Need willing accomplices to help me kill TV!

[madman]

Television is evil, As most readers on this site will agree.

I never watch it anymore these days and when I do watch the tube I only watch movies, documentaries or shows that I've either rented on DVD or got off friends etc. I occasionally have a quick look at the propaganda they dish out on the news but normally give up after a few minutes.

These days I get most of my news and entertainment by either surfing the net while listening to music or just reading a good book.

I haven't watched tv regularly for over 10 years and I feel better for it. My mind feels free and so does my soul.

It really annoys me how a lot of people still rely on tv for news and information and it annoys me even more how a lot of people plan their nights entertainment around the idiot box.

I try my best to encourage people I know to avoid it and I even give my mother all her favorite tv shows before they are shown on tv but she never watches them because she is conditioned to watching them at the predetermined time that they are on tv.
Unfortunately she is not the only one that works this way but more and more people are giving up the idiot box and are finding alternate forms of entertainment like the internet and I think this is one of the reasons why they are trying to kill the current form of the net that we take for granted today.

I am trying to get like minded people together to encourage people to cut back or even stop watching tv.
One idea that I've had is to start up one of those international day of type things. In this case it would be The International Day of Turn off The Telly.

I would appreciate hearing from any like minded souls on these boars and am open to ideas to help get the word around that life can be better without the box.

Feel free to join in and post suggestions. :D

[phaid]

I bought one of these units from a market a while ago but unfortunately it didn't work, but that shouldn't put off others who want to give it a go -

http://www.tvbgone.com/cfe_tvbg_main.php?PHPSESSID=390d67482db68a90ad9c8a de7642bc6f

I'd love to hear from folks who do get them to work and have successfully turned off all those annoying public TVs such as in doctor's waiting rooms, hospitals, shopping centres etc....that's what I was going to do, LOL

[hashmcgandy]

Hi madman. Loved your rant about the idiot box and I agree with much of what you say. However, I have to confess to being a wildlife documentary addict as I can get to see areas of the natural world that I have little realistic chance of ever visiting. Other than that, the only reason I keep a goggle box in my home is to keep an eye on the opposition (BBC News et al) as it is interesting to see how the various 'news' services deliberately misrepresent much of what is happening in our world.

A point for all to consider - take some time to view a news programme (choose any you want) and take note of the carefully orchestrated body language displayed by the so called news readers. As controlled as they are, you can still tell when a newsreader is lying by the frequency of the eye blinks (or lack thereof). Blush responses are another give away. There is a passing reference made to this phenomenon in the film 'V for Vendetta'. News programmes are now little more than 'shows' and presented as such - just more entertainment for the masses with a dark edge to keep us all scared and compliant.

The International Day of Turn off the Telly suggestion is a great idea and reminds me, in part of a children's programme I remember from the 1970s (I can't recall which British TV channel showed it but it was probably the BBC) called 'Why don't you turn off your television and go and do something less boring instead?' Needless to say but it didn't last too long and the title itself was somewhat of an oxymoron in its concept but I recall it had some great ideas for getting kids more involved in outdoors pursuits. How ironic that it took a tv programme to promote not watching tv!

I'm in a bit of a dilemma over TV in general though for, as an actor I rely in on for work whilst at the same time I despise much of what I have seen on the box. Sadly though, TV has become such a permanent feature in many people's lives that it has become a drug. Maybe I should seek a new occupation but I love acting and it pays better than working in the theatre.

One final note - you'd probably love what my maternal grandfather did to his telly when he had had enough of it - he shot it with his 12 bore! How's that for an honest viewer opinion! LOL