being on a computer either. Granted, there's a fuckton of useless vapid time-wasting crap you can do on a computer, but there's a lot of things you can do to improve yourself as a person or improve the lives of other people (like making WOW porn for snobby non-TV watchers to jerk off to). Computers are kind of a two way street, TV is one way and it's not even like you can use your imagination like with radio. It doesn't encourage thinking or problem solving and it seems to be a detriment to that sort of thing when you go overboard.

Good point.  So maybe it isn't a 1-to-1 ratio, it depends on who is using it.  Though, TV too can offer things that are at least somewhat educational.  Both the History Channel and the Science Channel have some pretty good programing on space and astrophysics. 

In the end, a lot of people like some escapism now and again.  Perhaps the problem isn't really the medium of escapism, it is more of the frequency and depth of the escapism that is an issue.  Too much leads to less thinking and machinating in reality, regardless of how it is delivered. 

The computer is becoming more passive, btw.  Youtube, Hulu, RSS feeds and the like are not interactive, unless you want to get into flame wars in the comments section. 

Even 'social networking' sites are little more than the territorial bird calls of the internet, an endless loop of, "Are you there? I'm here."

Also, what the hell else are most people gonna do? They seem happy working for 8 hours a day, going home, watching tv, fucking their partner and going to bed.

If its what they like to do, why bitch about them doing it? Some people are infophilic and interested in interactive processes where information passes between them and other people... some people like to watch The View. Both groups of people are gonna die, most of them never making a major impact on the world around them.

Like what you like, Enjoy what you enjoy... for fucks sake, don't bemoan how other people choose to waste their time because its different than how you choose to waste yours.
:lulz:

"I read books.  It's like TV, but a lot slower, and without pictures!"
  \
:gheyforum:

StD,
only reads books with pictures.

StD,
only looks a the pictures.

This questions should really be how often do you watch per week...
then I could answer it
:sad:

Quote from: Doctor Rat Bastard on October 19, 2009, 05:12:38 PM
Also, what the hell else are most people gonna do? They seem happy working for 8 hours a day, going home, watching tv, fucking their partner and going to bed.

If its what they like to do, why bitch about them doing it? Some people are infophilic and interested in interactive processes where information passes between them and other people... some people like to watch The View. Both groups of people are gonna die, most of them never making a major impact on the world around them.

Like what you like, Enjoy what you enjoy... for fucks sake, don't bemoan how other people choose to waste their time because its different than how you choose to waste yours.
:lulz:

Well put, Rata!  I think anyone can choose any way to fuck around and release  (or at least LOOSEN) the shit that piles into your soul day after day.  What works is what works.  Anything can be done to excess. 

Quote from: Jenne on October 19, 2009, 05:25:17 PM
Well put, Rata!  I think anyone can choose any way to fuck around and release  (or at least LOOSEN) the shit that piles into your soul day after day.  What works is what works.  Anything can be done to excess. 

The Guns and Dope party line FTW ;-)

QuoteGUNS AND DOPE PARTY POSITION PAPER #23

Little Tony was sitting on a park bench munching on one candy bar after another.

After the 6th candy bar, a man on the bench across from him said, "Son, you know eating all that candy isn't good for you. It will give you acne, rot your teeth, and make you fat."

Little Tony replied, "My grandfather lived to be 107 years old."

The man asked, "Did your grandfather eat 6 candy bars at a time?"

Little Tony answered, "No, he minded his own fucking business."

Quote from: Doctor Rat Bastard on October 19, 2009, 05:33:15 PM

Quote from: Jenne on October 19, 2009, 05:25:17 PM
Well put, Rata!  I think anyone can choose any way to fuck around and release  (or at least LOOSEN) the shit that piles into your soul day after day.  What works is what works.  Anything can be done to excess.  

The Guns and Dope party line FTW ;-)

QuoteGUNS AND DOPE PARTY POSITION PAPER #23

Little Tony was sitting on a park bench munching on one candy bar after another.

After the 6th candy bar, a man on the bench across from him said, "Son, you know eating all that candy isn't good for you. It will give you acne, rot your teeth, and make you fat."

Little Tony replied, "My grandfather lived to be 107 years old."

The man asked, "Did your grandfather eat 6 candy bars at a time?"

Little Tony answered, "No, he minded his own fucking business."

I do like the notion of not being satisfied with a dumb-n-numb populace, but really, when is that EVER going to change.  In my great-grandmother's time, they all took off work to go and grab a picnic lunch to go watch the public hangings by the river.

Was that any better?

I don't think so.

So I dunno, perhaps because I was raised partially by TV, I don't find it that deleterious, and we try to get either pure entertainment out of what we do focus on with TV, or pure education (my husband's a documentary--any subject--junkie).

I watch maybe six hours a week.
I watch House, Jeopardy, and lots of public tv (I dont have cable).

Although to tell you the truth, I hardly recognize the difference between one glowing box and the other... I mean, I prefer the internet, but you can mindlessly saturate your brain with complete nonsense that way too. Its nothing to be pretentious about.

