TV is ludicrous

[xcellerate]

I never watch it, sometimes i'll turn it off if there's a movie on, or for family guy but that's about it. The main reason being there's nothing good on, between the judge shows, the 'reality' tv, and crime drama everything sucks. My roommate watches TV all day long, and quite literally does nothing else. When i am in the room i get to overhear all his wonder tv shows, and the ones that aren't judge or reality shows are crime drama. They get all of their thrill from shock value.

My roommate is a simple mind, he doesn't drink, doesn't smoke, doesn't go to any sort of a party, and is still very much a virgin. So i get a clear view of how TV works by watching his reactions. We were just watching Nip Tuck, and this lady was talking to this doctor who had separated conjoined twins (nothing from the roommate) then suddenly the lady wants to graft on another child’s face to her daughters (roommate freaks out). Even though separating two people is far more serious, it just isn't shocking.

Later in the episode, this dude is throwing the ball with his kid and goes into the bathroom to be attacked by this other dude who he had seen in the park. (roommate does nothing) Then the dude who was attacked says confused that he thought the guy who attacked him wanted to give him a blow job (gay sex is shocking so roommate freaks).

Same episode, a husband is bored having sex with his wife. (not shocking so no response) The wife buys the husband a sex doll and he gets off to it four times a day (wow sex with a doll! roommate freaks out) Then the woman says she wants bigger breasts and her butt lifted. (not too uncommon so roommate is quiet) then the lady says she wants her "area" reshaped to look like the dolls. (omg plastic surgery on a vagina--roommate freaks out).

Same thing with Margaret cho (i think that's right) i never thought she was funny, but my friends do, so i watched "The Cho Revolution" with them. They thought she was hilarious, and then she got to this one part where she talking about having to "sh!t right now!" and they all went into hysterics. Same thing on Sex/City, the episode where that one girl farts in bed with her boyfriend and then totally gets freaked out by out.

Everybody is just going for SHOCKING. omg child has no face, omg woman wants a vagina like a dolls, omg women fart. Just being SHOCKING or saying stuff that is 'politically incorrect' is kinda like when horror movies have something pop out and then play really loud music. I'm just tired of bad television trying to mask itself with SHOCKING scenarios.


--sorry for the rant, it's just i'm trying to do homework but keep getting distracted with people shouting the word COCK and PORN STAR (yea, still nip tuck)

 

[IonizeMyAtoms]

My roommate is a simple mind, he doesn't drink, doesn't smoke, doesn't go to any sort of a party, and is still very much a virgin.

That's your idea of a simple mind? Sounds a bit backwards to me

 

[xcellerate]

Well simple sort of stands alone. He's not too bright...he laughs when somebody on BET says something like 'crazy ******' or when judge judy tells somebody to 'shut up and sit down, sir!' He's not too bright because we had a good fight where he tried to seriously convince me that water was an element. He laughs at that judge mathis commercial where that dude says, "i'm not a complete racist" and the judge says, "oh so what are you, just a partial racist?"

Sure...i suppose it's maybe funny if you were dumb enough to not see that 'punch line' coming from a mile away, but he has laughed at it every time it has come on this week.


--i guess talking about commericals isn't a good way to reinforce my statement about me not watching TV. But it's just always on because he never leaves the room and i can't help but hear it and it really aggrevates me some of the stuff he laughs at.

 

[Absinthe]

You're watching the wrong TV.

 

[Skaadi]

Eh, I dont watch any T.V. Maybe one movie a week a sometimes not even that. I dont mind and I dont miss it.

 

[operative x]

I'm not even going to bother reading your long ass thread but the History channel is always filled with top quality programming. They always have SOMETHING interesting on. Whether it's about the Crusades, WW2 (and they ALWAYS have somekind of WW2 documentory on), or cars etc. It's a really great channel.

 

[Absinthe]

The History Channel and the Discovery Channel ftw.

 

[Reaktor4]

Most of it is shite but theres still a lot of good stuff. The ads are the worst thing about tv.

 

[venturon]

It's generally unusual for me to watch more than 2 or 3 of television hours a week. Most of what I watch is either the news or some movies on SBS. I don't have cable, but if I did I would pretty much only watch Discovery, the History Channel, or World Movies.

