Every Thursday, two of our contributors are asked to take opposing stances on an issue and present a case for their viewpoint. Comment and tell us who you agree with or what you believe or think! The topics are suppose to illicit a response and start a conversation in comments. Enjoy!TODAY'S TOPIC: Satellite/Cable TV. Is it necessary?
SHE said:
In general, I could live without TV. That doesn't mean I don't enjoy it, but I could live without it. Internet is another story for another day. That being said, I think cable is not only acceptable, but beneficial. The key is balance and guidelines.
For the kids, TV, and all the cable programming that comes with it, is a privilege, not a right. On a good day they each get to choose one, 30 minute, show. That means no more than 1.5 hours of TV, per day. It does not mean a free for all, to choose anything they want. I am very strict about what gets watched. For example, no Sponge Bob. The girls know what they are, and are not, allowed to watch. For as many bad programs that are offered by cable, there are just as many good ones. We opted for the Discovery tier, which opens up a whole world of educational TV for the kids.
Any of the girls can lose the privilege of watching TV for misbehaving. I find that it is a good currency.
Another important aspect is balancing TV with other childhood activities. Creative activities and outside play for example. On a typical day, when they get home from school, they eat snack and go out to play for an hour. When they come in, they do homework. Once everyone is done with homework, if there is time before dinner, they can watch TV.
For my husband and I, cable means DVR. DVR means we can watch "our" TV when it is convenient for us. I generally watch TV during the day, when no one else is home, while I fold laundry. My husband will watch a program when he gets home from work to unwind. Then there is the one and only show we watch together. Thanks to the DVR, we can watch that after the kids go to bed.
For us, cable has not meant more time planted in front of the TV. It has offered better choices in what to watch. For the kids, it's more educational. For my husband, it's Food Network. For me, it's all the wonderful food my husband is inspired to make... I mean news whenever I have a free moment. Without it, I would be limited to stupid reality shows, and soap operas.
Just like any time-consuming extra curricular activity, you have to make good choices. You can't ignore the real people in your life for the TV. Just because you have access to more programming, doesn't mean you need to watch it all.
Missy
HE said:
What she said.
No, really. I'm not stupid!
I was going to go on and on about how having access to literally thousands of choices makes for a remote-controlled lifestyle where one subsists on show after banal show. Where one sits down and just starts flipping through the channels and stops to watch a minute or two of this or that before heading to the next must-see offering.
But that would be how it goes for some people. People unwilling to set limits, on themselves or on the children. People with zero imagination or energy.
Clearly, Missy is no such people. And I can't argue with a single thing she wrote.
Is having satellite/cable in the home wrong? Absolutely not.
Is having satellite/cable in the home a must? Again, absolutely not.
Is satellite/cable in the home necessary?
I grew up in a home where the TV often came on before the lights. It was the ever-present glow over every meal. The disruptive, chatty, obnoxious Buttinski, ruining nearly every meaningful conversation. Benny Hill and Carol Burnett and Ricardo Montalban were my babysitters.
And then came cable. With its nonstop marathons of mayhem and doting detectives and music videos. (Well, actually, that last part was pretty cool. Especially back when they played videos. Remember those?)
And now? Well, it takes every ounce of my extremely diminished willpower to keep from turning off the TV when we go over for a visit. I just can't stand the inanity of it all. The way it sucks you in and won't let you turn away, even (or, perhaps especially) from the more ridiculous stuff.
Now don't get me wrong: I love to do stuff that involves a TV. I play the occasional video game. my favorites including the Silent Hill series and any game that requires a guitar controller. And I am an avid movie viewer: I have a Blockbuster membership and get my money's worth. My library's collection of episodic shows on DVD has been perused and used regularly. (Most recently, it was The Wire. My God! After those 60+ hours, I'll never watch another Jerry-Bruckheimer-Dick-Wolf-produced show again.) The same goes for the rest of my family. They have things they like about the TV and, for the most part, they use it wisely. (Currently, it's nonstop Apolo Ohno. I hate Apolo Ohno.)
But their needs to be limits. And Missy covered those nicely. She also pointed out some nice alternatives to spending hours in front of the tube, to which I'll add some specific examples that my family enjoys:
1) The Library. Find the one in your town and go get a card if you don't already have one. Each of my children got their own library card when they turned five. Sure, the fines pile up occasionally, but I can eat those easier than a cable bill.
