I'm amazed at how many here watch television

[lovemydog]

I occasionally watch c-span and some sports, but rarely watch anything else.
Can't stand commercials and the 'sky is falling' hysteria of cable 'news'. That, to me, is designed to help sell the crap products that are advertised, lol.
I love netflix though, so I watch movies and tv series that way.

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. My local cable system took off c-span

no serious.

So I have a choice to PAY MORE or stream it if the need is really there.

[lovemydog]

2. that sucks

I love it.

[Recursion]

100. Huh? It's supposed to be run "as a service" by the nation's cable industry

Call Brian Lamb and tell him.

[nadinbrzezinski]

107. I've sent letters to congress and the span

Don't expect this to change.

He'll there are days I mull dropping it, that being the cause

[blondeatlast]

3. Thank you for sharing. nt

[Warpy]

4. Don't look at me. I keep it on for background noise

and listen to what's going on but I don't actually sit and watch much, at all. Most TV is deadly boring, even on cable, and I stick to old movies, history, science, and the occasional oddball show on the documentary channel, Ovation, LOGO, or what have you.

I stopped watching TV news 6 years ago, haven't had a reason to go back. Highlights are always on You Tube.

[chillspike]

50. Except for Maher, Stewart and Colbert

I try to watch mostly science and informative shows. But I have noticed a huge drop in them and their quality over the years. You know, with the dark ages upon us and all. :(

[Warpy]

106. I find myself turning to net radio a lot

because they're showing Nostradumbass and oafs chopping down trees and TCM has some witless POS from the 60s playing.

[FLyellowdog]

5. I was going to respond, but my shows are on. nt

[jpgray]

6. Well, I only read antediluvian stelae

[EFerrari]

7. I like reruns of "Roseanne".

:)

[JVS]

9. I only am interested in pre-literate narratives.

Writing is so contrived.

[pinboy3niner]

35. I only watch re-runs of Yogi Bear

Every time he says, "pic-a-nic basket," I take a drink. Works for me. :)

[PVnRT]

65. Pfft. Stelae? Fucking poser.

I only read neolithic cave drawings.

[DavidDvorkin]

84. Please. That should be

poseur.

[jancantor]

8. DVR is the cure for commercials.

An hour show can now be watched in 40-48 minutes... with no commercials.

I enjoy television... but not commercials.

[bluedigger]

10. So really, it's the medium of transmission you object to.

:shrug:

[lovemydog]

15. That, and the predictability of the content.

Also I love reading books.

[blondeatlast]

16. Bet you are a gas at parties, too.

Note that I didn't specify WHICH gas.

[lovemydog]

21. lol

I'm fun at parties. And am very up on pop culture.

[Kalyke]

105. Watch it, now.

I have a TV. I watch it. I watch Keith and Rachel. I watch the Discovery Channel, the SciFi (I refuse to spell it the new way) Channel, HGTV, Food Network.

I don't, however, know the first thing about American IDLE or Dancing with the Has-Beens or those awful shows that put people up like so much meat to let some allegedly "hot" woman or man "choose" to date them or whatever.

Seriously, when people at work start talking about this stuff. I just stand there. I don't know who any of the people are on any of these shows - but I'm STILL a funny person, overall.

One doesn't have to know who Donald Trump fired to have a sense of humor.

[Still Blue in PDX]

20. I don't devour books like I did pre-bifocals, dammit. nt

[madmax]

25. Oh boy, you and me both. I'm at the 'tween stage

It's fuzzy with or with the no line bifocals. Up until recently I could read without glasses. Now it's all fuzzy. And why are they making the words on labels so SMALL! ;)

[blondeatlast]

11. Damn, I missed 'Man vs, Food" last week because I was critiquing the mosaics

that remain at the Hagia Sofia.

[mindwalker_i]

12. I don't even have a TV,

although I have a TV card for one of the computers. I actually used it during the election but hadn't for about a year before that. All the shows I found at all interesting are gone.

But most importantly, I don't have that I.V. implanted into my brain any more. It makes a bigger difference than one would expect, actually, and I attribute that to the fact that TV makes money based on how much other companies will pay for advertising. There's a lot of psychology involved. Beyond just showing ads for stuff, a need has to be created in the mind of the consumer for the product. The programs themselves are designed to do that as well. Without that connection, my entire perception of what's important in life has changed.

[lovemydog]

17. I'm more calm watching less

If it's on a lot it makes me jittery.

