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Sweet freedom: life without TV

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by Starman, May 13, 2010.

Page 6 of 10
  1. JackReacher

    JackReacher Well-Known Member

    Again...kids can't play outside unless the TV's gone? Jesus. How many of us had TVs growing up and still managed to play outside after school and on weekends? I'm guessing quite a bit.

    TV's not the problem.
     
    JackReacher, May 14, 2010
    #61
  2. expendable

    expendable Well-Known Member

    This. It all comes back to lazy parenting. It's too easy just to leave the kids in front of the box, instead of telling them to get out of the house.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 1, 2015
    expendable, May 14, 2010
    #62
  3. imjustagirl

    imjustagirl Active Member

    I'm 34 years old and I still have the 27-inch box TV i bought in college. Still works. I get laughed at by movers, but WTF. Until I get my credit straightened out, that TV will get me through.
     
    imjustagirl, May 14, 2010
    #63
  4. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    It doesn't make sense to buy an expensive TV if you can't afford one. I know it's un-American, but living within your means isn't something anyone should laugh at.

    But if you can afford a high-def TV and cable service or a dish (and few people spend anything near $5k on their set up, even if they have those means), it's a pretty natural thing to spend your discretionary income on. For most people, there is no better source of easy entertainment and information than TV. What kind of surprised me was the thread title. How does getting rid of a TV afford someone freedom? For most people, it'd just be a deprivation. I understand the arguments about saving money, getting rid of it by necessity, not going with a high-def or big screen because you can't afford one, etc. But I don't understand how someone would get rid of a TV set because having a TV somehow makes his or her life worse.
     
    The Big Ragu, May 14, 2010
    #64
  5. JackReacher

    JackReacher Well-Known Member

    I'd love to buy a 46-inch silly, and we can certainly afford it (not as expensive as they once were), but the way our living and dining rooms are set up, a big TV just doesn't make sense. Hard to explain, just trust me. We have a 26-inch flat screen and it's perfect.

    I'll get the big kahuna when we buy a house. Maybe two or three big kahunas. :)
     
    JackReacher, May 14, 2010
    #65
  6. Starman

    Starman Well-Known Member

    Well, a lot of people devote a lot of time to worrying about what's on TV: what's gonna happen on "The Pacific," "Treme," "Hung," "L&O," "Lost," etc etc etc. Now it's all off my radar screen, a non-factor.

    Basically when I had disposable income to burn, a few hundred bucks for a TV and $100 or more a month for cable bills was no big whoop. Well, that was then and this is now, and the non-essential luxuries have to go. But, as I stated earlier, I did it before in the 1990s for four or five years, so it's not exactly uncharted territory.
     
    Starman, May 14, 2010
    #66
  7. JackReacher

    JackReacher Well-Known Member

    That doesn't make a lick of sense. Those same people aren't going to stop caring about their favorite shows (or talking about them) just because you got rid of your TV.
     
    JackReacher, May 14, 2010
    #67
  8. Starman

    Starman Well-Known Member

    They don't have to. They're free to do whatever they want regardless of what I do.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 1, 2015
    Starman, May 14, 2010
    #68
  9. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    I'll take one of those. Treme, because it's the only one I watch (I watched all the Hung episodes, but I didn't make time to see them the minute they came on). Yeah, I know when Treme is on TV (although I watch it on demand sometimes, except almost immediately). It is a promising show. I loved The Wire, so I have hopes for it. It's really entertaining. I don't worry about it--why should TV be a source of worry?--but I make time in my life for it because it's really enjoyable. If I get rid of the TV and no longer have to worry about when Treme is on, I am depriving myself of something I enjoy. That makes no sense to me.
     
    The Big Ragu, May 14, 2010
    #69
  10. Cosmo

    Cosmo Well-Known Member

    My TV viewing habits have absolutely changed ... I rarely watch anything live and rarely flip channels. I discover new shows through word of mouth rather than just stumbling upon them. I DVR the shows I like and watch them in the mornings since I mostly work nights. I went about four months without cable a couple of years back and didn't really miss it. But I'm not sure I'd want to do it again.
     
    Cosmo, May 14, 2010
    #70
  11. NoOneLikesUs

    NoOneLikesUs Active Member

    From a safety perspective isn't not having a access to a TV quite stupid? For instance, if a tornado warning goes up, wouldn't it be wise to have the ability to visually see what's happening on radar? And what about breaking local news? What if there's a big chemical leak in your neighborhood? What if your kid's school went into lockdown?

    I sure as hell wouldn't trust radio with any of this.
     
    NoOneLikesUs, May 14, 2010
    #71
  12. RickStain

    RickStain Well-Known Member

    I'd trust radio *way* before I'd trust TV. And there's this thing called the Intertubes.
     
    RickStain, May 14, 2010
    #72
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