television

I’m sort of divided on the issue of TV. On one hand, I am tired of hearing the platitudes of people who say “I don't watch television” and wear it like a badge of honor. I don't watch television either, mind you. It's just that it's become this sort of sophomoric statement that makes people believe they deserve an award, that they've reached some stage of intellectual apotheosis. You may as well throw a trite pinky into the air the next time you drink something for the full effect. Television is something that everyone enjoys at least every now and then and it is not a mark of superiority not to watch it.

That being said, I also get tired of hearing people talk about nothing but TV shows. More than once have I been within a group of four of five people when two or three of them start talking about a show, and that’s when I know to walk away, because they’ll take over the conversation and go on and on and on and it will never end. It doesn't bother me if you’re addicted to a show. We've all been there. But please, everyone else doesn't have to know about it 24/7. As far as the actual shows go, I can’t watch so many of them because, frankly, they've become so homogenized that I feel like I’m watching the same thing over and over again. The plots are the same and the characters are stock; they’re often so perfect and unrealistic that I can’t help but to roll my eyes. There are a few shows I enjoy, but I hardly have any time to watch them, and usually when I do have free time I’d rather be doing something else. Still, I recognize the ability of television to make us forget about our lives for a while, which sometimes can be very necessary. I just don’t think TV should be an obsession the way it is for some people, and I think very many of the shows people obsess about are a little overrated.