2) Family Game Night. I know. It's an overused platitude, but it works. We have a closet just for games, ranging from the simple (Uno) to the more time-consuming and complex (Arkham Horror). Sometimes everyone joins in, and at other times it's just a select few. Regardless, it becomes a habit. One that leads to conversation, laughter, and the occasional argument. The stuff of life. Real life. Not the crap you see on TV. Your Family Game Night doesn't have to look like the one on TV, with all the saccharine smiles and whoops of joy. Make it your own.
3) Read something! See #1. And when you get your basketful of books home, grab one, grab some couch, and crack that cover. We don't do this as much as we used to, where everyone sits down together and just enjoys a book. But it's not rare to find someone hanging out in their favorite corner, or in my favorite chair, curled up and reading. There is enough imagination-inducing goodness between the covers of most any book to easily rival whatever TV has to offer.
Our TV? Not a flat screen. It's 27 inches of big, fat monstrosity that likes to shut off on its own right in the middle of the good parts. I have rabbit ears hooked up to the digital converter the government made me buy. I am told that I should probably consider getting hooked up. Verizon won't leave me alone, wanting me to upgrade to the latest mind-blowing package deal. And I probably will eventually. But I'm glad I've taken the time to ensure that TV-watching is a lesser priority.
It sure makes things just a little bit quieter . . .
Alright, people. It's your turn. Is satellite/cable TV necessary? Is television in general necessary? Can you live without it? Should you live without it? Can we live without it? Sound off in the comments . . .
[Flickr image by kevinzim and is protected]
37 comments:
Hummm, I think we make for a pretty boring He said/She said! But I did laugh my ass off. Just this morning I was remarking to my husband what a smart man he is for agreeing with me, most of the time.
Boring? Hardly. We just rock on the same wavelength. I wasn't going to read your side before writing mine, but then I would have just been repeating your pearls.
And, just in case my parents stop by:
I do remember times when the TV wasn't on. When dad was working on a project out in the garage or in his basement office. Or on those mornings when it was just me and mom before school. But I think they will agree that the TV became, and still is, the not-so-white noise, omnipresent and yet often unnecessary.
But I'm a live-and-let-live kinda guy. Watch what you want. I'll just continue to make fun of it . . .
Missy,
And now I'm curious. What is this show you and your husband enjoy together?
To all:
One subject that wasn't implicitly brought up in this post is how you and your spouse/S.O. are affected by the presence or non-presence of television. Does it get between the two of you? Or is it the new fireplace?
Oh, you'll make fun of us... But the only show we watch together is Smallville. Dorky right? But he likes Sci-fi and I like Legal and medical dramas. We used to watch Heros together, but he got bored with it.
On the issue of conflict:
When we were first married, he slept in total darkness and silence. I, on the other hand, need noise to sleep. Otherwise my own imagination will lead to some terrifying nightmares. It was an issue one day, early on. And then... it wasn't. He has admitted to sleeping with the TV on even when I am not here, now.
I've heard great things about Smallville. I've just never watched it. I can rent it, right?
;-)
I see that it is on the CW network, which I think we get through our box, so I might have to check it out.
As far as noise while sleeping goes? I need that as well. But growing up, and up to the present, I have always used a fan. When we didn't have A/C, it pointed at me. Now, I use the bathroom fan. TV while going to sleep would GIVE me goofy dreams, so I prefer reading before crashing. Although drool on books is sort of gross . . .
This is just a test comment. I'm trying something out . . .
Carry on.
I just wrote this LONG A comment! And it wouldn't process it!!! Can you believe that! GAH!!!
I'll be back.
That sucks.
Great post. Not boring at all!
You have to express more your opinion to attract more readers, because just a video or plain text without any personal approach is not that valuable. But it is just form my point of view
Really? Most people have one of 2 reactions when they hear about how strict I am with my children's TV time:
1 Burst into uncontrollable laughter.
2 Duck their head in shame because there kid spend more time in front of the TV than they spend sleeping.
Okay I'm breaking my comment up and now typing on my Phone so fair warning if things are misspelled, not on purpose believe me... My thumbs think for themselves sometimes.
First of all...anybody that is reading this blog should Twitter the posts!!! Or buzz it! Either way, that should be helpful.
Ok. Here are my scatter brained thoughts on TV.
Is it necessary?... No. And yes!
When my kids were young and they still are but at the young age where they couldn't really be independent, I am not ashamed to say that TV was a LIFESAVER for me!
