Happy TV Turnoff Week! This week, Adbusters challenges you to go without the idiot box for a spell: "Don’t think you’re addicted to TV? Then why not prove it by going cold turkey for a week? You’d be surprised how difficult it can be to disconnect – and what a profound week of self discovery it can be."
I tried it. A week led to two, led to a month, led to a year, led to two years. I've watched a total of three hours of television in the past two years. The last presidential election, and the second half of the Seahawks in the Super Bowl. At one time I couldn't imagine going without my evening dose, or my regular WB injection. But it's amazing what happens when you stop watching television. The shows are only half the problem -- the other half is the advertising. We don't realize how much a part of our schema is shaped by advertising.
My former manager looked at me like I was certifiably insane when I told her we don't have a television. "But what do you DO?" she asked me in horror. "We talk to each other."
I read a lot more. A lot more. I also listen to public radio more often. One of my favorite ways to spend a Sunday is listening to This American Life on the radio and making soup.
But I think the biggest impact on me was freedom from the opinions of mainstream Americans. I remember one day feeling like total shit about myself after watching Friends (I so don't look like Jennifer Aniston), followed by Queer Eye (my Somerville apartment is so not a hip NYC loft), and Law and Order (my job is meaningless and my life is pointless). After two hours of innocent programming, I was ready to slit my throat. I was sincerely convinced that my life was supposed to be at least a little bit like those shows.
You know what got me off of Friends? I used to watch it several times a day, if possible. It was a guilty pleasure, and for the most part the show irritated me. But the irritation was so comforting. It was the episode guest starring Reese Witherspoon as one of Phoebe's friends. Reese's character used to have a shaved head, which branded her as an ugly weirdo. When her hair grows back, she becomes this gorgeous creature Ross is totally falling in love with, and out of jealousy Rachel convinces her to shave her head again. Instantly, she's physically revolting and quite insane in the eyes of the cast, and presumably the audience.
I never felt a particular kinship with the characters on the show, but after that episode I felt betrayed. So I took my shaved-head self to the library and got some books. I haven't watched Friends since. I hold a good grudge.
Anyway, my point is, you might be surprised how much free time you have to learn new things and interact with interesting people if you step away from the television for a week. Give it a shot. Just for shits and giggles. What's the worst that could happen?
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You know what always drove me crazy about Friends? How mean they are to each other. Anyone calling oneself a "friend" would never talk to me that way! And even though it's just a show, I would hear people talking to each other that way in the supermarket and stuff. Of course this IS Boston, and the more I travel the more I realize how little I like the baseline mean energy here.