I do watch a lot of movies though. I have a pretty good collection.

Quote from: RWH1N1 on October 19, 2009, 05:00:24 PM

Quote from: Slanket the Destroyer on October 19, 2009, 04:53:39 PM

Quote from: RWH1N1 on October 19, 2009, 04:46:29 PM

Quote from: LMNO on October 19, 2009, 04:42:16 PM

Quote from: Slanket the Destroyer on October 19, 2009, 04:40:28 PM

Quote from: ☂Faust☂ on October 19, 2009, 02:50:57 AM
That being said the smug sense of unwarranted self importance some people get from saying "I don't watch tv" has become so irritating that its almost embarrassing to say anything similar.

Really? How is not watching TV something people can be smug about?

It's not.  

Especially if they log multiple hours on-line.  (not related to work of course)  Screen time is screen time.  
It would be like a vegetarian screaming at a meat-eater while wearing a leather jacket.  

I don't think not watching TV is anything to brag about, but I wouldn't equate it with being on a computer either. Granted, there's a fuckton of useless vapid time-wasting crap you can do on a computer, but there's a lot of things you can do to improve yourself as a person or improve the lives of other people (like making WOW porn for snobby non-TV watchers to jerk off to). Computers are kind of a two way street, TV is one way and it's not even like you can use your imagination like with radio. It doesn't encourage thinking or problem solving and it seems to be a detriment to that sort of thing when you go overboard.

Good point.  So maybe it isn't a 1-to-1 ratio, it depends on who is using it.  Though, TV too can offer things that are at least somewhat educational.  Both the History Channel and the Science Channel have some pretty good programing on space and astrophysics. 

In the end, a lot of people like some escapism now and again.  Perhaps the problem isn't really the medium of escapism, it is more of the frequency and depth of the escapism that is an issue.  Too much leads to less thinking and machinating in reality, regardless of how it is delivered. 

This post correctly engages the motorcycle.
:gloves:

The TV tends to be on a lot of the time we're home, mostly because I don't like silence and prefer a background noise. Usually, I'm doing something else - cleaning, cooking, needlepoint, reading, etc. Something to keep me occupied. But there are some series I like to watch - Sons of Anarchy, Always Sunny, Fringe & Breaking Bad. I can't stand a lot of what's on TV, but I do like watching Discovery, History & Court TV - though not as much Court TV since I like their forensic/investigation shows, but half the line-up now is all different Cops spinoffs and other "reality" shows.

Eh, I like TV, but I try to keep myself from mindlessly zoning out in front of it too much.

I think it might also have something to do with how you watch TV.  I mean, I usually take "normal" programming as combat: What are these fuckers trying to sell me and why?  Or, I look to see how the dramas are trying to manipulate me (TV Tropes has been oh so helpful)... Or I see the target audience of these shows, and I charge my inner Rage Battery............


There are a lot of ways to watch TV; passivity doesn't have to be your default.

Quote from: ☂Faust☂ on October 19, 2009, 02:28:14 PM

Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on October 19, 2009, 02:55:18 AM

Quote from: ☂Faust☂ on October 19, 2009, 02:50:57 AM
If there's something I am interested in watching, I'll download it but there hasn't been much in a while. I can't stand advertising and how it breaks up the shows. You really notice them when you haven't been exposed to them in a while.

That being said the smug sense of unwarranted self importance some people get from saying "I don't watch tv" has become so irritating that its almost embarrassing to say anything similar.

So fucking what?  I don't watch that fucking thing, and I'm not bothered to say so.  Does that make me smug?  If so, I don't give a fuck.

You don't make a holier then thou condescending point of it though, that's the difference.

Oh, yeah, I get what you mean.

Quote from: Thurnez Isa on October 19, 2009, 05:16:50 PM
This questions should really be how often do you watch per week...
then I could answer it
:sad:

Week total divided by 7  :wink:

i probably watch the most teevee on this board AND IM OK WITH THAT  :D

Quote from: Fredtastic! on October 19, 2009, 09:39:01 PM
i probably watch the most teevee on this board AND IM OK WITH THAT  :D

FACT:  Fred hasn't left her dorm room since 2005.

especially since i didnt graduate highschool til 2006  :lulz:

Quote from: Fredtastic! on October 19, 2009, 10:00:01 PM
especially since i didnt graduate highschool til 2006  :lulz:

ARE YOU DISPUTING THE HOLY WRIT OF YOUR RAIN GOD?

I watch one hour of television a week on average, but you didn't have any options for less than half an hour a day.

When asked, which isn't very often, I don't say I don't watch TV, I say I don't have TV, but I do watch movies if I have someone to watch with me.

Quote from: Jenne on October 19, 2009, 05:25:17 PM

Quote from: Doctor Rat Bastard on October 19, 2009, 05:12:38 PM
Also, what the hell else are most people gonna do? They seem happy working for 8 hours a day, going home, watching tv, fucking their partner and going to bed.