[eyeofdelphi]

22. sorry for sounding ignorant

but what's a tv card? do you just buy it or do you have to pay a monthly fee? i don't have cable cuz i don't want to pay $80 a month just to watch 3 or 4 channels. i've been watching tv shows online, but some of the sites seem like they're bad for the computer as they have lots of pop ups. also i'm not really tech savvy, so you going to have to dumb down your description of this tv card thing. thanks in advance.
our problem with having cable was that we would just leave the tv on all the time, and end up watching stuff we didn't even want to, just because it was there. now there's more time to read, go places, talk, etc.

[mindwalker_i]

111. It's a card for a computer with a TV tuner

There are a bunch out there, and this one can receive digital signals. I run Linux, with MythTV to receive the signal and either watch right then or save (like a PVR but much better).

[eyeofdelphi]

119. interesting

and thanks. I'll have to look into that.

[TexasObserver]

13. I'm amazed at how many here don't watch television.

It is a smorgasbord of modern culture, allowing one to sample all manner of interests. The useful information alone makes it valuable. The implicit information in commercials is also useful. Commercials tell us a show's demographic, and which product lines and which advertising themes that demo buys.

In politics, there is a saying: "If it's not on TV, it didn't happen."

[blondeatlast]

14. Besides, the GEICO ads are just damn funny. nt

[bluedigger]

18. AMEX had a Conan O'Brien ad on MNF tonight that just killed! n/t

[EFerrari]

33. I liked the freecreditreport.com restaurant pirates.

They were so bad, they were great. I still know all the words, too.

LOL

[pinboy3niner]

36. I loved those ads!

They even kept the pirate hat, lol.

Great case study in how to turn a crappy come-on into a good TV ad.

[EFerrari]

37. If I was still producing comedy, I'd book 'em.

:rofl:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fsnz65vmmKo

[blondeatlast]

73. "so bad, they were good." Yup! nt

[cherokeeprogressive]

42. "I don't always drink beer... but when I do..."

The Most Interesting Man in the World has the best commercials EVER. His mom has a tatoo that says "Son". He's been the Guest of Honor at parties he didn't even attend. He wouldn't have a problem with his feminine side, IF he had one. At museums, he's allowed to touch the art.

[blondeatlast]

68. Nowadays, the ads are way better than the programs. I love those, and

Jack in the Box ones are great as well.

[melm00se]

51. gotta love R Lee Ermey n/t

[Raine]

43. Me too, that's exactly what I was going to post.

I love TV, I wouldn't be without it.

[TexasObserver]

88. Animal Planet, Discovery, History - all good channels.

They all some shows that are drivel, but they all have some very good programming, too.

[Still Blue in PDX]

19. I started watching TV after I gave up my fundamentalist Christianity.

I'm a little bit snobbish about what I watch, but not nearly as sanctimoniously obnoxious about it as I used to be.

:hide:

[Violet_Crumble]

23. Netflix is a crap commercial company...

I'll take my free to air telly anyday.

[Dreamer Tatum]

24. With an intellect as highly developed as yours, I would imagine that TV is quite boring.

I mean, for people like me, television is critical. We lack critical thinking skills and any semblance of culture, and the only thing that breaks up the shrill, shrieking nothingness of our lives is television. Sometimes as we're waiting for something good to come on, we muse about what life is like for people like you. But we lack the ability to express ourselves, so the conversation usually devolves to guttural moans, waving arms, farts, and flying objects. The only thing that prevents us from destroying each other is television. How blessed you are...every day must be a treasure of insight and exploration. Myself, well...sometimes I defecate in my trousers rather than miss CSI.

I need to run - something is coming on soon. I just wanted to reach out and consider the singular pleasure of touching the hem of your garment.

[Violet_Crumble]

26. LOL! I choked on my coffee when I read yr post...

You put so eloquently what I was considering saying!

[lovemydog]

27. lol

I didn't mean to sound snooty. Just stating my own preferences.

[WinkyDink]

56. "Amazed" wan't intended to "sound snooty"? GMAB.

[Codeine]

29. I'm in love with this post. nt

[fizzgig]

30. brilliant

:rofl:

[XOKCowboy]

48. Best Reply Ever!

That took some time and a lot of creative thought. It made this thread worthwhile! :rofl:

[Warren DeMontague]

49. *

:spray:

[Javaman]

57. Brilliant reply. I stand in awe. :)

cheers!

[SammyWinstonJack]

62. ...

:spray:

[racaulk]

63. !

:rofl:

[LibertyLover]

64. That was excellent

What Dreamer Tatum said! :toast:

[PVnRT]

66. You just won DU

[blondeatlast]

74. ...

