Commercials, ug. I used to be a hypochondriac, those prescription drug commercials are the worst thing for someone of such an infliction! Really, commercials telling you to ask your doctor about it? Dirty!

It's crazy that I get asked if I've seen a certain commercial during conversation. I tell them I haven't had cable for several years and they look at me like, OMG you poor thing! What's wrong? That's sad to me.



I have heard that Steve Colbert is to replace Letterman though. THAT is interesting.

Who's Steve Colbert? And what is a Letterman?







(just kidding )

Uh... I might have conversed about whatever shows, and I often do. I like to discuss stories after finishing them. You never have conversed about a book, a movie or a story with anyone?


but what do you mean with imp...

I agree with Vodsel. Are you as disparaging of book clubs, film school, art history departments and music theory courses or discussions? Rather dismissive to call the parsing and conversing over of art and culture "very impure", unless you have more to add to the subject?

JBArk

No cry Vodsel, it's just things hipsters say...

I jest!

Yes, I get this one too, and am constantly shocked by this same reaction. Another one of my favorites is: "If you don't watch TV, what else do you do?," with "Read? Like read books?" coming in at a close second.

Blows my mind. Everything in this topic rings true with me, especially with the one poster early on who spoke about using cannabis while watching TV and gaining a whole new perspective on it. It's just hard to believe so many people find themselves getting sucked into it - yet we're the crazy ones.

You might find this interesting too

Actually I'm glad you posted this, because I am NOT being (trying to be) disparaging of those things. Not at all. This is specifically about TV programming.

So...there's something about television that I believe to be soul-sucking. It might be possessed by a demon. Srs. I'm joking. So this is where I distinguish between conversing about, say, a musical album and conversing about TV. The latter is utter garbage. Think about having a meaningful conversation about something that literally is sucking the life force out of you--it's impure.

For instance, I've never had someone walk up to me and ask me "hey did you listen to that album last night?" or "hey did you enhance your life last night?" No. I haven't. But you can always count on people to ASSUME that you watched a TV show. "Hey I watched that show last night so I bet you did to, since it was broadcast to the entire universe. Let's talk about it!!!" So everything, possibly including sports, that is broadcast, is FAKE in one way or another. Even the news. And when you commit yourself to consuming things that are fake, you're dismissing things that are real. And then when you get wrapped up in that blanket of BS, you lose a part of yourself. For someone who gets excited about what's going to happen next week on >insert TV drama< here," it's sad. Because it's all like a very poor simulation of reality. And it doesn't matter at all, but not simply in an "inconsequential" way, but in an "it's actually bringing everyone down" kind of way. If you commit X number of hours to watching the news, or TV shows, or whatever, your committing X number of hours to things that don't matter at all. It's like looking for a plane and never finding it, and then when you do miraculously find it, it still doesn't matter.

So let's be clear: TV is it's own entity. Do not confuse it with art or culture, because it is neither of those things.

I'm sorry, I really don't know how to respond to this. I read it over three times, and it's still nonsense. And beyond it making no sense, it in no way addresses the question I fielded to you. I am sorry if this sounds confrontational - it is not meant in that spirit - but I am truly dumbfounded by your response.

JBArk

Damn, you must be fun at parties. Where's your balance? Tv produced little shows like Breaking Bad, The Wire, Game of Thrones. I for one think those shows are works of art. You cannot make a blanket statement that because it's on tv it can't be art, that's redonkulous. It is your opinion, nothing more. A rather unbalanced opinion, in my opinion.

...ummm yeah I don't go to parties. That makes me a loser and someone who has no fun, right? Right, of course. This has nothing to do with balance. I'm not imbalanced because I don't "get loose and watch TV." You know what I find fun? Exercising. Seriously. Saturday nights are gym nights. That keeps me balanced.

I was joking, lighten up, sheesh.

And I meant balance in PERSECTIVE, not life style; your view of tv is completely one sided.

