I have utterly succumbed to reality television, and stupid radio.
I remember when I was in high school, surrounded by people with budding ideals.
“I don’t watch TV anymore,” declared the boy with a Super Nintendo and a pool table.
“I don’t eat things with faces, or starches, or…anything,” declared The Skinny Girl.
“Peace in the Middle East!” said everyone, wearing cheap peace symbols they bought at the mall. “No blood for oil!” they said, and tied yellow ribbons onto everything that was nailed down.
“Get out of the way!” I said to my little sister, who was standing in front of the television.
I was good to my brain for a while, like when I moved out of my parents’ house and didn’t have a television. I would only listen to scratchy records and German bands with names like *Die Toasterwuffen*. I was not politically active, or even active really, but at least I was using the library. I was keeping it real. My friends would come over and be impressed with my spartan lifestyle, which was identical to theirs since they were poor, too.
Now Mr. Husband and I have a solemn pact: six years ago we purchased a TV/VCR that is the size of your average computer monitor, and we refuse to hook up to cable. This makes TV more discouraging, especially with all of the mostly horrible sitcoms that showed throughout the 90s and the bunny ear-twiddling. Ah for the days of Married with Children. In those days the TV was just used for video rentals.
But now there is the sickening car wreck known as reality television. But I have an excuse (as always): I think that what I do in my spare time directly relates to what I do when I am busy. When I was in junior college, I used to paint and read Dickens when I wasn’t in school, because school wasn’t very taxing. Now that I am reading theory and plotting and planning and stretching my poor little wad of fluff all the time, I listen to the R&B station incessantly and watch Joe Millionaire.
It’s hard enough to take a stab at becoming an intellectual or scholar without the temptations of Nelly telling me to take off my clothes or watching twenty poorly-dressed, orangy women fighting over one dopey guy. What is a girl to do? How can one resist? I can’t think all the time, or even most of the time.
God Bless America. The land where fast food three meals a day is more affordable that buying good, organic food. The place where it is far, far easier to never think AT ALL than to crack a book or consider something. The place where, ironically, life is so convenient that information is every where but challenging yourself is an uphill battle.
I should go study now, but I will probably go blogrollin.
well, at least you are finding balance. after all that time in the library, there is pretty much no more effective way of turning off the brain then reality tv. other than say a hammer.
What an interesting coincindence that you should write about being hooked on reality TV. A couple of months ago, I checked out this video with highlights from Survivor’s first season and now it’s all I can think about. Actually, yesterday I decided that I have to hook up the cable so that I can watch the sixth season and record all of the episodes. I’d really like to see The Bachelorette, too.
I never thought it would come to this.
I watch the history/learning/discovery channels a lot…. so much knowledge I couldn’t do without.
Like junkyard wars… do I need to know how to turn a van into a boat?
Yes… yes I do.
Testify! I used to think I had taste. I used to think I was above the dregs of television offerings. Now I, too, am gleefully wallowing in the muck of “Joe Millionaire, and loving every minute of it. I should be so ashamed. But at least we still have more dignity than any of the contestants, right?
Oh yeah. Junkyard wars is the only thing worth watching. If i ever got off the computer I’d use a spot welder and a circular saw to rig the cable so that it would only play junkyard wars and the cartoon network twenty four/seven. And shoot golf balls. and slaughter cows.
I think that “reality” programming is the pinnacle of television. As far as I’m concerned, these shows are what tv has always been about, only before it was trying to pretend to be “educational”. They’ve finally given up with that bullshit, and I say “about fucking time!!!” I’ll take “Fear Factor” over “CSI” any day of the week!!
Or “Friends”. Or “ER”. Or any of the other stoopid shows!
Word! Fucking Friends.
That is exactly precisely, where TV is going Darth. See you there.
Hey I haven’t seen Joe millionaire and I just don’t get it! Everyone thinks it’s going to be some big deal.
But hey, she’s got an out. When it’s revealed to her that he’s just a janitor, she can dump him and just say, “I don’t care about the money, I’ve dated Janitors before! I just don’t want to marry someone who lied to me for entertainment.”
Y’know? Everybody’s slavering for that moment when they find out what shallow bitches those girls are for only caring about money, but they have an easy out. Who would wanna marry a confirmed liar!
Yeah, SJ I understand. Grad school got me reading every woman’s fashion magazine known to humankind…loving the mall, etc. They were magical places where my school obsessed reality could not intrude. When I lived in a house without a TV I would go to the laundrymat to get my fix. That’s how bad it was.
Now I have no TV but it does me no good at all. As long as there is a library I am a brainless lit junkie and use the web to be extra brainless…Edith Wharton is every bit as addictive and time wasting as reality TV…although I can’t handle reality TV–too much reality for me.
Mmmm….Ethan Fromme….drooling…