Too much TV?
Jun/22/2009 09:08
Wisdom and Folly (via Challies.com) posted an interesting article about getting rid of the television in their house. Citing several reasons, number 4 being:
His article got me thinking about our own television behavior. After moving back to the U.S. from Ireland our viewing habits changed dramatically. We didn’t have one. We became accustomed to surfing the internet (not always the best substitute), reading, talking, going out and changing our viewing habits. We watched things online, subscribed to Hulu and Netflix or watched nothing at all. My parents bought us a small television that acts as our live news broadcaster but we watch very little of that too. We also noticed that while we living in Europe, televisions in America got bigger. We left when CRT’s were still the norm and returned to find 42” flat screens in every living room. Even now, walking through our apartment complex we see huge televisions crammed into people’s living rooms; sitting that close to something that big can’t be good for your eyes. Right mom?
Interestingly, I’ve noticed some of the same things as Jim Spiegel. By watching less television we’ve become more sensitive to obscenity, our opinion of good television has changed dramatically, and we’re less tolerant of commercials. We watch the shows we want to watch, not just what’s on, and we watch those things that we’ve screened, read reviews on, or have been recommended. By removing the television as the center of our home we’ve made room for better things which for the most part have been positive. Now if we can scale back our internet surfing... all things in moderation right?
4. Avoidance of narcissism, bad ethics, and poor reasoning — Whether it is sitcoms, reality TV shows, or even news programs, the me-first mentality is ubiquitous in television land. And from what I’ve seen of such shows as Friends and Survivor, the moral-decision making and logical thinking skills are rather suspect. Let’s just say that, as a Philosophy professor, I always know where to find vivid illustrations of moral vices and logical fallacies. So thank you for that much, Mr. Television.
His article got me thinking about our own television behavior. After moving back to the U.S. from Ireland our viewing habits changed dramatically. We didn’t have one. We became accustomed to surfing the internet (not always the best substitute), reading, talking, going out and changing our viewing habits. We watched things online, subscribed to Hulu and Netflix or watched nothing at all. My parents bought us a small television that acts as our live news broadcaster but we watch very little of that too. We also noticed that while we living in Europe, televisions in America got bigger. We left when CRT’s were still the norm and returned to find 42” flat screens in every living room. Even now, walking through our apartment complex we see huge televisions crammed into people’s living rooms; sitting that close to something that big can’t be good for your eyes. Right mom?
Interestingly, I’ve noticed some of the same things as Jim Spiegel. By watching less television we’ve become more sensitive to obscenity, our opinion of good television has changed dramatically, and we’re less tolerant of commercials. We watch the shows we want to watch, not just what’s on, and we watch those things that we’ve screened, read reviews on, or have been recommended. By removing the television as the center of our home we’ve made room for better things which for the most part have been positive. Now if we can scale back our internet surfing... all things in moderation right?
0 Comments