It is one-sided because it's better being that way than not--if you catch my drift. It's allowed me migrate away from it to the point that now I don't own one. Being wishy-washy about it doesn't help. It's the same with diet and other lifestyle decisions: you don't project hate, per say, but you foster a negative image of something you want to change. In this case, it's watching television. Of course you could say there's benefit to it, and you can contort that into a true statement, but then you're rationalizing. A similar approach to alcohol and now that's not part of my life anymore. But once you get to that point, and then you see the other side and you get there, you stick with it. So it's a choice. I could watch all of the aforementioned shows and enjoy them, or I could look for enjoyment elsewhere. The latter choice has a better ring to it...and now I'm ruined for watching TV. And now it sucks my soul out of me.

That got a bit too philosophical, but I stand by it.

I agree with un-known-ome. TV shows really are such a daft form of entertainment (if it could be called that), so void of any substance. A girl I was dating a few years ago, like 4 years ago or so got me into Dexter. And this was before I was as against TV as I am now, but I still barely watched TV. It was a captivating show if you sat back and LET YOURSELF buy into it. But at the same time, predictable and like every other thriller type show. I dont get how some people get so drawn in by a show that really is just one massive repetition of itself, and specifically designed to illicit the response you give it. How the ham can anyone get so wrapped up in useless entertainment is beyond me. In college, I had a professor who I had a good deal of respect for, until she got legitimately upset when she found out I didn't have a favorite TV show. I was like you have GOT to be kidding me right now. And TV didnt even have anything to do with the class lol.

The things I like to take from TV I actually learn something interesting from, such as Cosmos or Thru the Wormhole. I would rather sit outside and watch grass grow than watch any shows like the zombie crap thats on.

There are way more productive things people could be doing than sitting back and feeling 'entertained' by the garbage on TV.

The same was said of theatre in Shakespeare's time. And most was garbage. But if you looked and were discerning, you might just have stumbled into a production of Hamlet.


JBArk

I dont think there were Coca-Crapa or Dunkin Donuts or NFL commercials during the intermission of a play in Shakespeares time though

Well it kind of did, didn't it? I attempted to distinguish between art/culture and television, and I claimed that I wasn't intentionally being disparaging of those items that you mentioned. And I judged that the first question was rhetorical.

I'm certainly not dumbfounded by your response but now I'm confused about this confusion...

You are aware that you can watch any show commercial free, yes? I haven't had a tv since 2003, yet I have a computer full of media. You don't need to suffer through commercials at all if you are clever.

I suppose you never watch any you tube clips of any kind, am I right? Because you are not a hypocrite: you know that most of you tube is as mindless as most commercial tv, and, yes, you have to suffer through at least a few seconds of commercials from time to time before you can skip, so you're still exposed to the products to watch something.

Surely all of you radical anti entertainment types never watch you tube. You are strong in your convictions.

Then you either need to get out more, or you are not hanging with the right people.

I am sorry guys (and i will not be upset if you issue a fatwa on me for saying this) but i think advertising can be a creative artform aswell. Anything that can make people spend their money on things they don"t really need must be pretty special. Not only that but they probably help to pay for the tv programs that you all watch on your computers.

If you can see the beauty in things, while at the same time not being sucked into the seriousness of it, it can be beneficial for spiritual wellbeing.



I also like the adverts below but i have the strength of character to have never paid for a cigar in my entire life.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy...

Of course television shows and movies are pointless... That's the point: pure enjoyment. A person cannot be expected to spend 100% of their time being productive and doing things to better the world around them. It would obviously be detrimental to a person's well-being to spend the majority of their life welded to the couch watching television. But recreation, enjoyment, and entertainment are a crucial part of living a happy and healthy life. "Fun" can be incredibly beneficial for the soul.

I agree that there is a lot of garbage on television, but there are also some very creative shows with excellent writing, characters, and plot development. Television is no more pointless/useless than reading fictional novels.

Not to mention the fact that educational programs and documentaries are extremely efficient methods for acquiring knowledge and broadening one's perspective.