:rofl: (tears)

[uncommon]

77. +1000000000000000000

[ceile]

79. LOL!

:spray:

[DavidDvorkin]

86. Your post is a thing of beauty.

[CBR]

89. +1000 nt

[JonLP24]

90. OMG

I actually agree

[prolesunited]

98. I want to save this and cut & paste for later

I hate the smugness of people who don't watch TV. If it doesn't appeal to you, fine, but it doesn't automatically make you a better person.

[myrna minx]

109. .

:spray:

[REP]

112. I am a Sensitive Artist

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-kHB2fWUS8&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[Codeine]

28. There is a shitload of quality entertainment on the box.

I distrust anyone in the industrialized world who never watches television. I watch tv and still find time for books, music, boardgames, and an exercise program. How else will I see Mythbusters?

[eridani]

32. True, but that's all the more reason not to bother with it in real time

Good series are pretty much guaranteed to come out on DVD eventually. For Rachel et all, there are podcasts and YouTube. In 1980, DH picked a used B&W TV off of a Boston sidewalk, which we used for occasional weather and disaster reports. Only TV we've ever owned. Got rid of it when we got computers capable of livestreaming.

So, as I say, I watch TV in spite of not having one--just not in real time.

[blondeatlast]

78. Worth it for Mythbusters alone. Glorification of science, the scientific method,

really cool hosts and personalities, and big, big KABOOMZ!

What on earth is not to adore?!

[mix]

31. I agree, I real turn off. nt

[EV_Ares]

34. TV is like anything else, moderation, nothing wrong with watching it, you

don't let it babysit your kids, you make sure their homework is done and allow them some free time with it. The same with adults, you don't let it consume you but you consume some enjoyment with it in your life. It amazes me how you have those who think it is cool to not watch it, those who completely immerse themselves in it with no conversations or interaction between the family.

Hey, moderation works in every aspect of our lives. There is good comedy on TV, the history channel is great, news is horrendous and you have National Geographic to watch if you desire and man the old movies, classics are great. Also, Netflix is great.

Just saying, seems like it is easy for some to go to the extreme on either side, you just use some judgment and common sense about things.

[Quantess]

38. When I saw the title, I instantly thought "but what about netflix?"

I was just about to suggest some non-tv options for you, but I see you already found one.

[Lex]

39. Reminds me of "Area Man Constantly Mentioning He Doesn't Own A Television"

Too funny! http://www.theonion.com/articles/area-man-constantly-mentioning-he-doesnt-own-a-tel,429/

[Trajan]

40. Kinda of a slap at good DUers ...

Maybe it's your ignorance of reality that is the problem ? .... Your false, preconceived notions about what certain groups of people do ?

I am not sure if your comments are in fact condescending ... They certainly have that flavor ....

Maybe you are to be castigated for wasting your time talking to such TV watching malcontents ....

PS: I was wondering whether you liked Netflix ..... Been on my mind for months ....

Oh ... wait ... who are you again ?

[Quantess]

41. Obviously a freeper, mocking us.

Next he's going to sneer at Walmart, Circuit City, Target, and the Olive Garden, just for street cred.

[Trajan]

45. Well ... I avoid Walmart, becaue I can ....

For obvious reasons .... Portland OR has ZERO Walmarts in city limits .... and few in the burbs around it ...

Circuit City is a ghost town .... bankrupted years ago ...

Olive Garden has tasty food, even if it isn't really Italian, or an actual olive garden ... ( I am really 1/4 Italian )

Target ? .... I still shop there .... yep ...

[Quantess]

47. I was just being facetious. But....

Hate to break the news, but there is a WalMart on SE 82nd & Powell, and another one on 82nd by Johnson Creek Blvd. You might call it the burbs, but they are in the city limits, unfortunately.

Circuit City, yeah, that's an old DU topic from 1997. The Olive Garden is an old flamewar topic at DU. I was just trying to make a lighthearted comment. :)

[Trajan]

117. I thought the one at Johnson Creek was actually Milwaukie ...

But it is in fact in Portland city proper ...

I knew nothing of the Powell store ..... I rarely venture past SE39th .... So my comments were based on my ignorance ...


Nevertheless ... Portland has stood up to the onslaught, so far ....

Even the Cornelius store was a battle .... and that's in Washington County; not exactly a bastion of Liberalism, like the People's Republic of Portland ...

The Anti Walmart sentiment is pretty strong here, and I appreciate that ....


It is duly recognized, however, that many people in other communities across the nation have no other choice when they shop ....

For them, it is WalMart or NoMart ....


For us ? .. It's BiMart, Winco, Trader Joe's, and Target .... Fred Meyers, Albertson's and Safeway, when necessary.


