Have you shot your TV?

Have you shot your TV? (Full Version)

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Kaliko -> Have you shot your TV? (1/1/2012 2:49:30 PM)
It's rather ironic that I'm watching a television program on PBS right now that is making me consider getting rid of my television. Not because the show is bad - not at all - but because the speaker is making me think about things. Have you shot your TV? If you've gotten rid of your TV, did you find it difficult? My only concern is that I am alone in my house a lot. I use the TV as background noise. But is that a crutch?

Iamsemisweet -> RE: Have you shot your TV? (1/1/2012 2:56:46 PM)
Where I live, the only way I can get TV is with a satellite dish. I used to have it when my kids lived here, but once they left, I decided it was stupid to keep paying for something I never watched. When there is a show I want to see (Sherlock, Walking Dead), I stream it on Netflix or buy it on ITunes.

MissImmortalPain -> RE: Have you shot your TV? (1/1/2012 3:02:44 PM)
The t.v.s in my house are used to play video games, and rarely but sometimes movies. I'm a nerd, the liveins a nerd, the kids are all nerds, so when we want to watch something we use the computer. We even get to watch most movies before they come out in the states. I like looking up old t.v. shows from when I was a kid.

Duskypearls -> RE: Have you shot your TV? (1/1/2012 3:24:45 PM)
Depends, Kali. I've been off TV for probably 12 years, for two reasons. Mind-numbingly dumb/insulting content, and how pricey it's become. If it were given to me free, I fear I'd watch it just because I could, so in a way, tho' there was a bit of withdrawal, I'm glad I kicked it. I don't suppose there's any right or wrong to having TV or not. I've known many who find it soothing background noise, which makes it palliative in nature. Others may say it's used as a tool to distract the self, to avoid feeling/facing uncomfortable thoughts/feelings. Not everyone can quietly, comfortably live/be alone with themselves without external distractions. Perhaps there's more to it than that. What makes you suspect it may be a crutch for you? What kind of things is it making you think about that perhaps, you'd rather not? Things that stress you? I think TV, however factual some of it may be, is unreality, as you're watching something happening second hand, instead of having first hand participation/experience in what's happened. I suspect that deprives, and short circuits us in some ways. It might stimulate some parts of us, while denying/restricting others, which may confuse the whole being. I dunno, it's just a thought. What to you think, Kali?

Kaliko -> RE: Have you shot your TV? (1/1/2012 3:51:23 PM)
Oh, I always think I use things as crutches. I'm constantly trying to self-improve. I don't have any particular reason to think I use TV as a crutch, but I wonder if it is a crutch in general and I don't realize it. Does it prevent me, as you said, from facing certain things that I don't have to think about if I watch TV? Things is, I don't really watch much TV at all. The little one in the kitchen I use more than anything to keep me company while cooking. It just seems like there are these big (or little) black vacant boxes taking up space in my house and it's starting to make me feel surreal. Like I should be experiencing the moment more, rather than watching other people pretending to experience the moment.

Duskypearls -> RE: Have you shot your TV? (1/1/2012 4:03:03 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Kaliko Oh, I always think I use things as crutches. I'm constantly trying to self-improve. I don't have any particular reason to think I use TV as a crutch, but I wonder if it is a crutch in general and I don't realize it. Does it prevent me, as you said, from facing certain things that I don't have to think about if I watch TV? Things is, I don't really watch much TV at all. The little one in the kitchen I use more than anything to keep me company while cooking. It just seems like there are these big (or little) black vacant boxes taking up space in my house and it's starting to make me feel surreal. Like I should be experiencing the moment more, rather than watching other people pretending to experience the moment. This is a telling statement. One way to suss out whether there's any truth in it is to maybe send them on sabbatical for a little (maybe to the garage), for maybe a few days or weeks, and pay attention to what you internally experience as a result. You may find you don't need it as much as you thought you did, inspiring you to expand parts of you and your life. Less of a spectator, more of a participant. Then again, it may not! Just remember, there's no right or wrong to any choice or result. If you do choose to do this, I'd be interested to know how it turns out for you.