 

[AmishSlayer]

All I watch on TV nowadays are the following:

Family Guy
American Dad
Most Adult Swim programming
Seinfeld
South Park
Daily Show
Rescue Me
Scrubs
24
Movies I like or find funny (such as the original Blob)

I catch an occasional discovery channel show or history channel show too, but that's rare.

 

[Direwolf]

I'm gonna agree and say you're watching the wrong TV.
Unmentioned favs:
Arrested Devlopment (cancellations make puppies cry)
House
Mythbusters
CSI (original, accept no substitutes)

 

[ríomhaire]

Lost
Scrubs
Simpsons(not so much anymore though unfortunatly)
Family Guy
Mythbusters
Scrapheap Challange(aka Junkyard Wars I think)
South Park

Those are the best shows on TV IMO.

 

[Greatgat]

Ah, another TV Love thread...

So, I don't watch TV on TV. When I hear that people are really getting behind a series that sounds interesting to me, then I will (gasp!) download a few eps and see if it does it to me. Then, when the DVD's come out, I'll get those. But I do hate 99% of the stuff they release on TV itself, much like I dislike most of the movies that come out. Or music. Or whatever.

So~oo, here are the TV series I've seen that I like.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Lost
Veronica Mars
Firefly
A.L.I.A.S.
Wonderfalls
Futurama
American Dad
And the ever awesome... Dead Like Me.

 

[Absinthe]

Buffy
Serenity
Lost
Drawn Together
The Daily Show
Sealab 2021
Aqua Teen Hunter Force
Family Guy (though not so much any more)

But my real love goes to Twin Peaks and its ruefully short existence.

 

[MilkMan12]

There is a lot of bad programming on TV but there is really a program for everyone on either or all of these 3 channels, comedy central, spike, and FX. I happen to like Nip Tuck and I also love that 70's show.

I also love to watch family guy as well as the daily show, south park, the colbert report and a lot of stand up on comedy central. I spike is just the dudes channel...UFC and CSI (which is slowly becoming my favorite show). Thats what I watch...dont see them much but when its on I definitely watch...CSI is ****ing cool.

 

[operative x]

Indeed, CSI is a great show. And don't forget ER, it has some of the best writing on TV.

 

[The Mullinator]

What TV I watch right now, during the summer this was quite a different list:

Family Guy
Futurama re-runs
Simpsons
The daily show (sometimes)
Discovery channel
History channel
SNL
Jay Leno (sometimes)
Connan O'Brian (sometimes)
Cosby show (because in between some of my classes this is the only half decent show we can get)

 

[Last One In]

T.V destroyed western civilization and is a ****ing waste of time. If you can tell me one good thing about watching T.V ill give you a cookie.

 

[The Mullinator]

T.V destroyed western civilization and is a ****ing waste of time. If you can tell me one good thing about watching T.V ill give you a cookie.

Your argument is useless. You can't argue that something is bad because it destroyed Western civilization when in fact Western civilization has not been destroyed.

 

[Last One In]

Your argument is useless. You can't argue that something is bad because it destroyed Western civilization when in fact Western civilization has not been destroyed.

It just makes people lazy and a society does not flourish on laziness.

 

[The Mullinator]

It just makes people lazy and a society does not flourish on laziness.

And video games don't do the same thing?

 

[MTG_Maro]

Im on the T.V or Comp. Never neither. And T.V has been around for awhile now but USA hasnt collapsed. T.V is no problem, Ghetto is a worse problem

 

[brink's]

Do you ever get sucked into bad TV? I'm watching Trading Spouces, i mean WTF. Why am i watching this? It's terrible, there is absolutely no reward for finsihing this abomination and i fear i could be doing serious damage to my brain, yet i can't take my eyes off it?!?! It's like crack, once you get that first hit, there's no going back!!!!

 

[Last One In]

And video games don't do the same thing?

yeah, I haven't played video games for a while either and I think they're a waste of time as well. What good is going to come to the world if everyone just decides to sit on their asses and do nothing. if you want something great to happen in our world, you can't just wait for some other guy to do it. You got to jump off your ass and sieze the day. T.v and games give you no reason to sieze the day, plus they are boring as hell compared to most things.

 

[The Mullinator]

yeah, I haven't played video games for a while either and I think they're a waste of time as well. What good is going to come to the world if everyone just decides to sit on their asses and do nothing. if you want something great to happen in our world, you can't just wait for some other guy to do it. You got to jump off your ass and sieze the day. T.v and games give you no reason to sieze the day, plus they are boring as hell compared to most things.