I appreciate the light heartedness, and I apologize for being un-lighthearted ....

[old mark]

44. Don't watch much "news", mainly the local channels for the weather and sports coverage.

BUT there are a lot of very good shows on TV now and we have a good selection of them recording so we can watch them when we want.

I get most news online now, most TV news is a joke at best.

mark

[ipaint]

46. I don't watch tv.

I find the endless advertising repulsive and the constant portrayal in advertising of a world of very well off, huge house owning, mega consumers pretty pathetic.

I especially like the quiet and I'm much more informed now that I get my information online.

I could care less what anyone else does.

[treestar]

52. Same here, I can't stand those talking heads.

[Scuba]

53. In my opinion, there's all kinds of good things on television....

....the news isn't one of them. If you get your news from TV, you're missing most of it.

A DRV (Tivo or similar) will solve the commercials problem, and allow you to get your TV fix in far less time than without. I'd give up color before my DRV.

[Violet_Crumble]

54. One of the characters on one of my fave soap operas, Neighbours, didn't watch tv either...

Alex Kinski didn't let his children, Rachel and Zeke watch tv. Instead they read books and were educated at home. When Alex died after bravely battling cancer, Rachel and Zeke were emotionally stunted from all the years of not watching tv, and it must have taken at least 20 episodes for them to develop the social skills needed to interact with other kids who did watch tv. Now many episodes down the line, both kids are doing well despite their traumatic upbringing, with Rachel over in London on a music scholarship with her boyfriend played by the guy who came second or third in Australian Idol a few years ago, and Zeke becoming cool as Lost Boy on PirateNet after managing to survive a dance party roof cave in as well as getting amnesia, getting lost, and given up on as dead on a school excursion canoing mishap and being taken in by a strange man who wanted to keep him forever.

http://neighbours.com.au/episodes.htm

Beware. That is the sort of thing that can happen to you if you continue to not watch tv! ;)

[WinkyDink]

55. La-di-da. Sometimes I eat fast-food, too. And shop in the Dollar Store.

[blondeatlast]

71. See you tomorrow at 6 for McRibs, then off to Dollar Tree( they just got their holiday stuff in!)

then, a BRAND NEW Psych! :bounce:

[WinkyDink]

95. Buying party and/or paper goods anywhere else is crazy! AND I print a lot of photos;

my Dollar Tree has GREAT deals in computer and photo-printer paper!

[AnArmyVeteran]

58. You have a good point. What kind of dog do you have? I have 5 pets.

[lovemydog]

96. Aussie shepherd - heeler mix

She was my best friend. She passed away shortly after I joined here. I'll get another dog early next year. What kind of dogs do you have?

[AnArmyVeteran]

108. I love dogs too, but ended up with five stray cats.

I'm sorry you lost such a great friend. A lot of people don't realize the emotional impact of losing a beloved pet. Animals are a joy to be around. Human beings could learn so much from them.

I was in a pet supply store over the weekend and almost ended taking one of the adoptable animals home. I was that close, but I already have a big furry family around me. I bet you're excited about getting a new friend soon!

[lovemydog]

110. thanks for the kind words

Yes, she was a sweetheart and dear friend. I'm enjoying the process of looking for another dog. Have an excellent day.

[JitterbugPerfume]

59. thank you so much

for judging me . I needed that

[LibertyLover]

60. OK, whatever

If I don't to watch NCIS, NCIS Los Angeles, Top Gear and Baltimore Ravens football games, not to mention the once in a while special on the latest find in archaeology from National Geographic or Discovery, I would be very unhappy. And when mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy. :evilgrin:

[Brickbat]

61. I'm the same way. I'm always taken aback at the amount of time so many people spend watching TV, or

the fact that they "just have it on" when they're at home. I have my sports teams that I watch, but otherwise I watch very little, and when I do, it's usually online. If we could get the games we want online, we'd get rid of our TV and dish.

[MilesColtrane]

67. I'll occasionally listen to an episode of The Tom Mix Ralston Straight Shooters on my...

wireless set before bounding off to work in my autogyro.

[AngryAmish]

69. I won't waste my time watching television

I just spend most days and nights drunk.

[lovemydog]

97. lol!

[MadBadger]

70. I'm never amazed at the amount of holier than thou television haters on DU

[kentauros]

101. Notice, too, that the television set still exists there.

It's not that television isn't watched at all, it's that live/broadcast television isn't watched. Yet, it's stated as if no television is watched and is incredulous that anyone anywhere would watch any television!!!11!!

