October 03, 2003

Opiate of the Masses

Television. It sucks your will to live. It eats your time while you sit passively, brain in neutral, mouth slack and just experience someone elses idea of what you like.

I really liked TV One's ad campaign a while back that said "your brain is the most important instrument you own, be careful what you put in it." (Or something like that, I don't remember the exact wording.) I dislike TV on principal but I can sit and drool with the best of them.

For the main part I don't watch TV. I don't like the things that are on. (Fear Factor? Special Victims Unit? Crocodile HUnter? Ewwwww!) I feel morally superior for not watching TV. Even though this means there are conversations I can't join in on, like 'Have you seen that new add..." and "Did you catch CSI last night?" I don't feel like I'm missing out. On the contrary I am above such things.

Of course, there are TV programmes I am quite passionate about. Buffy is my religion practically. I like Father Ted, Scrubs, Simpsons, Cowboy Bebop.
So it's all paradoxical.

I wonder what would happen after tea if no-one could turn on the TV. Would everyone be writing music, poetry, novels? Creating works of art?
I guess everyone who could would hop onto the internet. Then there's reading, attending movies...

There's heaps of other things people *could* be doing, but everyone just sits down and switches off for a few hours then goes to bed. Turn on, Tune out.

TV is oogie.

The End.

Posted by jenni at October 3, 2003 10:36 AM
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