I would plop them in front of the TV with their toys, a makeshift Disneyland in its own right, and clean house or cook or sit down and write... TV was my Savior!
I don't restrict my kids to the amount of time they get in front of the TV. And I feel that that is the very reason why they don't abuse it. It isn't something special or taboo or a privelege it's JUST TV and they usually treat it as such. In fact, most of the time my kids can't and don't sit still long enough in front of the box for a whole show...sometime during it they get up and toy with legos or turn it off and go play outside.
And most kids' television shows that come on ARE good, they teach a moral lesson or they are educational dealing with letters and numbers and such.
I know this because sometimes you will find me or my husband staring aimlessly at the TV and a kids show is on and not a kid around!!!
My kids are well rounded. They are smart, love to learn, love to run around and will give up TV most times to play with toys or go outside.
Now VIDEO games!? I think they are worse! They ARE used as a bargaining tool and I do have to restrict it or they would be on it all.day.long--(it's been known to happen).
See video games make the child involved. So they can get way more wrapped up into that then mere TV IMHO.
As for reading? I tried to establish at a young age that my kids must read everyday. When I controlled the reading it was easy and we were consistent, now that they can mostly read them selves it is asked they read a chapter a day or a short book. It's selfish on my part, I'm an avid reader and someday I'd love to hold read-a-thons with them!
I know, I'm a geek.
As for my husband and I and TV? I'll cover that in my next comment.
To me my kids and TV is not an issue.
Okay. As for me? I totally agree with TV wrapping you in and it being hard to pull away! Thank Goodness for DVR for sure. That allows me to record my favorites and watch like a zombie on my own time and not during Family Time.
Games and things like that I love but my husband is not a BIG fan, so TV is something that is time for us. We have our night Dramas that we watch, but for me it is more fun to watch Reality Shoesa with him.
For example: American Idol or So You Think You Can Dance? He and I are way better judges than anything they have on those shows ;) and The Amazing Race, as we have a greed that we would end up in divorce if we ever attempted that together, I love that show with a passion and he watches it with me because its time spent together :).
But TV can be bad as far as my husband has to watch it to relax and fall asleep. When we were first married he never slept because I refused to allow TV in our room. And then I never had a husband to fall asleep with!
So I moved the TV in the room and it can cause problems because sometimes it keeps me up and I get bitter about it. But I get ti wrap myself up and around him and I've he's learned to watch TV by practically reading mouths (volume super low).
So for us it can be bonding time... But it also has shown to be a disagreement between us. So good and bad.
Blogging BY FAR is worse for me than television. I can get way more wrapped up and involved in blog surfing losing HOURS in a day then I do with TV. Just saying.
Great post as always you two! Even though you were both fence sitters!!! Lol!
I have 2 kinds of kids. The oldest one will sit and stare at that light box until drool slides down her cheek. The other could take it or leave it. I didn't start my TV dictatorship until I realized that it was consuming all of my daughter's waking hours. I think it's easier to limit the TV time now, than to battle a weight issue later. Just sayin'!
First of all, I'd like to say that this is a very nice topic. It's been talked about between hubby and I a few times.
Second, this is going to be a looooong comment. Sorry lol.
We have Rogers On Demand. I love it. I love being able to record the shows I want to watch but don't necessarily want to watch them when they're on. Some of my favourite shows are 10pm and later. But I tend to sleep then lol.
I think I could definitely live without TV all together. I haven't tried though, but believe I could do it. That could be because I have my internet and we enjoy watching movies.
I do not limit the time my children watch tv. They each have a television in their room. Diva (3yrs old) can't change the channels. It's set to Treehouse. Racer (5.5yrs old) does change his channels but he knows which ones he's allowed to watch.
Now, despite my children having tvs in their room, they don't watch them all the time. Quite often, they don't watch them at all but have them on as background noise. If it were to get to the point where all they did was sit and watch, then I would remove the tvs from their rooms. Both my children are very imaginative. They enjoy playing independently and together. They make up games, make their plush toys and dolls talk.
When they misbehave though, the TV is completely unplugged. They are not allowed to have it on until we say otherwise.
For hubby and I, there are several shows we enjoy watching together; Kitchen Nightmares, Hell's Kitchen, The Forgotten and Castle. We'll cuddle on the couch and ignore the rest of the world.
Our biggest problem is our laptops. We're constantly on them. We don't ignore each other and we even play games together on them sometimes (RoboRunner is a favourite).
