The secret to happiness, get rid of your television.

[Diesel_Bomber]

Huge +1 here; tv is almost non-existant in my house. It is the processed white-sugar/corn syrup and chemical laden food of the entertainment world. My wife and I have a 13" one I bought at a garage sale for $5 8-10 years ago. No cable, satellite, or rabbit ears; it has a vcr/dvd combo hooked up to it but other than that no inputs. A boring movie helped me fall asleep for awhile when battling insomnia but now that my insomnia is gone you'll have to blow the dust off the tv if you want to use it.

I also despise the reality show recaps on the radio and the ensuing discussion between the dj's. If I cared about that garbage I'd have watched the show myself. Click, next preset.

:buddies:

 

[turbodog]

I would agree entirely if it were not for the Digital Video Recorder. Removing the element of scheduling and time altogether makes television much more enjoyable, and it doesn't matter when or where they show the programs you want to see, you will get to see it..

I can chime in here... Back in college there was a semester neither I nor my roommate had a tv. I got weaned cold turkey. About a year later when I had a chance to watch again, but my daily habits had changed so I didn't work it back into my life.

Fast forward to today. Programming has changed so much for the worse that I'm unable to watch it if I wanted to.

To those of you who use tivo/etc... you're still immersing yourself into a lifestyle protrayed my modern tv. You're party to the trite arguments, petty bickering, etc.

Experience? College was 16 years ago, and I haven't watched it since. I've had so much of a better life and more time I could not imagine any other way.

 

[StarHalo]

To those of you who use tivo/etc... you're still immersing yourself into a lifestyle protrayed my modern tv. You're party to the trite arguments, petty bickering, etc.

I'm pretty sure this comes down to what you record/watch.. a good example being The National Geographic Channel's recent one-hour documentary entitled "The Flashlight", which covered the history and design of flashlights, and included a tour of the Surefire factory..

 

[jtr1962]

I'm pretty sure this comes down to what you record/watch.. a good example being The National Geographic Channel's recent one-hour documentary entitled "The Flashlight", which covered the history and design of flashlights, and included a tour of the Surefire factory..

I saw that also. Very good show, and somewhat informative even for seasoned flashaholics.

One thing is for sure-if we couldn't get cable TV I know I would have joined the ranks of the no-TV people years ago. As it is there isn't an abundance of things worth watching even with hundreds of channels. But if network TV was all that existed then there would be nothing. I remember network TV started its long, slow decline probably in the early 1970s. It's long been a wasteland with sitcoms, reality shows, lame network news, soaps, and game shows. Most shows treat their viewers like they have the IQ of a potted plant. Add to that constant commercial interruptions for prescription drugs which make watching even the rare decent program intolerable. 5 minutes of network TV usually makes me nauseous. It's amazing people still actually watch these stations.

 

[Monocrom]

Do it! Get rid of your television, you won't be disappointed!

Some might consider that to be a silly suggestion. Sadly, there are many folks who simply can't live without TV. (Or believe that they cannot).

My dad is visiting from the Old Country. Back when Russia was still the Soviet Union, well.... Let's just say that American TV has far more propaganda that's thinly disguised as entertainment, than you'd see on any of the government-controlled Soviet networks. And I don't just mean political propaganda. Any alternative lifestyle or agenda that a network wants to promote is thrown at the viewing audience.

It wouldn't be quite as bad, if the networks were at least a bit creative about it. But they're not. Propaganda is supposed to be subtle. It should influence a person's way of thinking, without the person being aware of it. If you hit them over the head blatantly, you've failed.

The networks continue to fail, but pretend they're not.

Still, a few shows are genuinely entertaining. And committed to just that end.

 

[PlayboyJoeShmoe]

Tivo is important!

We sit down as a Family to watch 24. We also might watch NCIS or CSI at the same sitting.

Other than that F1, Drag or Poker.

I listen to talk radio during the day, and spend a LOT of time in front of this 'puter!

More power to ya if you give up TV.

But my life would be better without internet I think, but I ain't giving it up!

 

[NA8]

Great topic. I tape what I want to watch and pretty much ignore the "news/propaganda" unless the story is actually cluing you into something they wanted kept quiet. Both politcal parties will sometimes let something slip out of spite. :devil:

If you want the real news, go over to Project Censored.

http://www.projectcensored.org/

 

[Monocrom]

But my life would be better without internet I think, but I ain't giving it up!

My motherboard fried itself out a little over a week ago.

I found someone who could replace it, and my comp now works well. But I wasn't the best person to be around during the week my comp was down.

 

[Culhain]

I keep a couple of TVs around, but only have cable when I'm dating a TV addict. Haven't given much thought to what will happen when the government turns off my "rabbit ears". My guess is that Homeland Security will compare the lists of those who got the black box coupons with the lists of those who have cable and filter out the names of those not on either list and who are therefore resisting brainwashing and are security threats.

 

[Sgt. LED]

TV SUCKS

Read a book.

 

[roguesw]

I got rid of my TV a few years ago, living in a small apartment meant that space was an issue. I dont miss the TV because the internet has all the programming I need, but i also noticed at the same time,
I can get on with my work and concentrate on working faster and finish a job faster and have more free time. I noticed we are controlled by the scheduling of the TV, have to get home at a certain time to watch something.
The internet has also meant i can concentrate on watching the things that I want to watch. Now about 60% of programs that I watch are educational fun programs like history channel or discovery channel.
Getting rid of the TV although unintentional was a great choice. However in the next few month, I am moving in with my fiancee and she watches TV a lot but she is also finding the shows that she watches are now available via the internet. I hope I can still have a TV free home.

