Thursday, December 11, 2008
Not long ago, we had dinner at the home of family we didn't know that well. As we walked in, one of the first things I noticed is that they had no TV. At first, I naturally assumed it was broken, but given that there was no associated paraphernalia (no DVD player, no entertainment center, no basket full of remotes), I decided that this must have been a conscious decision. I'm not knocking that choice; despite having a plethora of televisions in my own home, I don't begrudge anyone who avoids having one. No doubt they spend more time than I do in reading, meditation, and wondering what Oprah looks like, and they probably get more done. I'm not a huge TV-watcher myself, and I tend to multi-task when I do partake, but I think that having no TV at all could create some problems.
First, where do you point your couches? I'm not much of an interior design person, so I think I might be in trouble if I didn't have one as my starting point. I guess people had couches long before TVs, so maybe people back then just optimized their layout for conversation. It was tough on kids back then, though, because they had no valid excuse for spacing out and ignoring their parents.
First, where do you point your couches? I'm not much of an interior design person, so I think I might be in trouble if I didn't have one as my starting point. I guess people had couches long before TVs, so maybe people back then just optimized their layout for conversation. It was tough on kids back then, though, because they had no valid excuse for spacing out and ignoring their parents.
Second, how do the "Emergency Broadcast System" people reach these non-TV types? Admittedly, I've never heard of that thing saving anyone, but thanks to a lifetime of TV, I know when my show is suddenly interrupting by a loud, annoying beeping that either the Russians are attacking or a flood is on its way. Who knows, though - maybe people with no TV are a bit like people in old western movies and just put their ear to the ground every once in a while to listen for trouble.
Third, I'm not convinced that they are really all that much better off time-wise given that they're missing out on some real time/labor-saving "as-seen-on-tv" products. Probably the best example of this is Mighty Putty. Granted, I don't own any, but next time I want to haul something behind my SUV, I won't bother buying a tow kit. The people building that bridge above Hoover Dam must not watch TV, because they're wasting time making that thing out of concrete and are way behind schedule (so I hear from my wife, who watched a documentary on it the other day). With a few million tubes of Mighty Putty, I bet they'd be done already.
This isn't to say that I think TV is perfect. It's a bit like trail mix, in that you have to sift through a lot of bad filler to get to the good stuff. It's also like driving in that sometimes you can end up somewhere without really remembering how you got there, and it scares you a little bit. Ever catch yourself watching an infomercial or something about 20 minutes into it before you really realize what you are doing? Watch enough TV, and whole chunks of your life might be missing, and not in a "Bourne Identity" way.
Third, I'm not convinced that they are really all that much better off time-wise given that they're missing out on some real time/labor-saving "as-seen-on-tv" products. Probably the best example of this is Mighty Putty. Granted, I don't own any, but next time I want to haul something behind my SUV, I won't bother buying a tow kit. The people building that bridge above Hoover Dam must not watch TV, because they're wasting time making that thing out of concrete and are way behind schedule (so I hear from my wife, who watched a documentary on it the other day). With a few million tubes of Mighty Putty, I bet they'd be done already.
This isn't to say that I think TV is perfect. It's a bit like trail mix, in that you have to sift through a lot of bad filler to get to the good stuff. It's also like driving in that sometimes you can end up somewhere without really remembering how you got there, and it scares you a little bit. Ever catch yourself watching an infomercial or something about 20 minutes into it before you really realize what you are doing? Watch enough TV, and whole chunks of your life might be missing, and not in a "Bourne Identity" way.
2 comments:
I had to get rid of our bedroom tv after a night of insomnia led to the purchase of an ab-lounge and a 10 cd set from Time Life. I gotta have one tv though, at least until Lost is over.
Thanks for the laugh! My friend Brenda entered a link from her pages to yours. Yes, I too believe infomercials hold the key to a simpler life. My husband thinks we would save a ton of money if I would just get him a Flobee. And I'd probably never cut my finger off again if I had one of those veggie cutters. The people doing those commercials have to be the biggest morons on earth!
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