@Missy - for the record, I like the fact that you limit the TV time for your children. I think it's wonderful if that's what works for you and your family :) I don't know if I could ever do it, but then, I've never tried lol.
What's wrong with SpongeBob?
We do not have cable or satellite. We bought one of those digital converter things so we could try to watch the Superbowel but just ended up getting Spanish talk shows. That was a waste of $30! :)
That being said, we do watch TV. We have the Internet and have our TVs hooked up to little computers. We watch our "Mommy/Daddy" shows on Hulu or directly on the networks but we don't get a whole lot of the great shows that are on big cable channels because those networks are mostly subscription based. We also buy and rent a lot of movies from iTunes and use our subscription at Netflix to its fullest!
My biggest beef about TV is advertisements. I used to really get tired of my children constantly telling me about the toys, cereal, food or other products that they suddenly NEEDED. Now that my kids are not subjected to those advertisements on a regular basis I feel much more peace in my life and home. Plus, I am able to more better regulate what comes into our home and my kids scope of interest.
We watch a lot of movies and cartoons but we also spend great segments of our days with the TV off. It's not a constant in our home. I think I like it more than my kids. After dinner I often put a movie on and let them all just chill out and watch before bed.
I do, however think we will be getting cable again in a few months. I am going to be having our 4th baby in April and I know that I'll be sitting for hours nursing. When I do that, TV is a must. I can't sit and read like I could with my 1st child because I need to be able to respond to my kids needs. When I read I get too engrossed and can't break away like I can with TV.
We don't limit our kids' time in front of the boob tube. We do, however regulate what they watch. They aren't little TV zombies but if I had a child that was obsessed with it, I can absolutely see regulating it. I am on the verge of regulating computer/video game time with my oldest son. But right now, it's winter and he can't go outside anyway. It's a fine substitute for now, but as the weather gets nicer that will become more of an issue.
As for the Spongebob issue, we love that show at our house. All of us, including myself and my husband. We think it's a great show and has many great lessons on life and how to treat people. Plus it is a great show for people of all ages from our youngest children up to us parental figures.
I don't have cable! How retro am I?
Actually, I'm just skint. But I have to say that only having 5 channels of TV has probably improved my life. Most of the time there's nothing to watch, so I don't watch TV. If it is on, I can usually be found doing something else at the same time. The only time I miss TV is the football (soccer) games. They're only available on Sky most of the time.
When I'm at my parents house I can watch all the channels that I want. I find myself channel hopping with the best of them, as if finding another rerun of friends will somehow improve my life in any way. Then I remind myself that most TV is rubbish, turn it off and go and waste time on the internet instead. :)
Since several of you have mentioned it:
My wife and I have been together for almost twenty years, and we've never had a TV in the bedroom.
That just seems so wrong . . .
Locust: You are far from retro, my friend. Thank you for swinging by!
Jessica: I'm with you on the commercial tirade. Only recently has my kids gotten into watching cartoons on Saturday morning. And inevitably, they want something before they're over. But we have gotten lots of practice saying NO!
April: Personally? I find Sponge Bob hilarious. The very first time I "watched" it was on a road trip. We had decided to bring the laptop along, and one of the kids had rented a DVD of the show from the library. So I didn't really watch it, just listened along. Some of my favorite actors do voices on that show, so it always cracks me up.
Alex: My wife loves Forgotten, but I haven't been able to really get into it. The one TV we have that doesn't go on the blink all the time is the small one in her office/scrapbooking room, and hanging out in there gives me the willies . . .
Shelle: TV as babysitter is not a bad thing and, like many of the others, you regulate it well. Sometimes it's simply all there is to do.
Great comments everyone. Keep 'em coming . . .
Oh we have TV's... like about 6 of them all connected to the little box! And many times they are off, not because of the strick rules we don't have. But just because there are other things to do. Same with the game systems, we have them! Each of the boys have one or even two different systems in there rooms. And those go in spurts where they get played and then they sit idle.
But what I do see is the kids who have these incredible rules of NO TV, NO GAMES, that come to our house... don't want to leave the tv or games. My kids can't stand to have them over, because they don't want to do anything else but sit in front of the boob tube, because they don't get to at home.
I see the very same thing with curfews. My boys have always been told to come home after the movie, or dinner, or whatever activity. And we have NEVER had a "lateness" problem they always come home at a decent hour or they have called. The kids who have STRICT curfews, hang out till the very last minute and then drive home crazy. Its like they have to wait till curfew to go home. Same with the tv... at someone elses house so thats all they can think about.