Casteele -> RE: Have you shot your TV? (1/1/2012 4:04:57 PM)
Have not had a television in my house for many years now, and I do not miss it. Sure, I do occasionally wish I could watch some shows which I cannot stream from Netflix, YouTube, or some other site. But I don't feel like I've lost anything in missing them. On the other hand, I am getting a television for my ex-roomie and her new husband as a housewarming/wedding gift. I know they both enjoy watching various shows, and thats cool too. So I guess I think of it like any other hobby/interest/whatever; To each their own. As for it being a crutch.. Well.. Simple test: Store the television in the basement/attic for a week and see how you feel without it there. Then use the radio for a week for "background noise" and see how you feel then. Then compare and contrast the three. For myself, although I do not enjoy television much, I do often have the radio on both for background noise, and so I'm some what up to date on current events (I listen to NPR and talk radio more than music stations :-P).

Rule -> RE: Have you shot your TV? (1/1/2012 4:05:48 PM)
Wise words, Dp. Yes Kaliko, TV is something all people and families would do better without. I rarely watch TV. These years I am all day on the Internet. But I remember years in the eighties and nineties when I had no TV and no Internet and my productivity was way higher then. (But Internet is useful to me for collecting information. TV I mostly watch for the SF series, but I can get those from a friend on hard disk instead.)

RexDarcy -> RE: Have you shot your TV? (1/1/2012 4:40:09 PM)
I don't watch much tv. A new show called Grimm is the only show I care to watch regularly. Casteele had the same idea I have, the radio - music in general really. I like having background noise as well and am able to select what I am listening to according to My mood and what I need to get done. Selecting music to add to My playlist is easier and quicker than finding something on tv that doesn't annoy Me.

barelynangel -> RE: Have you shot your TV? (1/1/2012 4:57:40 PM)
To me, i think most people who say they have killed TV in their lives have more so have instead just exchanged it for other forms of entertainment mainly computers which mimic or expand the type of entertainment found on TV, which many times are just as mind-numbingly dune and insulting content -- i mean if you think about it lol look at the form of entertainment many people engage in here - i.e., this message board. There are silly or dumb threads many many people participate in as well as not only reading the insulting content but many times contributing to it. Many people also use the computer to many times watch what they do on TV or other types of content they may not have because TV is a more restricted availability. To me, i simply think people have gotten rid of TV's because the type of entertainment they found on the TV can in all actuality be found on the internet with more availability for their preferences. I think many people use computers more to stave off lonliness than they do the TV's, i think people are more able to get lost in fantasy online than they do on TV, i.e., games, MMORPHs i think they are called, chatrooms, discussion boards etc. all of these concepts allow you to create on some level a fantasy to engage in, a level of fantasy about people you are speaking with (as most people never meet), etc. So too me, i think a computer is more dangerous an addiction then TV ever is, simply because it allows more avenues of everything TV offered and more interactive into fantasy and addiction of your passions so to speak with all of the discussion boards, and articles, and youtubes etc. To me, losing a TV because it's just a cost you don't want to deal with or you acknowledge you already have a TV in your computer is a real reason so to speak -- but if you lose a TV for really any other reason but keep the computer -- you sorta are just exchanging it for something more versatile. angel

Toppingfrmbottom -> RE: Have you shot your TV? (1/1/2012 5:13:40 PM)
I don't think I would ever get rid of my tv services, but there's sometimes for days on end the tv is not on until Daddy is home, cause I am to busy on the net or reading.

Kaliko -> RE: Have you shot your TV? (1/1/2012 5:21:22 PM)
I don't think I would do away with the cable service. My daughter watches TV and I don't mind it - she's keeping everything up as she should with school and stuff so I don't think it's a problem for her. I don't know - right about now I'm pretty happy I have TV - and Showtime - as I'm watching Twilight: New Moon as I prep for a meeting. That PBS show got me thinking, is all. Take the steps to change your life, blah blah blah. I'm always yapping about wanting to live off-grid one day. Perhaps being reliant on TV is a step in the wrong direction.

