I'm pretty much with you on the TV thing. I don't like it, especially when it comes to the current service offerings. I enjoy watching movies and some shows, but I'm not thrilled at all about the current crop of service providers offering up nothing of real value. The channels of value that they offer are only included in the larger packages, requiring more of our money.
I think it's wrong for the government to dictate how people watch their TV. I don't mean to get political here, but if people want digital, they'll switch. If the market can bear the loss of analog customers and feels there's a benefit to do so, it'll switch on its own. It seems to me it's nothing more than another regulation motivated by profits... I'm not against profits by any means. I'm just not a fan of government mandated spending.
Mrs. Dorky Musician and I were without TV service for over a year. I didn't miss it for a minute. I was happy watching our TV shows on DVD, at our leisure without commercial interruptions. I didn't miss having to skip over the channels I would never watch, but somehow ended up paying for anyways. It was nice. It was quiet. I actually read several books, I play my guitar and keyboard better, I got outside to play more. The only reason we turned our TV back on was for Mrs. Dorky Musician. She likes HGTV and watches it to help keep her sanity as she's taking care of our two girls.
I monitor my girls TV viewing like a hawk. Mrs. Dorky Musician can testify to that as she gets annoyed with me asking, "how long has she been watching TV for?" Even though the show is educational, teaching her things, she's not spending time being creative, using her imagination. She's not really having fun, just passing time away. She can count and knows her ABCs, but because we don't let her watch too much TV, she knows how to turn a box into a car or a boat, or make a livingroom out of a dozen Lego bricks, or turn her baby sister into a horse! If you ask nicely, maybe Mrs. Dorky Musician will blog about that.
When the girls are in school, we will likely turn off the TV again. It will have fulfilled it's purpose. The only way we will ever turn it on again is if we are offered real choice in what we subscribe to. I have no desire to watch the garbage on MTV, VH1, Comedy Central, FX, nor do I care to have several channels of ESPN as I don't watch sports. I like the educational channels, cartoons and old stuff.... Well, mostly old cartoons.
Here's where you lost me, JL...
By the way, when I was a kid…televisions had round screens. What happen there?
I'm glad they're gone! You ever watch a movie in wide screen format in your living room? I won't go back! Thankfully we bought most of our DVDs in wide screen format long before we had a wide screen TV. If you don't care about it, it certainly is a waste of money to have that kind of TV. I love watching movies. The last date Mrs. Dorky Musician and I went on was to our living room after dropping the girls off at their grandparents house. We watched Jurassic Park and had Chinese takeout for lunch. That was a nice, quiet, relaxing date.
5 comments:
Great post and I'm glad I was able to prompt a blog idea. As far as the round screen is concerned, that comment was just for fun.
I remember all too well what the round screens were like. But, back then, we didn't know things would change shape someday.
Yes. Unfortunately over time, lots of shapes change. :p
Yeah. I was havin' fun too. What good's a blog if it isn't fun? :)
I like technology. It equates to toys for me usually, so a lot of the things I've seen change seem for the better. But, I've seen people change too and it seems to be for the worse. Sadly.
Annie... I'm not touching your comment with a 10 foot pole! A guy can get into a lot of trouble like that. Scarey.
I think that tv can be a great thing! but you do have to monitor it. My son watches tv and movies all the time but it has not stunted his flare for imagination! He does know all the words to the disney movie cars and most of the words to Charlotte's web. But he also has learned to speak some spanish from watching Dora the explorer. I think that movies can be just as bad as tv, you just have to know when to turn it off! which my son does on his own alot of the times and he knows which show are "yucky" and he is not allowed to watch them. It would be great if we could pay for the channels that we wanted instead of ones we never watch. Hey dorky why don't you invent something like that and become rich and send a little moola my way!!!:)
Annie: Yes. Unfortunately over time, lots of shapes change. :p
Dorky Musician, I think she meant you boys! ;) Hee hee...just kidding. Unfortunately, I think she meant us girls. :|
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