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© Copyright 2000, Jim Loy
I don't watch TV. I sometimes rent videos, and I've got a lot of videos of my own. I watch one or two videos a week. Sometimes I will binge on a dozen or so videos in a week. Well, why don't I watch TV? Is TV some sort of evil that I have cast off, as a person might cast off drink or gambling? No, far from it, in my opinion.
I used to watch TV a lot. I was watching Court TV (and PBS) for hours every day. That was in the days of Rodney King and Betty Brodrick. I watched every moment of some of these trials. I painted a lot of pictures, as I watched TV. But, I didn't have the time to do other things. I was getting cable as part of a deal the apartment complex had made with the cable company. I paid for it as part of my utility fee. Then the price of this group rate went up dramatically, and the apartment complex dumped cable. So did I. I would have to pay much much more than I had been, and it was not worth the expense, in my opinion.
So, no cable. I still got a poor quality picture of PBS (and a couple other channels that I never watched) with my rabbit ears in my basement apartment. So I spent very little time watching TV. I got more work (and other things) done. But I watched TV so seldom that I lost touch of what programs were when. And so, I am sure I missed a lot of good programs. Eventually, the picture on my TV got worse, and I didn't have a clue when something good was on. So I quit watching TV. They never showed Dr. Who anymore, anyway. I have probably watched a little more than a dozen programs in the last year, most during my pool league.
Is TV bad? Is TV good? I think TV is neutral (like almost any technology). It gives you a choice; it is your choice whether it is bad or good. I don't particularly like mindless entertainment that you can sit and watch for hours and hours and hours, and then complain that there's nothing good on. I choose not to watch TV. I miss a lot (there is good TV), but I get much more done. And I can even feel superior to people who watch TV, when I need a little ego boost.
But now I don't paint any pictures.