Casteele -> RE: Have you shot your TV? (1/1/2012 5:52:51 PM)
Kaliko, sounds like you're not really in a position to give it up yet then. You still have uses for it.. Just sounds like you have plenty of periods in between the good shows you like when there is nothing on that interests you. Maybe swap the kitchen television for a radio, or a laptop--That way, you could listen to music or watch streaming video if you really want to watch something.. Heck, I sometimes watch a streaming video giving me instructions on preparing a meal I've never tried before. Angel, I agree to a point, but even you recognized there is one major difference between the computer and the television: The computer is interactive. Likewise, if you wanted, you could break almost anything down to swapping one form of entertainment used to waste time with another form. The main difference I see is the question of how productive each form of entertainment is. There really is little on television that is little more than eyecandy/mindrot to waste time, or just be background noise. Sure, there are educational and instructive shows (like the cooking stuff above), but how much time do you spend watching them vs watching something that is pure entertainment? On the computer, you've got instant access to just about everything, and many people I know idle on fora like CM while also doing many other things, such as looking up info on their favorite hobby. So it's not all just mindless drivel like it would be with a television that could only display one show at a time (not counting PIP and channel flipping :-P).

stellauk -> RE: Have you shot your TV? (1/1/2012 5:55:02 PM)
I haven't shot the TV but if I get one more letter, phone call or house call from the TV Licensing people I am probably going to strangle one of them. I don't have a TV and haven't for donkey's years. I have a very deep and burning resentment towards certain types who work in television and the way they abuse the power that this medium has over people and also for the wanton damage and destruction caused in the 'industry' for the sake of profits and viewing figures. Besides, since coming back to the UK some years ago after a lengthy period abroad not only do I not know half the people on the TV but also I don't see or understand how they managed to end up working in television. I'm like MissImmortalPain in that everything comes from a computer and I use Youtube to watch old TV programmes, especially sitcoms when we made sitcoms which were actually funny and which are still funny now. My beef with the TV licensing people is that I don't own a television, never have, but they keep sending letters, making phone calls and the odd visit accusing me of watching TV on some device and not buying a licence. The last time I even had to say 'Well you know, sometimes I hear voices in my head and it might be from the BBC, does this mean I need a licence?'

CynthiaWVirginia -> RE: Have you shot your TV? (1/1/2012 6:38:56 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Kaliko It's rather ironic that I'm watching a television program on PBS right now that is making me consider getting rid of my television. Not because the show is bad - not at all - but because the speaker is making me think about things. Have you shot your TV? If you've gotten rid of your TV, did you find it difficult? My only concern is that I am alone in my house a lot. I use the TV as background noise. But is that a crutch? finishes counting years on fingers, lol I went 19 years without regular tv, as nothing showed up here without cable or satelite(sp?). These past almost two years, because of some digital box I bought, I can get two or three local channels if I want to, but so far all we use it for is to watch Saturday morning cartoons. We watched VHS and DVDs instead for 19 years...and I have to tell you that watching what I wanted, when I wanted, whenever I felt like it...without any blasted commercials...has spoiled the heck out of me. Walmart's $5 DVDs in the bins are a blessing, and I find great deals at Sams, especially for seasons of old tv shows. About two years ago I bought all the episodes of Firefly at Sams for only $13. I also haunt flea markets and pawn shops for DVDs and often get them for only $2 each. For spring and fall, my DVD budget is $40 per month, and I try not to go over this unless it's something on sale that I absolutely must have, lol, during summer when my bills are uber low, I allow myself more leeway. I have all of the Buffy, Angel, Babylon 5, Star Trek TNG, seasons, and am working on getting the last of dozens more. (Waiting for the last season of NCIS to sell for less than $40, etc., lol.) Am. Very. Spoiled. [;)] I really cleaned up with Black Friday sales this year, snagging some $40 seasons for only $15. For new movies, I go to that red box at Walmart or Kroger. Friends have C-Box 360 or Playstation 3 and have downloaded Netflix, but I don't have those gaming systems...I do love the idea of watching all the movies I could want for only $8 per month...but...after a while the same movies would keep popping up, right? This past week I watched a Gamera movie, the one where the kids make the controls on a little submersible do the opposite. It was exactly what I wanted to watch at that moment...and interruptions by phone or bathroom breaks didn't make us lose a single minute due to the good ole pause button. I can get better news stuff over the internet, from a wide variety of sources. Often when I want to see what new scandal is brewing, I look in politics and religion at CM and then take it from there. These guys find the best links anyway, when trying to prove their point. Watching news on tv is DEPRESSING, and I have to watch out for that so I am not overloaded. Bar fights, stabbings, missing children, freeway pileups with all the blood and gore...I can do quite happily without the tv keeping me all up to date and stuff. It has been so peaceful in my home, and I enjoy my massive DVD and VHS collection (picture on average 20 movies per month...for 19 years). That reminds me. At this time of the year I try to watch Meet John Doe (a black and white movie with Barbara Stanwyck(?) ), as well as It's a Wonderful Life. Already watched both Grinch movies, the old one I grew up watching on tv and the newer one with Jim Carey.

