A couple of times a week, someone will say to me something like, “Oh my God, have you seen that commercial with that guy…?” or, “I’m so excited about the season premier of … aren’t you?” To which I have to reply that I don’t watch television and I have no idea what they’re talking about. In fact, with the exception of a couple of shows that we happen to catch at friends’ houses every once in a while, we never watch programmed television. We do own a couple of box set DVD series like Alias, Monty Python, and Family Guy, but we only sit down in front of the “tube” to watch these shows or movies a couple of hours a week — 6 hours a week at MOST.
When I mention that I don’t watch TV, it inspires awe-stricken looks or comments to the effect of, “how do you do it?” Actually, it’s easy. I find other things to occupy my time, and I’m better for it. I remember a time when I would come home from school, hastily rush through my homework, and hit the TV straight on thru till bedtime and sometimes beyond. Somehow, I still managed to get A’s. However, it’s no wonder I gained weight. Total couch-potato.
Statistics show that only 2 households in 100 are non-watchers. Which truly amazes me since cable is such a freakin rip-off these days. For the handful of shows I’d actually watch, the cost far outweighs the value of those shows. If I watched an hour of TV a day, and the cable bill was 50 dollars a month. I’d spend about $1.70 for an hour of TV with one third of that time being stupid commercials that incense the hell out of me. Where’s the point in that? I could just watch one of the many DVDs we own.
A few years back, Mike and I were living in the tiniest little shit-hole apartment. It was a garden-style (just a euphemism for basement), one-bedroom apartment with barely enough room for my bed. I couldn’t afford to get cable, but the cable guy didn’t seem to get the point. He just kept coming to my door once a month, seducing me with discount offers. Apparently, it had been 8 years since someone in that apartment had cable, but I wasn’t about to be the next sucker. I courteously entertained the idea and listened to his spiel, but in the end, the answer was still the same.
“I’m sorry, I just don’t watch TV. Thanks anyway.”