 

[brucec]

Getting rid of the television? Yes, spending 4 additional hours a day on CPF is a much better use of time...

Seriously though, I typically average <1hr of TV per day, and many times not at all in a day. I don't really see the need to get rid of the TV altogether. In fact, I just bought a new one. When I feel like watching TV, I'll turn it on to see if there is anything I feel like watching. If not, I just turn it back off. Outright elimination of the TV just seems rather extreme in my view, especially in this day and age. If you want to watch less, then just watch less! It's not like you can't turn it off.

My brother did the elimination of the TV thing for a while. But he just ended up watching streaming network videos or movies on his projector. That is not really any better that watching straight-up TV in my opinion. The bulb on his projector eventually burned out and after many months, his girlfriend could no longer accept watching DVDs on the laptop. So he just got a new TV last year.

 

[TexLite]

Outright elimination of the TV just seems rather extreme in my view, especially in this day and age.

I must say, I find that statement rather bizzare. Why would abstaining from certain programming be extreme?

I'm not trying to be critical, just curious as to the reasoning.

This is by the way, a very interesting thread.

-Michael

 

[brucec]

I must say, I find that statement rather bizzare. Why would abstaining from certain programming be extreme?

I'm not trying to be critical, just curious as to the reasoning.

This is by the way, a very interesting thread.

-Michael

Abstaining from "certain" programming can easily be done by just turning off the TV. Abstaining from ALL programming (i.e. outright elimination, throwing out all the TVs in the house) seems extreme to me, but I think is what a lot of people are advocating here. I don't know, maybe throwing out all the TVs is the only way for some people, but I think a little bit of self-discipline is all that is needed to control the TV habit.

Save the planet, stop having children. :tinfoil:

LOL, your computer is just another TV.

Agree, computer is just another TV when you are using it to watch youtube or other streaming broadcasts.

Disagree with stop having children. This depends on the location. In countries with severe voluntary (not government enforced) negative population growth, such as Japan and Taiwan, having children is highly encouraged and essential if these economies want to survive another 50 years.

 

[TexLite]

Abstaining from "certain" programming can easily be done by just turning off the TV. Abstaining from ALL programming (i.e. outright elimination, throwing out all the TVs in the house) seems extreme to me, but I think is what a lot of people are advocating here. I don't know, maybe throwing out all the TVs is the only way for some people, but I think a little bit of self-discipline is all that is needed to control the TV habit.

I did mean certain programming as in TV. Programming in general as TV,radio,internet etc.,"certain" as TV. I can't imagine any part of prime time TV that would cause a negative effect were I to miss out, quite the opposite in fact. I just can't see avoiding that area of pop culture as extreme.

Agree, computer is just another TV when you are using it to watch youtube or other streaming broadcasts.

I think the primary difference between the internet and television is you are able to choose what you view. Yes, you can select different channels with television, but you still have to sit through the programming and commercials. You have to watch whats on, with little or no say as to what that is.

-Michael

 

[LuxLuthor]

Great topic. I tape what I want to watch and pretty much ignore the "news/propaganda" unless the story is actually cluing you into something they wanted kept quiet. Both politcal parties will sometimes let something slip out of spite. :devil:

If you want the real news, go over to Project Censored.

http://www.projectcensored.org/

Got me curious enough to check it out, but a clear slant emerged. I don't believe there is such a thing as true objective news, and I use a lot of resources. There is always a slant....truth lies somewhere in between whatever you read/hear/watch. It is what the organ on top of your spinal cord is for.

Happiness is not created by an absense of TV. If that were true, the history of the world prior to the invention of television would have been a nonstop blissful, loving, paradise.

 

[faco]

People ask me how I manage to do so much in one day, I tell them I don't watch much TV. I probably average 1/2 to 1 hour daily max, sometimes none at all.

I have cable and think it's crap, too many repeats. Also while watching TV many times I walk away halfway through a program to do other things, like reading a magazine, jumping on my MTB even at night ( to switch on my headlights :twothumbs ) or visit friends etc etc. Life has too many things to offer than sitting in front of the idiot box.

Very rare, but when I start watching a movie, about 10 min into it I think of better things to do and usually walk away, I guess this means I hate TV :thinking:

BUT I think I spend too much time online, I'm addicted to CPF

 

[NA8]

Got me curious enough to check it out, but a clear slant emerged.

LOL. Yep, once you get off the corporate owned media there's usually a slant. However, they have some fun stuff like this bad girl:

http://www.projectcensored.org/top-stories/articles/23-feinsteins-conflict-of-interest-in-iraq/

The part about The Sunlight Foundation just busted me up. Who better to be chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee ? :devil:

+1 with all the rest you said.

 

[EngrPaul]

Disagree with stop having children. This depends on the location. In countries with severe voluntary (not government enforced) negative population growth, such as Japan and Taiwan, having children is highly encouraged and essential if these economies want to survive another 50 years.

Agreed, and that was my point. Watch TV in moderation, but don't get rid of the equipment.

 

[alaskawolf]

my aparntment cant get cable and doesn't pick up tv signals so when ever i go to a friends house i watch tv, there is a whole lot to watch and always something interesting to see

im glad i have the internet so i can skip the commercials

http://www.ovguide.com/
makes me wish i had a bigger moniter