At least until it's amended to mention the use of YouTube, Netflix and other formerly-aired television shows prerecorded onto DVD ;)

[Hell Hath No Fury]

72. TV is only as good as your viewing choices.

I watch an enormous amount of TV, I just make sure I am watchig the good stuff. And there is plenty of it out there -- Keith, Rachel, FST, Democracy Now!, Al Jareeza America, BBC World News, Current, Jon, Stephen, Link -- all fantastic, enlightening programming.

[uncommon]

75. I think people who pat themselves on the back for eschewing tv are poseur douchebags.

Just sayin'.

My life is very stressful, and watching tv at night is an escape and it's relaxing and I love it. I mute the tv on commercials.

[Octafish]

76. CatWoman especially.

Who knows what else she means by "Jon" and "Keith" and "LOD" and "Rachel"? The thing is, she just LOVES "Keeping up with the Kardashians."

As for the rest of DU, oh hell yes. What's worse is how much the rest of the nation and planet watch the tee vee.. That's a real disaster for Democracy.

;) Really do love you, CatWoman!

You, too, lovemydog! A hearty welcome to DU!

[lovemydog]

99. Thanks

It's fun here. Speaking purely from an isolated douche baggy ivory tower of judgmental condescension (j/k).

[proud2BlibKansan]

80. And I'm amazed by how many who don't watch

To each his own I suppose. :shrug:

[La Lioness Priyanka]

81. the horrors never cease. nt

[era veteran]

82. Where else would you meet Keith Stone

and his 3 foot Slim Jim. 'I like to watch.' .. Chance the Gardener: As long as the roots are not severed, all is well. And all will be well in the garden.

[MadBadger]

83. Rock of Ages

[piratefish08]

85. we mere mortals stand in awe.....

[Ron Green]

87. Newton Minow was right...

and the problem is that the broadcast spectrum was given over to the Free Market, rather than a socialist-type system such as in Britain.

Television could have been so much more.

[brooklynite]

91. So, don't watch cable news and fast-forward through the comemrcials...

Shows that I enjoy, I don't want to wait 6-9 months for a DVD collection to come out.

[Mimosa]

92. TCM (Turner Classic Movies) is my TV drug of choice.

Movies!

[kentauros]

102. Not just "Movies!" :)

but presented in the proper screen ratios! No crop and stretch to fill the screen, dammit!!! as you see on all the rest of the HD channels out there.

And who else is going to air silent films? ;)

[Mimosa]

103. That one, 'The Blot' this am was remarkably good.

I was surprised.

The Moguls and Movie stars series is better than I expected.

[kentauros]

104. I didn't catch the "Moguls and Movie stars" series from the beginning

so I haven't watched. I'm kind of anal about viewing a series from the beginning ;) Maybe they'll repeat it...

One thing I learned from TCM about James Cagney that I didn't know was how good of a dancer he was (and I'm not a big fan of dance-number movies.) I've never watched "Yankee Doodle Dandy" but I think I will now, just to see him dance. What a contrast to his tough-guy roles :D

[Bluenorthwest]

93. I am amazed that people watch sports at all.

Also, my cable service provides much more than 'news' channels, they could vanish and I'd not really care. Additionally, you do in fact watch TV, you just pay Netflix for it instead of another provider, you still watch the content, on a screen at home. That is TV watching.
What you take issue with is not TV, it is programming, which you now do for youself, which is fantastic. Modern cable and sat offer the same sort of options. I personally use it all, Netflix is great stuff. The only time I'd see a commercial is if I was intentionally watching a real time broadcast, which I often wish to do. Most of the time, I watch the shows on dvr, and forward through the crapola.
In terms of buying advertized product, Netflix is just that, a product you bought. Which then vends to you other products you are seeking, which you found out about somehow.
The bottom line is that Netflix does not make anything. They are UPS, not producers. They replace your physical cable, the wire into the house, they do not replace the content you pay for. They are not the TV, they are the antenna, as it were.

[EFerrari]

113. Baseball kept me almost sane this year

through unemployment and fighting off foreclosure. If I could watch the whole season again in order until the sun comes back, I would in a heartbeat.

[AndrewP]

94. There actually is a lot of good TV out there

Nothing wrong with relaxing and watching a movie sometimes.

[Skittles]

114. I agree

especially mystifying are the people who "can't wait" for a next installment - WTF, it's a TV show

[HuckleB]

115. Television is love. Love is television.

Don't be a hater.

[devilgrrl]

116. I've more or less turned the teevee off.

Turner Classic Movies and hockey.

Click.

[LawnLover]

118. Try TIVO

It will change your life.