LadyHibiscus -> RE: Have you shot your TV? (1/1/2012 7:18:39 PM)
I love my television. I would miss my science shows, nature shows, and of course, my cartoons! I have it on quite abit for Jed, so he can have some sounds and something to look at. If you watch tv on the computer, aren't you still watching tv?

Kaliko -> RE: Have you shot your TV? (1/1/2012 8:40:41 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: LadyHibiscus If you watch tv on the computer, aren't you still watching tv? Yes...and I guess that's more what I'm thinking about. Giving up the stimulation from a screen like that, whether it's the TV or computer. Sometimes when I think about it, it all seems so "Total Recall"-ish. I sometimes get disillusioned with technology. I suppose I'm having one of those nights.

xxblushesxx -> RE: Have you shot your TV? (1/1/2012 8:53:39 PM)
We enjoy watching True Blood, Mad Men, Boardwalk Empire and The Tudors (when it used to be on) old episodes of Frasier and Seinfeld, and the surprisingly pretty good for a local channel show Once Upon a Time. Before I was with HM, I didn't watch tv for months and months. But I feel it was more as Angel said, that I traded the tv for the computer. So...

hlen5 -> RE: Have you shot your TV? (1/1/2012 9:23:49 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: stellauk I haven't shot the TV but if I get one more letter, phone call or house call from the TV Licensing people I am probably going to strangle one of them. .................................and not buying a licence. The last time I even had to say 'Well you know, sometimes I hear voices in my head and it might be from the BBC, does this mean I need a licence?' Buying a license??

outlier -> RE: Have you shot your TV? (1/1/2012 9:56:52 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: barelynangel To me, i simply think people have gotten rid of TV's because the type of entertainment they found on the TV can in all actuality be found on the internet with more availability for their preferences. I think many people use computers more to stave off lonliness than they do the TV's, i think people are more able to get lost in fantasy online than they do on TV, i.e., games, MMORPHs i think they are called, chatrooms, discussion boards etc. all of these concepts allow you to create on some level a fantasy to engage in, a level of fantasy about people you are speaking with (as most people never meet), etc. So too me, i think a computer is more dangerous an addiction then TV ever is, simply because it allows more avenues of everything TV offered and more interactive into fantasy and addiction of your passions so to speak with all of the discussion boards, and articles, and youtubes etc. angel You are not the only one to notice this Angel. I saved this cartoon after my friend and I had a conversation about how much time we were spending on the computer. [image]local://upfiles/186959/064B52AB61514AA18D4B73BF5931031D.jpg[/image]

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