Monday, August 10, 2009

TV

As I was thinking about my desire to be a well-read "literary woman" in my last post, I began to consider what is standing in my way.  I buy books all the time, but never seem to catch-up and feel as if I never read enough, despite how much I enjoy it.  In reality, I do read quite a bit, and am probably well-read by some standards.  However, I also spend a great deal of time in other, often less satisfying, endeavors. 

Although the internet is beginning to close in, television is still my primary distractor.  It's a big problem when I am feeling particularly lonely.  Books are fine companions, but sometimes I really want the added noise of voices on the TV.  Some days, like today, I'll hardly watch any TV, but others, I may get sucked in.  It was a bigger problem when I had a DVR in my old apartment in Atlanta, because there was always something ready to be watched.  Now that I don't have a constant supply of desirable programming, my viewing time has decreased, but it's still often more that I'd like.  I think about the piles of books that are constantly growing and I cringe at the wasted time.

Confession: The source of some of these thoughts can be found in the book that I am currently reading.  The Plug-In Drug by Marie Winn.  Although I am only about half-way through, I have already changed my attitude about television.  I have never thought it to be a great thing for small children in large quantities, but this book gives extensive scientific and anecdotal evidence of the damage caused by excessive (or even moderate, in some cases) television viewing by young people.  I will go into the book in greater detail when I have finished it, but I would like to share one rather obvious observation at this time.

According to Ms. Winn and others, a significant amount of the damage caused by television viewing is not necessarily the programming or the act of viewing itself, but rather by the lack of other activities which have been displaced.  Certainly, the author does discuss some damages caused by various aspects of TV itself, but many of the problems stem from less time spend reading, playing, thinking, and socializing.  This made me think.

What am I not doing when I watch TV?  Exercising?  Reading?  Writing?  Socializing?  Organizing?  Photographing?  Crafting?  Blogging?  Sleeping?  The list goes on and on.  I often watch when I am feeling extremely tired, so exercising may not always be the answer, there are plenty of other quiet, low-impact activities I could engage in instead of turning on the TV and plopping onto the couch.

These new thoughts have spurred a radical idea.  When I move to Austin, I might skip cable in my apartment.  Crazy?  Perhaps.  I've already decided to forgo a DVR, but why not take it another step?  I could certainly save money.  I'm not suggesting that all TV is bad, or that I'll give up on it entirely, but why not cut back?  Most of the shows I might really care about are available online if I must watch them and I might even find that I don't miss them at all.  I'll probably keep my Netflix subscription as well.  I'd like to get to a point to where I watch TV because there is something specific that I want to watch, and not simply because I want to be watching something.  

I am going to finish Winn's book and continue to monitor my own TV/reading balance.  I may even try to start keeping a TV log.  Perhaps I will post it on here for a bit of accountability.  Should I establish a guideline for weekly television viewing?  A maximum number of hours?  And if so, do movies count?  This will require some more thought.  In the meantime, do you have thoughts on the subject?

3 comments:

Katie said...

Keep Netflix. Movies are art.

I feel the same way. I have shows that I really do like, but sometimes I just get sucked into TV and spider solitaire, mostly as means of procrastination. What I don't understand, is why I don't just procrastinate by reading. I'll think, "I should just read if I'm going to procrastinate, but if I get up to get my book and do something meaningful, I should really just do [laundry/dishes/mopping/pet bath]."
I've thought about canceling cable, if husband and I didn't love college basketball and football so much, just as a cost thing. I don't think TV is bad, but I think, like anything (reading included), it's good to have priorities and not let it take the place of human relationships/hygeniene/other bettering activities.

The Depressed Yogi said...

I gave cancelled my cable several months ago, and while it's been an adjustment, I *do* find myself doing other things I probably wouldn't be doing if I had the comfort of channels + DVR. I have found myself missing cable (esp. lately since fall shows are coming!), but I don't think I'll return. Too much $$ for one person.

I DO have netflix though. ;)

Caitlin said...

Thanks for the thoughts, ladies! I've been thinking about these issues a lot this week, but I'm not sure my habits have changed very much. There have been a few evenings when I've gone upstairs instead of staying down to watch a show I didn't really care about. Other nights I did stay to watch.