Outside of the [Idiot] Box

Right before we came to Micronesia, we moved all of our belongings from one storage location to another. It was all rather anticlimactic, and since there was only limited space in the moving truck, we had to prioritize. As a result, our TV was among the casualties, as we left it sitting next to a dumpster with a small sign indicating that it was free to anyone who wanted it. Maybe we'll buy a new television when we get back the U.S., or maybe we won't. At this point, I have to say, though, I don't really miss it.

Granted, we have a computer for watching the occasional movie or letting the kids watch Curious George or Bill Nye, the Science Guy, but for the most part, other than when I'm listening to or playing music, it tends to be relatively quiet around our house... considering, of course, that we have two young children. Conversely, when we lived in the U.S. (and Moldova, for that matter), even though we weren't exactly couch potatoes by any means, it had become all too easy to just turn on the TV whenever we weren't actively doing anything else and then leave it on for far longer than anyone originally intended.

My point here isn't to come across as some elitist television-hating snob, but I will say that in the absence of a TV, we do get an awful lot of reading done. In fact, it seems like we all have significantly more spare time to do all kinds of genuinely rewarding activities - like talking to one another, writing and making minor works of refrigerator art - as a direct result of not having a television in our house. It's almost as if there are more hours in a day without it.

Consider, too, that one way or another, many shows are also available online, so if we really want to see something, it's not like we're really missing out. If we want to watch The Daily Show or Community or whatever, we can do so on the computer. For the most part, though, it's pretty easy to forget about the inane distractions that could easily consume an idle weeknight. This may be obvious, but I tend to be of the opinion that the vast majority of television shows are absolute garbage.

Frankly, though, it wasn't even the shows that bothered me so much as the constant advertising. Of course, television is a medium that was built around commercials, with which it has maintained a symbiotic relationship ever since. Television, as a whole, exists for the express purpose of selling stuff. Any entertainment that may fill the space between advertisements is merely a byproduct of the original objective.

I know I'm not alone in the degree to which I loathe the audacity of commercials, the entire function of which is to try to trick people into buying more things that they don't really need. This is especially true now that we have two young children that we really don't want exposed to that kind of crap. Yes, call me irrational, but television commercials make me angry, as does any actual human being who blatantly lies to and/or manipulates the masses for his or her own monetary gain.

On a sidenote, though, I do miss our Wii, but then again, I'd probably rather not think about all of the wasted hours I've spent playing Excite Truck or You Don't Know Jack. However, if anything compels me to buy a television when we return to the U.S, this would probably be it. Who knows, though? I can't help but feel like our kids might be better off if they grew up not coveting the crap they see advertised on TV or subscribing to the images promoted by mainstream media. Maybe we all would.