Thursday, May 8, 2008

Disenchanted...


Disillusionment is a rare thing…a thing I felt I've achieved (yes, achieved) over the past few months. I'm saying thank you to the writer's strike-- you helped me quit prime time. I dropped Cable like a bad habit, because it was one.

Ratings are down enormously for TV and everyone is surprised. How can they be? I tell you how; we all went out and got lives. Forced to come up with other projects while our favorite shows took a hiatus, we temporarily forgot who was sleeping with whom. We lost interest in our favorite stories and characters the way children loose interest in fairy tales when they grow up. I think people are discovering life outside of network TV. Don't people want to know the happenings on Wisteria Lane or Seattle Grace Hospital? Not anymore. People found hobbies- in case you haven't heard reading is back in fashion.

With a major source for entertainment tapped, creativity resurfaced. It's odd to think that it left; that a group of fictional people could replace the spontaneity and individuality of a majority of the human race. The only thing to watch was the news. With all the horrible things going on in the world, and after all the Prozac being handed out people got smart. They got out. Deciding not to waste life, we switched the television off.

Now that my television viewing is at a minimum I have to wonder why we ever watched at all. The comfort of having more screwed up people than ourselves? Was it mindless escape from our topsy-turvy lives? Now it all seems to decadent to sit around and wonder what is going to happen next in the 45 minute segment (I won’t even start on the 15 minutes of mind-numbing commercials).

Am I occasionally interested? Sure, but it’s minimal. Grey’s Anatomy died on the table and the office is only 20 minutes to give up. American Idol is just a show I wish weren’t on the human race’s record, it’s embarrassing (I think I’ll include all reality television in the embarrassment genre). It’s like giving up smoking, only when you’ve quit do you realize how bad it smelled.

7 comments:

Jen said...
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Jen said...

Dude, I was totally feeling the same way. All my shows were back...but I wasn't watching! And then I went on vacation. And downloaded all of the episodes of my "favorite" shows.

And remembered why they are my favorite.

Watch Grey's.

Mark Sloane will make you remember why you watched.

hi pretty.

Lacey said...

Hey Whitney! It's Lacey- Kimberly's old roommate. Hope you don't mind me stalking your blog. I found the link to it off of facebook.

I totally agree with this post on TV. I used to be the biggest TV addict. But now I haven't lived in a house with cable (or any other channels) for over a year. And you know what? I don't even miss it.

lyn. said...

Very much enjoyed reading this! You are so right on...

There is a picture book called "The Wretched Stone". If you haven't ever read it, you should! I think you would totally get it...

Unknown said...

It is true. I put my Gilmore girls to rest and realized how much social time I really was missing out on. There are so many better things to be doing! Here here!

brittany said...

love this post whit!

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