The Great TeeVee Wasteland

[roo_ster]

Was on a week-long trip with the family.  Stayed in some hotel rooms with cable TV.  The one had more than 50 discrete non-pay selections to choose from and the only one that was appropriate for a family with small kiddos in the early evening was this one with a "reality" show about a Hutterite Colony in Montana.  Not exactly what I would call entertainment.  Weird Al's "Amish Paradise" had more substance.  I looked at SWMBO and said, "We aren't missing a damned thing not having cable or satellite TV," to which she nodded, turned off the TV with the remote, and pulled out her smart phone and started reading another book.  I was already reading one of the O'Brien Aubrey-Maturin books on my smart phone, because I could not bear to put 100% of my attention on the HDTV spilling dreck into my hotel room.

[Boomhauer]

I dont have tv service either and believe me I dont miss it one bit. There are very little worthwhile shows on and its far cheaper for me to amazon or buy the dvds outright than to may $$$ for satellite. I use my laptop as my personal tv instead and its nice having your personal 15" screen right there and i can get stuff done during commercials too.

[Lee]

I spend more time looking for the remote, than watching TV. I need to stop throwing it out in the woods.

[geronimotwo]

we watch too much tv.  however, i feel fortunate that my kids mostly watch the educational stuff like animal planet, the nature channel, pbs, etc. 

[Devonai]

So James Dillon is a Catholic,’ he wrote in his minute and secret shorthand. ‘He used not to be. That is to say, he was not a Catholic in the sense that it would have made any marked difference to his behaviour, or have rendered the taking of an oath intolerably painful. He was not in any way a religious man. Has there been some conversion, some Loyolan change? I hope not. How many crypto-Catholics are there in the service? I should like to ask him; but that would be indiscreet. I remember Colonel Despard’s telling me that in England Bishop Challoner gave a dozen dispensations a year for the occasional taking of the sacrament according to the Anglican rite. Colonel T-, of the Gordon riots, was a Catholic. Did Despard’s remark refer only to the army? I never thought to ask him at the time. Quaere: is this the cause for James Dillon’s agitated state of mind?

Gnnnnuuuuh!  Somebody shoot a @#$%^&*( cannonball at something already!

[kgbsquirrel]

I haven't had television (cable, dish or even regular old antenna) since I was transferred off the Iwo Jima some 8 years ago. I really don't miss it. If there's a worthwhile show I want to see I can find it on the internet, and I don't have to sit through a bunch of annoying commercials.

[Scout26]

Yep, no TV or video games here either.

We interact with each other.  Games, cards, books, we also go out and do stuff.

Life is too short waste sitting in front of the boob tube.

[dogmush]

Other side of the coin:


There's like 5 or 6 show on weekly that I actively like and try to watch.  I set my DVR, and when I have time (on my schedule) I have TV to watch.  Often before it's available on the internet.

On commercials...I fast forward through them, but actually find myself rewinding sometimes to watch one.  Some are entertaining in their own right.  And I actually miss out on stuff I would like to know about because I don't watch much advertising.

TV (cable in my case) is much like a car loan (which I know a bunch of you also hate).  I end up paying a little for sheer convenience, but as long as you use it appropriately and don't let it grow to control your life, it's useful and sometimes even fun.

P.S. I read books as well.

[ArfinGreebly]

we watch too much tv.  however, i feel fortunate that my kids mostly watch the educational stuff like animal planet, the nature channel, pbs, etc. 

However, do take a little time to listen carefully to the verbiage issuing forth from the "entertainment" box.

An afternoon with the kids, and later the grandkids, in front of "children's programming" was not good for my blood pressure.

Just sayin'.

[Scout26]

However, do take a little time to listen carefully to the verbiage issuing forth from the "entertainment" box.

An afternoon with the kids, and later the grandkids, in front of "children's programming" was not good for my blood pressure.

Just sayin'.

was

Yep, this.  So much this.  They simply follow what Baldur von Schirach said.

[Tallpine]

a "reality" show about a Hutterite Colony in Montana

That must have been really exciting 

Working outside in 100 degree weather in heavy black clothes, and communal chicken slaughtering.

We used to buy hay from one of the colonies, and when we drove the truck/trailer up on their scale, the kids would come out and stare at us like we were from Mars.

The way that they treat their women is atrocious. 

It could be really interesting if they talked to some of the folks who have actually escaped from the colonies    It's pretty hard to do if you don't even speak English.


BTW, we just watch DVDs - most of which we get for $2 at the pawn shop.

[lee n. field]

I haven't watched much of anything since Babylon 5 played through to its end.  We haven't missed TeeVee.

One of my customers (a 911 call center) has one on continually.  What plays during the day is a vacuous waste.

The last thing I remember watching on purpose was a Simpson's episode, back before the changeover to all digital TeeVee.  It was more crass than funny (unlike what I remember from earlier years).  The last straw was Homer bellowing out a full volume third commandment violation.  Don't need that, don't want that, "click".

[Strings]

We have a TV, hooked up to a dish. The last time it was on a channel other than H2, it was due to a power outage...

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

we watch too much tv.  however, i feel fortunate that my kids mostly watch the educational stuff like animal planet, the nature channel, pbs, etc. 

this^^

[Nick1911]

When the wife left, I cancelled the cable.  I haven't missed the absence.

Also: why would anyone pay for media that has advertising in it?  That seems backwards.

[Tallpine]

When the wife left, I cancelled the cable.  I haven't missed the absence.

...

Cable, or wife ?   

[Scout26]

Nick,

Same with me.  And no, I don't miss either.  But my aim is improving....


 

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

the movie the song remains the same is on vh1....

[Viking]

I didn't bring my tv when I moved out from my parents' place 7 years ago. Don't miss it. I've got books, and a Netflix account that I'm debating whether to keep or not.

[TechMan]

We have a tv with a digital receiver, but we hardly watch it.  We do have a netflix account which I will watch about a hour a night.  We gave up cable 4 years ago to pay for our nephew's karate lessons (he is now a black belt).  We don't miss it one bit.

[HankB]

. . . my kids mostly watch the educational stuff like animal planet, the nature channel, pbs, etc.  

Keep an eye on what they watch there, too . . . while there's good programming there, I've seen some borderline ARF stuff (ARF = Animal Rights Fanatic) there, too.

And of course PBS has a decidedly political agenda that's somewhat left of center.

[BlueStarLizzard]

Well, I kinda miss it.

Our antenna got fried last summer and we never have replaced it. Just one of this things that keeps slipping the mind.

I read books and watch DVDs, but sometimes I get a little burned out and just want some low quality brainless programing. Well, maybe semi brainless... I draw the line at some of the crap I've glimsed on cable channels.

[French G.]

I like some programming, mainly Faux news and Speed channel. I'd like to have access to PBS and animal planet. I even like pawn stars just to see the weird crap they get. I always check to see what AMC has on. I get occasional TV when I play Navy, but I have not bought TV service since 2000. When I went bachelor 1.0 in 2000 I even bought a nice $900 cherry entertainment center. Never did get to the buy a TV step, stacked my guns and ammo in it instead. It lived up to the bill, it was entertaining.