If its what they like to do, why bitch about them doing it? Some people are infophilic and interested in interactive processes where information passes between them and other people... some people like to watch The View. Both groups of people are gonna die, most of them never making a major impact on the world around them.

Like what you like, Enjoy what you enjoy... for fucks sake, don't bemoan how other people choose to waste their time because its different than how you choose to waste yours.
:lulz:

Well put, Rata!  I think anyone can choose any way to fuck around and release  (or at least LOOSEN) the shit that piles into your soul day after day.  What works is what works.  Anything can be done to excess. 

If your day to day life consists of shit piling up around your soul it sounds like a good time to reevaluate your life.

As I do, every fucking day! O wise Slanket. But I was being poetic, not so literal, really. TV is just another way to rest the braincells. Something I fear I'm just that weak enough to need with all the shit I do all day. Needing to unwind isn't a sign your life needs readjustment to my mind anyway. Just means you're damnably busy.

I myself watch TV when i travel to visit my family, but on such reduced quantities that its basicly "never"... its about 4 hours every 3-5 weeks....

South Park, Nevada 911 (or whatever this one comedy called...)... perhaps a movie if by chance i run into something good... VH1...

yea...

Quote from: BabylonHoruv on October 19, 2009, 11:03:35 PM
I watch one hour of television a week on average, but you didn't have any options for less than half an hour a day.

Just put in the 30mins-1hr option... this poll isnt exactly that rigorous...

Television is a DISEASE.  It infects your soul and then your face disappears, until you're just eyes and a feeding tube.

Any television is too much goddamn television.

Meh, I disagree.  I get a lot of good info from The Lehrer Newshour.  And House is fanatically funny, feeds my jaded bitterness about life in general and people in specific.

Quote from: Jenne on October 20, 2009, 03:31:42 AM
Meh, I disagree.  I get a lot of good info from The Lehrer Newshour.  And House is fanatically funny, feeds my jaded bitterness about life in general and people in specific.

Well, okay.

It's YOUR soul.   :lulz:

Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on October 20, 2009, 03:33:20 AM

Quote from: Jenne on October 20, 2009, 03:31:42 AM
Meh, I disagree.  I get a lot of good info from The Lehrer Newshour.  And House is fanatically funny, feeds my jaded bitterness about life in general and people in specific.

Well, okay.

It's YOUR soul.   :lulz:

:lulz:  I'm not so sure about that anymore, Rog.  I might have sold it down the river some time ago.

Quote from: Jenne on October 20, 2009, 03:34:48 AM

Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on October 20, 2009, 03:33:20 AM

Quote from: Jenne on October 20, 2009, 03:31:42 AM
Meh, I disagree.  I get a lot of good info from The Lehrer Newshour.  And House is fanatically funny, feeds my jaded bitterness about life in general and people in specific.

Well, okay.

It's YOUR soul.   :lulz:

:lulz:  I'm not so sure about that anymore, Rog.  I might have sold it down the river some time ago.

I still have mine.  It's just very small.

Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on October 20, 2009, 03:40:18 AM

Quote from: Jenne on October 20, 2009, 03:34:48 AM

Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on October 20, 2009, 03:33:20 AM

Quote from: Jenne on October 20, 2009, 03:31:42 AM
Meh, I disagree.  I get a lot of good info from The Lehrer Newshour.  And House is fanatically funny, feeds my jaded bitterness about life in general and people in specific.

Well, okay.

It's YOUR soul.   :lulz:

:lulz:  I'm not so sure about that anymore, Rog.  I might have sold it down the river some time ago.

I still have mine.  It's just very small.

...you know what they say, Rog.  It's not the size that matters, it's what you do with it.  Besides, to me, you're rather larger than life.  If you had a bigger soul, the universe wouldn't be able to contain you.

Quote from: Jenne on October 20, 2009, 03:41:33 AM

Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on October 20, 2009, 03:40:18 AM

Quote from: Jenne on October 20, 2009, 03:34:48 AM

Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on October 20, 2009, 03:33:20 AM

Quote from: Jenne on October 20, 2009, 03:31:42 AM
Meh, I disagree.  I get a lot of good info from The Lehrer Newshour.  And House is fanatically funny, feeds my jaded bitterness about life in general and people in specific.

Well, okay.

It's YOUR soul.   :lulz:

:lulz:  I'm not so sure about that anymore, Rog.  I might have sold it down the river some time ago.

I still have mine.  It's just very small.

...you know what they say, Rog.  It's not the size that matters, it's what you do with it.  Besides, to me, you're rather larger than life.  If you had a bigger soul, the universe wouldn't be able to contain you.

Flattery will get you everywhere, tiny mortal woman.

:lol:  mwahahahaa!

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is the only reason I have not ordered my minions (read: the ant colony a few yards from my porch) to annihilate television as a whole.

if you try to annihilate television i will annihilate YOAR FACE :argh!:

You better pray IASiP never gets canceled.