Great post.
Missty:
My son has a friend who's parents don't have the internet. (GASP!) So guess where he comes to surf?
I have to keep reminding him that my house is not the library. But I guess I don't mind. Oftentimes, he's doing research for something as school, or just messing around. He's respectful and keeps away from the crap.
But no internet? Unbelievably, that's now officially hard to imagine . . .
Ahem..ok Tysdaddy and Missy, stop talking about me....LOL. (kidding)
Ok, I'm sure you both are going to think I'm stupid for even asking this but what is your stand on this? Are you both agreeing and disagreeing on the same thing?
No, don't look daggers are me, I'm curious. Although, I love the post, I like that Missy has strict TV watching guideline for her kids and Tysdaddy has learned some negative sides to tv watching. I especially love the fact that his family has made reading a great part of their family. Oh and tysdaddy, can I please trade one of my kids for one yours? Give me your most avid reader and I'll give you my most energetic outdoorsy kid...eheheh. I think I was sent the wrong kids seeing how I love reading and none of my kids cared anything at all about reading. Yes, my three old year old has possibility but it was like that with all the kids, as they got older, I can't bribe them with every penny I have in my bank account for any of them to sit down and read.
Ok...I'm off the topic here. To answer your questions...satellite/cable tv is absolutely unecessary in my book. I wouldn't waste my money paying for it, I'd rather use the money on something else. I can live without it and it is something my family can live without too. Right now we have basic cable only because it came with the internet service I signed up.
And now with netflix...we watched most of our favorite shows and movies from either the rented dvd or on our computer. I do turn on the tv in the morning for my three year old...she loves watching Dora and Diego amd since it's educational, I let her watch it. The rest of the kids would much prefer playing X-Box using the tv while my hub and I like to play karaoke so if we were to lose our really basic basic cable tv, the end of the world surely wouldn't at hand as some of my friend's kids often claim at times.
Can we live without? you ask? Who's we? As a nation? I think so. Maybe life would be so much more peaceful if tv wasn't such a big part of life. Then again, that's just my opinion.
We have not found it to be a necessity. We turned it off 3 years ago before our son was born and have survived without it by renting videos and watching limited selections when we choose. I'm srue it will get tougher as our son gets older, but for now we are surviving without it.
Back in the days in which I lived on my own I didn't have cable or satellite.
I had a VCR that I'd watch movies on and other than watching a ballgame I rarely watched it.
I enjoy television and admit that I watch more than a couple of shows.
But some of that is work related. Moderation is key.
Great points from both sides. Our approach is a combination between both. Reading and our version of family game nights are popular in this house. I also agree with Missy that Cable/Sat offers better viewing options. I also agree that there are a lot healthier and more interesting options. The TV (in surround sound) is nearly ALWAYS on at my brother's house when we visit. I tend to leave with a headache.
Although we pay for cable, including movie channels, our TV is usually turned off on weekdays. It doesn't get that much use on weekends either, come to think of it. We do like the DVR and "on demand" features (no additional $$ for movie channels) as it allows us to start a movie according to our time schedule without having to go anywhere to pick it up or drop it off.
During the school year, limits aren't an issue, because no one has the time and/or inclination. No one here really follows any shows on a regular basis, except for perhaps Mythbusters (yeah, there's more than one nerd in the house).
If we ever have to cut back, cable (except internet) would be one of the first things to go. We probably pay WAY too much in terms of the actual use. Yeah, I can (and have) lived without it.
Oh, and TV in the bedroom....not a fan of TV in the master bedroom. That's not what that room is for. ; )
To quote above - "Oh, and TV in the bedroom....not a fan of TV in the master bedroom. That's not what that room is for. ; )"
You must not have older kids/teens. Yes a tv in the bedroom... its great to have on for background noise. Its not good to have a completly quiet house, when kids are old enough to be up late and roaming around. TV noise is a good thing... just sayin'
Yes, can see how it would be a good source of ambient noise. If we did go that direction, I still don't think that we'd be doing the TV watching there.
Anjeny: Like any good couple (which we are only virtually) we compromised. This is an issue that really doesn't lend itself to hard divisions anyway. It's more about fleshing out the nuances.
And, I said it once and I'll say it again, if my kids lived in Hawaii, I suppose they'd be outdoors more and read a lot less than they do. Is it possible for Hawaii to get boring? To get used to all the sunshine and sandy beaches and crystal clear water? I would hope not . . .
