While we were away enjoying the hurricane weather in Vermont, we got to do something we can’t do at home. Watch TV.
Yes, we have a TV at home. And a VCR/DVD player, so we watch movies. What I mean is that we do not get television programming. I can’t get cable where I live and paying for a couple hundred useless channels on dish really strikes me as not worth the money. So my family has lived–heck, we’ve thrived–without TV for seven years, totally clueless about the shows everyone talks about and never knowing what’s playing in movie theaters. Also? We live blessedly commercial free. I can’t tell you how wonderful that is, especially with a house full of children.
So we watched a little bit of TV while visiting our families, and I came away happier than ever that we don’t have it at home. You know what bugged me most about it? (Other than continual commercial interruptions–oy, that’s annoying.) The over-dramatization of EVERYTHING.
Seriously. During the hurricane coverage, there were reporters getting blown around beaches. (I’m sure that’s not news to you.) Which I just don’t get. Especially in places that have been evacuated. Okay, I get that they’re out there to show us how strong the wind is. Sure. But, really? They’re putting themselves in danger for TV ratings. It’s not brave. It’s not newsworthy. It’s just incredibly stupid and irresponsible. Weather people, stay inside. Show us video of trees bending or waves crashing in an angry sea, but keep yourselves safe. We can understand that the hurricane is dangerous if you just tell us about it. You’re not really helping by standing outside in the middle of it. You just look like an idiot who doesn’t understand the danger.
Plus, weather people, you only inspire other idiots to be out in it as well.
What were those people doing out there??? Had they somehow missed all the over-hyped coverage of the hurricane or somehow thought it was less dangerous than it was just because the media was over-dramatizing it? The person filming it, also outside when they shouldn’t have been, says “A couple of them are really hurt over there,” like she’s surprised by that fact. People, it’s a hurricane!
I also watched part of an episode of River Monsters on Animal Planet. And while it was an interesting story about searching for a huge catfish (over 7 ft long and 160 pounds) that was eating people (!), the drama was so manufactured that it totally turned me off and I decided to go read instead. Not the reaction, I’m sure, the writers/editors of the show were hoping for when they put the show together.
Do you think this is a by-product of reality TV shows? I wouldn’t know. I haven’t watched any because I don’t like how they usually bring out the worst in people and call that entertainment. (Plus, like I mentioned, we don’t have TV. So watching them isn’t really possible. But even before we were TV-free, I was never a fan of reality shows. I just don’t like watching people being mean to each other. It’s not fun or entertaining to me.) But even old reality shows didn’t used to be like this. I’m talking really old. Like Wild Kingdom which was a nature show on TV when I was a kid. I don’t recall the hosts hyping everything. They just presented it like it was, and the drama that happened was natural, appropriate, believable, and interesting. Check this out.
Okay, so I totally giggle at how wooden Marlin Perkins is. Don’t you love how they talk about the danger they were in with smiles on their faces? Without hyping it or making it dramatic? (Seriously, this show gives me such warm fuzzies. My whole family used to curl up on the pull-out couch every week to watch it together. Sigh. Those were the days.) I’m just saying that River Monsters would be a much better show without all the hype and drama.
Honestly, all of this just makes me think thank goodness for books.*o/* <–cheerleader for books :-)
I FEEL THE SAME WAY. I *can't stand* television in general. My in-laws bought us a satellite subscription so my kids could watch The History Channel and National Geographic, but -aside from a few special documentaries – most of the programming is exactly as you described: overly dramatized, sensationalist, or just plain ridiculous.We will let the subscription lapse – instead we're reading National Geographic magazines (which we all love) and spending the rest of our time reading books. :)
I used to watch Wild Kingdom all the time with you when we were kids (in front of the roaring fire in the winter, remember?)-I always loved that series, even though it took me until adulthood to realize the irony of a "dangerous" show that was sponsored (and pitched quite handily by Marlin Perkins himself) by the Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company. Probably the hardest part of being a child was waiting for that damned 60 Minutes stopwatch to finish ticking off its 60 minutes (Dad INSISTED on watching the news and we could not change the channel, even though Dad fell asleep about half the time). But THEN the magic began! :)John
I'm so with you, Jen. We keep eyeing National Geographic every time we get an offer to subscribe. But we already have a subscription to Smithsonian which I *love* so much, and am stockpiling for future reading material for the kids. I'm glad we can get good programs on DVD, either buying them (like Planet Earth–*love*) or borrowing them through our library (I'm chock full of library-love). So we can still see good documentaries without having to suffer through the rest of television programming. And of course, we lose ourselves in great books every day. I can't say enough good things about my kids not being exposed to commercials, too. They're not being brainwashed to *need* this toy or that cereal or those shoes. Nor exposed to the undesirable behavior showcased in so many commercials that people pass off as "normal" kid behavior. It's learned bad behavior. Plain and simple. I'd rather my kids not learn it or be encouraged to do it.
John–I had totally forgotten that Wild Kingdom followed Sixty Minutes. That show, and watching it all together every week, was a magical experience. The highlight of our week as kids. :-)