I suppose I can agree with you, however I suggest that you should leave internet forums alone as well. They aren't exactly a productive place to be either.

 

[Absinthe]

Last One In, I think the key word here is "recreation".

 

[Last One In]

Discussing with people in forums is pretty damn productive if you ask me. You can speak your mind, hear opinions, learn to write properly, learn to argue, and a slew of other things. The greeks had public forums for debate and discussion, and so do we.

 

[Last One In]

Last One In, I think the key word here is "recreation".

I know recreation, but it is so damn great to let out energy and ****ing release yourself from the constraints of laziness. It is like a shot of adrenelyn(Spelling) that keeps on recharging itself.

 

[Absinthe]

And yet I don't see how TV or gaming is impeding this so long as, like everything, you engage them in moderation.

There are plenty of times when I don't feel bubbling with energy, don't want to engage in anything too active, but instead want to chill out and watch some shows.

 

[Last One In]

And yet I don't see how TV or gaming is impeding this so long as, like everything, you engage them in moderation.

There are plenty of times when I don't feel bubbling with energy, don't want to engage in anything too active, but instead want to chill out and watch some shows.

There is nothing wrong with chilling out and watching TV, but it is a mediocre pasttime that contributes absolutely nothing to the watcher except some freakin time filler. Instead of chilling out and watching the tube, try sitting down in silence and thinking about life for a while. It is much more productive then watching some freaking family guy episode or pretending you're a general on Rome Total War.

 

[Absinthe]

Look, I'm sorry that some people don't like to spend their free time pondering Nietzche and meditating, but let's stop throwing around words like "productivity", as that's a relative issue and ends up going nowhere. Secondly, you need to elaborate on what "thinking about life" consists of. That's a vague platitude.

 

[Last One In]

What i mean by productive is growth and progress. you don't exactly learn the secrets of the universe by sitting around and letting all your mental energy be expended on a fruitless endevor, such as watching video games or playing TV. You put your shit into it, but you get nothing out of it but a few laughs and perhaps a few hours of wasted time. It's like masturbation. (BTW I laugh when I wank because it is so damn funny)

 

[Absinthe]

Not everybody has a drive to know the secrets of the universe (you're still being vague) and there are other ways to achieve growth and productivity. You seem to want some kind of superhuman perfect automoton that strives only for self-actualization. Most people are content with some indulgence here and there, as that actually is a part of life as well.

If such things aren't sufficient for you, then so be it. But don't sit here and shit all over the hobbies of others just because you deem it less worthy of your standards.

 

[Last One In]

Theres nothing wrong with striving for self perfection even though i'll never get there. Were young guys though absin. We should be out in the world, fulfilling our ambitions and dreams before we become old farts. Were never gonna have the chance to be young again, and it is during this time that one can either step up to the plate and take a swing or stay benched for God knows how long. EDIT: sorry for being vague on the last sentence. What I was trying to say is that we need to live life to its fullest while we still can. But if playing video games and watching tv is what you consider to be part of a full life, so be it. Let it be written, let it be done!

 

[OCybrManO]

Last One In, if you want to live your life like a monk, fine. Just don't spout a bunch of belligerent, pretentious, patronizing bullshit at people just because they happen to disagree with your way of life. Don't tell me what I get out of watching TV. I happen to watch news, "fake news," the History channel, the Discovery Channel, that science show on PBS with Alan Alda, documentaries, and other programs from which I happen to gain quite a bit of knowledge.

On any given day, there's only maybe one or two non-informative shows I enjoy watching... and I watch them because I feel that entertainment does not equate to wasted time. Laughter is important. Sometimes a good cathartic feeling after a sad film helps you emotionally. Lumping all of the varied entertainment mediums into the same category of "fluff" shows how little you understand them. That includes video games. Even if you ignore any of their psychological effects, they still have other merits. If nothing else, they keep your mind active and help with coordination and/or reaction times.

Oh, and stop making the assumption that people that watch TV or play video games don't get out and do productive things or live their lives to a point that satisfies their desires. As other people have said, repeatedly, entertainment is wonderful in moderation... as is productivity. People can go overboard on productivity (perfectionists and/or over-achievers) just as easily as they can on fun. Constantly being under a state of alertness/stress is hazardous to your health. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. The best life, physiologically speaking, is a balanced life.