James: As he gets older, I doubt there will come a time when you say to yourself, "Ya know? Maybe he needs to watch more TV!"
Thanks for stopping by, my friend.
Jack: You watch TV for work? That's a thousand ways awesome. If you gotta do it, might as well get paid for it! Thanks for your comment!
Anon: I tend to agree with you about cable/satellite giving us more options. I know that were I a subscriber, I'd probably watch a bunch of History and Discovery. And I wouldn't have to miss the NASCAR races that fall in the blackout on the networks. It really is about being selective. Like, I'd probably watch Amy Matthews on DIY a lot more. Hubba hubba!
Missty: I have a teen and, trust me, there is plenty of TV noise. Usually him on the PS2. We use a fan . . .
tysdaddy: I think SpongeBob is hilarious, too. It's definitely a show I don't mind my son watching. However, Missy said she won't let her children watch it and I was curious as to why. I'm not judging, of course, just wondering. =)
As for my opinion on a television in the bedroom? I personally like having a t.v. in my bedroom. It gives the man and I something to watch while we're cuddling before we doze off (but after we've had our fun). We always set the sleep timer so it's not on all night. Usually 60 minutes on the timer works for us.
My son also has a t.v. in his room WITHOUT cable. He has a DVD player and his playstation hooked up to it. He never really uses it or watches it, it more just serves the purpose of helping him go to sleep. He has a hard time sleeping while it's completely dark and quiet because he gets scared. (He'd kill me if he knew I told that secret!) He's been bugging me for cable in his room but it won't happen. I don't want him to be glued to the t.v. while holed up in his room all the time.
I think t.v. is fine for anyone as long as it's in moderation and controlled for children.
We love Sponge Bob also over at our house :) and Phineas and Ferb. I have no shame.
Weight control is right! Maybe that's my problem? HmmMm something to think about...lol
I wish we didn't have the tv in our room, but like I said, not much I can do about it! So we have compromised. And our kids aren't old enough, but TV is a good decoy I can see that.
Moderation Sh-moderation would any of us blog if we did it in moderation? I scream NAY!!! Live it up I say!!! Okay I kid.
I think most peeps watch more TV then they are willing to admit. I know I fib about it, it's an embarrassing amount! I think for most of us bloggers the internet time is our vice :)
Good point Tysdaddy on your response to my comment. Yeah, I guess you could say Hawaii couldn't possibly get boring but looking at it from my viewpoint..being born and raised on an island, I can only go enjoy so much of the sandy beach, clear water and sunshine before I start factor in the negative side affect..skin cancer for example. Oh don't get me wrong..I love Hawaii, love the all year sunny weather but I wouldn't mind trading a couple of hours of the day to just sit blissful quietness and enjoy a really good book or watch my kids use some of their make-belief imaginations to explore the rest of the world right here in the comfort of my home..does that make sense?
As for Sponge Bob...I love that square pants sponge, I can't however stand Hannah Montana but I'm constantly outnumbered when it comes to watching her.
I love that my post above had a wonderful spelling error related to a certain football game. Cracked me up!
I wanted to weigh in on the TV in the bedroom. We went 12 years w/out one in our bedroom but recently put one in. We LOVE it. It is so wonderful to be able to snuggle up and watch a movie or show in the comfort of our bed. I am, in fact, watching Psyche in my bedroom as I type this.
I think it's all a matter of self control when it comes to the TV being on all the time or interrupting intimate moments.
I was never a fan until we put one in our room. Now that it's here I don't want it to ever leave! I love that snuggle time with my hubs when we hang out together and watch stuff from the comfort of our bed!
I am going to write a post about Sponge Bob and other Kids TV that I can't stand over on my blog today. It's just too long to explain here in comments.
Our tv is old skool as well (27" tube FTW).
That being said, while I do enjoy my television, I could probably live without it (although, would a life without LOST be worth living?)
It's on when we need a distraction for the kids near the end of the day and they're just too whiny to play or anything and one of us needs to cook. It's also on after 8pm most nights, although not always broadcast (like Cheek, we watch tv on DVD too).
I'm seriously thinking of shutting it off. We have satellite tv and there is nothing on! 500+ channels and nothing to watch? Also I hate how there are so many commercials. They're so annoying. No I'm not getting rid of my tv! I'm just thinking of keeping it for movies and video games.
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