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consumerism
June 2009 
"KILL YOUR TELEVISION!"
Posted on Jan 3rd, 2009
by 
WonderlandAlli
WonderlandAlli
So a bumper sticker yells at me as I sit behind the other vehicle at a stoplight. Kill your television.
What does that mean?
Is it just the removal of the television's influence from your life? Taking up activism to improve the quality of the programming offered? (Which will only really be done by everyone not tuning into the dribble...) Literally taking hammer and gleefully smashing your T.V. to smithereens in the name of anti-consumerism?
It occurred to me that I don't watch much on cable. The news on occassion, and documentaries about obesity and binge eating on TLC. What Not To Wear on the same channel (not really a healthy show to watch when I think of it, considering they are encouraging a form of consumerism and supposed good taste making me wonder if my own wardrobe is up to par and creating a need in their viewers to go spend money on more clothes.). Random tv shows on the cartoon channel at night like Robot Chicken or Morel Orel. (Do I really need to watch these? Doesn't this come from me zombieing out in front of the television at night? They make me laugh but at best they are a cynical or violent humor.)
The TV itself gets most of its use when the Wii is turned on, or an excercise DVD is playing. I tend to play nonviolent games so I don't think gaming (in moderation) is a bad thing, and the excercise DVDs are a good thing for me (You can't go outside to excercise in winter here, its -27*C!!)(-17*F) So you're not going to see me pushing the tele over the balcony and wishing it bon voyage. Besides, that might squish the terrier on the first floor.
If I cancelled my cable that would knock $55.95 off my monthly Shaw bill (I bundled my phone, cable, and internet together but am not on a contract, so really I could cancel the cable part...) Considering we don't make much money in this home that may be a good idea. That money could go toward groceries, rent, or just going out with people for coffee once in a while.
Perhaps removing cable television from my life would cut down on overall spending, with the advertisements for fast food, gadgets, and other unneccesities out of my sight. (Don't you hate when the tv puts up a pizza ad, and suddenly you are craving pizza really bad even though you know you don't need and don't have spare cash for pizza at the moment, because the ad does its job THAT well of making sure you WANT to order in tonight?)
I have a question for you, Gaia: Do you live without viewing TV, perhaps even not owning a TV at all? How does this affect your life? How does this compare to the lives of those around you who do watch television often?
I talked to my husband and we have decided to go ahead and cancel our cable service, I wonder how this will affect me in the end. There was no argument to save the cable that couldn't be answered with "But I use the internet for that anyway," or "But I would prefer to read the graphic novel for that show."
What does that mean?
Is it just the removal of the television's influence from your life? Taking up activism to improve the quality of the programming offered? (Which will only really be done by everyone not tuning into the dribble...) Literally taking hammer and gleefully smashing your T.V. to smithereens in the name of anti-consumerism?
It occurred to me that I don't watch much on cable. The news on occassion, and documentaries about obesity and binge eating on TLC. What Not To Wear on the same channel (not really a healthy show to watch when I think of it, considering they are encouraging a form of consumerism and supposed good taste making me wonder if my own wardrobe is up to par and creating a need in their viewers to go spend money on more clothes.). Random tv shows on the cartoon channel at night like Robot Chicken or Morel Orel. (Do I really need to watch these? Doesn't this come from me zombieing out in front of the television at night? They make me laugh but at best they are a cynical or violent humor.)
The TV itself gets most of its use when the Wii is turned on, or an excercise DVD is playing. I tend to play nonviolent games so I don't think gaming (in moderation) is a bad thing, and the excercise DVDs are a good thing for me (You can't go outside to excercise in winter here, its -27*C!!)(-17*F) So you're not going to see me pushing the tele over the balcony and wishing it bon voyage. Besides, that might squish the terrier on the first floor.
If I cancelled my cable that would knock $55.95 off my monthly Shaw bill (I bundled my phone, cable, and internet together but am not on a contract, so really I could cancel the cable part...) Considering we don't make much money in this home that may be a good idea. That money could go toward groceries, rent, or just going out with people for coffee once in a while.
Perhaps removing cable television from my life would cut down on overall spending, with the advertisements for fast food, gadgets, and other unneccesities out of my sight. (Don't you hate when the tv puts up a pizza ad, and suddenly you are craving pizza really bad even though you know you don't need and don't have spare cash for pizza at the moment, because the ad does its job THAT well of making sure you WANT to order in tonight?)
I have a question for you, Gaia: Do you live without viewing TV, perhaps even not owning a TV at all? How does this affect your life? How does this compare to the lives of those around you who do watch television often?
I talked to my husband and we have decided to go ahead and cancel our cable service, I wonder how this will affect me in the end. There was no argument to save the cable that couldn't be answered with "But I use the internet for that anyway," or "But I would prefer to read the graphic novel for that show."
Access: Public
Hi Alli:
I managed without TV for nearly 8 years back in the 1980’s, except for a brief period when a friend moved in temporarily (2 months) - he couldn’t live without it! I got quite a bit done, read a lot, wrote a lot, meditated a lot.
Presently I “live” watch the News and occasionally my one “soap” (B&B) and Desperate Housewives- most other shows are taped, to watch when I have time. Oh, and Ice Skating, although I tend to tape some of that, too.
TV by “air” is gradually being phased out, so in the not-too-distant future, if you want to watch TV, you’ll have to subscribe to cable. The main reason is supposedly to accomodate High Definition signals, however I think there also may be something of how advertising is sold - it is almost impossible to track “views” with “air” viewing.
You might want to read the fine print in your cable contract, though, as if you turn around and decide to re-connect in a couple of months, you may not have saved anything if there is a “connection fee”.
Cheers and Happy New Year! ~~^v^~~
The company I went with has no contracts, I’m free to leave without penalties at any time. :) I was careful about that when I was originally shopping around for service.
You gotta love the What Not to Wear marathons! hahaha so true about the Pizza. I think that was a good decision on cutting the cable it will be like finding money. Nice job on the blog :)