Also, where do you draw the line between good and bad media? Is a painting bad? Is music bad? Is a photograph bad? Is a play bad? Is a classic film bad? What, exactly, is bad in your opinion... or, more importantly, do we care what you think? No. It's not up to you to tell people what they should do with their free time or how they are to enjoy themselves. Go play fun-Nazi with your own life. Life is hard enough as it is...

... and in case you have forgotten, according to polls, over 90% of men masturbate. So, comparing TV to masturbation isn't going to make people think it's bad.

 

[Last One In]

Last One In, if you want to live your life like a monk, fine. Just don't spout a bunch of belligerent, pretentious, patronizing bullshit at people just because they happen to disagree with your way of life. Don't tell me what I get out of watching TV. I happen to watch news, "fake news," the History channel, the Discovery Channel, that science show on PBS with Alan Alda, documentaries, and other programs from which I happen to gain quite a bit of knowledge.

On any given day, there's only maybe one or two non-informative shows I enjoy watching... and I watch them because I feel that entertainment does not equate to wasted time. Laughter is important. Sometimes a good cathartic feeling after a sad film helps you emotionally. Lumping all of the varied entertainment mediums into the same category of "fluff" shows how little you understand them. That includes video games. Even if you ignore any of their psychological effects, they still have other merits. If nothing else, they keep your mind active and help with coordination and/or reaction times.

Oh, and stop making the assumption that people that watch TV or play video games don't get out and do productive things or live their lives to a point that satisfies their desires. As other people have said, repeatedly, entertainment is wonderful in moderation... as is productivity. People can go overboard on productivity (perfectionists and/or over-achievers) just as easily as they can on fun. Constantly being under a state of alertness/stress is hazardous to your health. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. The best life, physiologically speaking, is a balanced life.

Also, where do you draw the line between good and bad media? Is a painting bad? Is music bad? Is a photograph bad? Is a play bad? Is a classic film bad? What, exactly, is bad in your opinion... or, more importantly, do we care what you think? No. It's not up to you to tell people what they should do with their free time or how they are to enjoy themselves. Go play fun-Nazi with your own life. Life is hard enough as it is...

... and in case you have forgotten, according to polls, over 90% of men masturbate. So, comparing TV to masturbation isn't going to make people think it's bad.

If that's your experience then so be it. I didn't mean to patronize anyone by bashing their way of life; I was expressing my personal experience, which I obviously didn't do a very good job of. So I will try to break it down:
I used to be a pretty poor kid who didn't have much except 4 siblings and two kick ass parents. Life was great. We didn't have T.V, we didn't have computers, and we didn't have money. We had to play with the neighborhood kids for fun, which was very fun by the way. Then we got rich and things seemed to come apart for me. I spent a lot of time playing computer games, watching T.v, and being a lazy ****. This went on from 7th grade up until sophmore year of high school, when I started to re-evaulate my life a bit. At this point, I would cycle on and off computer games and TV, going cold turkey for a few weeks then getting back on the wagon. But what I realized from these cold turkey periods was that my family was much happier and alive, as was I, and Life was good again. EDIT: Now that im in college, im giving up all the bullshit, like games, music, and tv, and replacing them with anything that I can do. If that means going bowling with my grandma at 6Am in -30degree weather, then so be it. But I gotta say that I've never been happier in my life.

 

[OCybrManO]

From that bit, you just sound like you had a self control problem when it comes to TV and video games. In that case, it's like an ex-alcoholic telling a casual drinker that beer will ruin his life... when studies show that consumption of alcohol in moderation can actually be healthy. People are different. Some are just more susceptible to addiction than others. I, on the other hand, get bored rather quickly and switch activities. Now that I think about it, the only game I played in the last two weeks was Super Mario World... and only long enough to beat about three levels. I tend to like games that allow me to jump in, play for a bit, and move on. I end up playing those more than the ones with deep storylines and huge budgets.

 

[Steven]

Most TV is poor, all I watch is House MD plus foreign movies.

 

[Skaadi]

Lets see how long this arguement goes for

 

[Raz]

We should be out in the world, fulfilling our ambitions and dreams before we become old farts. Were never gonna have the chance to be young again

Yeah, you could be dropping out of college and moving to a remote part of the world instead of playing a few videogames now and then! Wow!