Television

[little2add]

8 hours ago, bardegaulois said:

I don't know to whom this comment was addressed, but with newspapers and Internet and the general decline in quality of television news, what's the point any longer? I have thousands of news sources potentially at my fingertips and I'm able to fiddler out all the celebrity gossip and news of the weird and panic-mongering and the like. Indeed, I find myself spending at least a half an hour daily reading about national and international affairs, and can stay current on local matters by a brief reading of my local paper and the reports of my many contacts. Television scarcely even crosses my horizon as a source of news any longer.

funny, i would say the same for newspapers, as you say for TV   The newspaper business is and has been going down for a long time

Edited November 23, 2015 by little2add

[Gabriela]

10 hours ago, blazeingstar said:

Socially it's a back-breaker, tho.  My co workers watch SO MUCH television.  They talk about it all.the.time.  They seem to bond over it in a way which seems really weird.  Many of the jokes are ala Breaking Bad or Walking Dead or that twilight knockoff or even Downtown Abby and especially sports.  They are all non-traditional TV watchers (except sports), too, but they often are pretty fanatical about watching the newest episode. To them, my not having a TV means I basically don't exist.  Note, it's my existence that gets pushed off as not really living.  It's surreal.

I totally agree with this, and when my students won't shut up about some show, I'll watch it just so I can have something to relate with them through. I once watched the entire series Breaking Bad in one week. Talk about hating the world. I don't recommend that to my worst enemy.

10 hours ago, Credo in Deum said:

There is a part of me that is afraid to get rid of the t.v. because I'm lonley and then I will just have nothing else, but I've been praying to push past this fear since we are here for union with God and not union with t.v.

You should check out the book "Refrigerator Rights" which talks about how Americans now have closer relationships with television characters than with their neighbors and friends. It explains the reasons why this is. Great book (written by a prof in my department).

9 hours ago, bardegaulois said:

The only exception to this is that while I'm house-sitting or visiting I might watch a baseball game, merely because I have the opportunity and I enjoy baseball. This generally happens only once or twice a year except when my beloved Red Sox are in the playoffs, in which case I might visit a friend or make my way down to the tavern to watch it. Usually, though, I'll just listen to the game on the radio.

I do love to watch tv when I'm stuck in a hotel room somewhere.  I just wouldn't want to have one at home lest it smell of elderberries my whole life away.

9 hours ago, Not The Philosopher said:

I think that when you're trying to remove something from your routine, it's worth recognizing that you're creating a void, and if you don't fill that void with something it becomes easier to slide back into old habits. You should be concrete, not just about whatever rules you're creating, but also how you're going to fill the extra time you're creating for yourself. Confronting the roots of problems in your life and being more reflective is a good thing, but it's also kinda nebulous. Spend more time in prayer, but maybe also consider taking up a creative hobby that you can do indoors? Writing, drawing, knitting, etc.

I second this. I learned the same lesson when I started observing the Jewish Sabbath and cut out a ton of activities on Saturdays. I nearly went crazy. Then my "mentors" told me I can't take stuff out without putting stuff in to fill the void. Man, were they right. It was much better after that!

7 hours ago, Luigi said:

BTW, you'll never get completely away from television. It's in the bars, it's on in the Red Cross office when I donate blood or platelets, it's on at other people's houses when I go to visit. 

Great story! And I agree with the quoted portion wholeheartedly. My gym has something like 25 screens in it. It's ridiculous. Television news is the absolute worst and that's always on there. I sometimes deliberately avert my eyes from the screens because I find it all so inane.

 

Anyone interested in how television influences your view of the world should look up "mean world syndrome". It's a very established phenomenon.

[little2add]

1 hour ago, Gabriela said:

Anyone interested in how television influences your view of the world should look up "mean world syndrome". It's a very established phenomenon.

the world is mean

[Anomaly]

Mean World Syndrome is a large part of the general cynicism that permeates society.   MWS is the facilitator of terrorism's effectiveness.   Even ranting negativity towards tv watching feeds MWS.

TV is okay in moderation, like alcohol.   If you can't moderate, than abstain.  Same thing for negativity.  It's needed to change direction, but it can also cause you to flee blindly with little thought. 

I had an interesting conversation with a high school History and Government teacher yesterday.  He has observed that his students are increasingly polarized in opinions and perspectives.  One has to love or hate Fox News or CNN or Al Jazeera.  It's now almost impossible to discuss a different perspective without it being characterized as completely right or an evil lie. 

[Gabriela]

1 hour ago, Anomaly said:

Mean World Syndrome is a large part of the general cynicism that permeates society.   MWS is the facilitator of terrorism's effectiveness.   Even ranting negativity towards tv watching feeds MWS.

What are you talking about? I'm talking about the basic thesis in academic research that, the more hours one spends watching tv, the meaner one thinks the world is. This has been supported again and again by one study after another.

[Credo in Deum]

Thank you everyone for your helpful input and advice.  For me i do not see tv as being evil, but rather the attachment to tv as being evil. I dont deny that there is evil content but the tv itself is a tool which can be used to watch good an wholesome content. Yet for me the issue isnt about content but rather that I see where I've crossed from a healthy relationship with tv to an unhealthy one.  Where the tv itself has become a sort of counterfit counselor when things do not go according to plan, lol.

 @Not A Philosopher I completely agree with your advice on being concrete about my rules and what I am going to fill the void with.  Sure I can say God, but that is vague and gives no specific goal to work towards and the devil loves that because it gets us nowhere in our relationship with God.  Please pray for me to set a realistic goals.

@Luigi thank you for your advice. Ive felt that I need to ease into this process and that I cannot go from point A to point Z instantaneously.  I was thinking of making Wednesday and Friday no television days and also decreasing the amount i watch by one hour or two on the other days of the week.  I feel this will help me find things to fill my time with while being relaistic with myself.  

As for a hobby I was looking at learning the violin.  Ive always wanted to play and I think this would be a great way to spend my time and energy. Plus it would help me get out of the house to go to lessons.

[vee]

I second playing a musical instrument, or learning how to.  Anyone within earshot might hate you but oh well.

Another idea is to substitute secular programs for religions ones, for example anything on ewtn.

[KnightofChrist]

I don't really watch T.V. save for some Netflix and video games. But I was thinking the other day about T.V. and how much our culture gives so much worth to it. If linear time went in reverse archaeologists may well assume our age worshiped the idol of the chattering cyclops. After all it often has pride of place in our homes, often it's the center of and biggest piece in the living room. 

[He is Risen!]

Credo, I can totally relate to this struggle.  For me, if the TV is not there it is not an issue, but if it is, I can glaze over and waste a whole evening.  For the last few years I have been living on my own and can control that there is not a tv in the house, but the struggle has just moved over wasting time on the computer!  I've just traded one thing for another!  To help this, I made some rules for myself like 1. no laptop in the bedroom, 2. no computer after/ before a certain time, it can be tough to stick to, especially if you live alone and don't have anyone to help keep you in check, but I think that it takes only a week or two to develop good habits.  It also doesn't take long to fall back into bad habits but what helps me is to just take it one day at a time.  You will be amazed how many other things you can do in that time, projects, cleaning, crafty things, playing an instrument, reading, sleeping better, etc.  Good luck to you :)

[HisChildForever]

I follow select shows. Never been big into just sitting and watching whatever I find. This is likely because I never had a TV in the bedroom growing up. TV is more useful to my husband because of all the sport teams he follows. But the good thing is you can multitask when watching a game so it really doesn't take away from your chores.