TV - would you go without?

[Red_Tory]

Why bother with TV? I can just watch stuff on the internet now.

 

[BellaFlor]

Well, I have been now married for 9 months, and we didn't have a tv nor still have any tv since I moved in after marrying. And I don't miss it. Even when I lived at my parents place before our wedding day, I almost never watched much tv then either. I just don't like a lot of it's contents, most of what goes on the tv isn't worth our time anyways. Though I sure like some few programs that are ok. We do have the pc, and I don't see any reason to get a tv for some time now. It is enough with having a pc and internet, I think, here one can also follow the news, watch dvd'es, and do most other things. And now, also internet can take a lot of our times too, so one needs having a balance with everything, I beleive.

 

[Ashton]

Would anyone here consider giving up television?

Im not married and I dont have children, but I listen to a lot of Moms at work about how much of a nightmare it is getting their kids away from the tv. And Ive been thinking about it for a while and I had a bit of a revelation about it.
Im getting increasingly appauled by the content thats being shown on our tv here in NZ. Majority of it comes from the US (no offense). And its not just about content. How many times do we come home from a hard day at work, grumble at our other half and go straight for the tv remote?
The western world is always moaning about not having enough time in our day. Has anyone ever considered how much we could grow and save time for way better things and activities if we just got rid of them in our homes?

Who here can actually say they can go an entire month without tv? I doubt the numbers.
Im not talking about being isolated from the world and whats going on, theres newspapers and word of mouth, and the radio etc. Im not even saying give up movies, cos movies are a 2 hour time block and when its over its over and you go and do your next thing. But tv is now continuous, and cable is even worse - non stop with only one commercial!!

No wonder New Zealand and the United States lead the world in obesity statistics.

So give me your opinion, would you actually do it? Would a group of us actually consider a trial of doing this?

My opinion is this, Im a student so I only watch 1-3 hours of tv a week anyway, but Im a heavy laptop user (skype, facebook and Word mainly oh and CC ). But what my boyfriend and I have considered (given the right context lol), is that we will start off without a tv at all. We'd still have a 'entertainment' area for a nice stereo and projector system for movies.

Whats peoples thoughts?

Would you do it?

I don't have television. I just have plenty of hobbies to keep me busy. One of them is talking to you good folks on this site.

 

[phil36]

I have only had Sky for a few months but believe me it is the biggest waste of money ever.

Most of those channels are just repeats, there is endless repetiton or simply foreign versions of UK shows, for example, we've got More4 which airs Wife Swap USA, so instead of crazy British families you can see the American ones, there is nothing new to watch. it's just dressed up a little differently.

Honestly even having those extra channels I rarely go beyond the basic channels I had before, and like you said the BBC isn't what it used to be or what it should be, like I said the news is about it for me, maybe a documentary but the BBC is sadly lacking in that department these days as well, apparently Strictly Come Dancing is a better use of the license fee.

I agree with you there sky is a waste of money... 4 months to go then I can cancel it..

 

[phil36]

Well, to be honest I dont watch much TV, I like the documentarys etc but thats about it.

Heres a question:

Would you let someone stay in your home, if they swore, lied, stole, blasphemed, had sex on your couch whenever and with whoever, all infront of your family?? we do if we have the TV on. and programs for teens aren't much better, in the UK anyhow.


that is just a question I have been asking myself.

Phil

 

[wwjd_kilden]

I was unable to fix my cable/ antenna the last place I lived, so I was technically without TV for a year. (I did use it for playing playstation though)

I can EASILY go many months without TV.

- having said that if I don't have TV, I'm on the computer. So although I could give it up, it wouldn't help

 

[Narn]

Well, to be honest I dont watch much TV, I like the documentarys etc but thats about it.

Heres a question:

Would you let someone stay in your home, if they swore, lied, stole, blasphemed, had sex on your couch whenever and with whoever, all infront of your family?? we do if we have the TV on. and programs for teens aren't much better, in the UK anyhow.


that is just a question I have been asking myself.

Phil

Wow... never quite saw it in that reality but I agree. I really like how my schedule is based around church now and not the box.

 

[shanaynay-deleted]

and what about my precious Wii?

 

[SeekinHIM]

OH NO YOU DI-INT.......YOU DI-INT SAY WII.....................

LET IT GO, NEXT YEAR THEY WILL COME OUT WITH A NEW ONE ANYWAY.............

SeekinHIM

 

[nanabean]

Well....IIIii vote she can keep her WII!!!! (Just cuz I can't afford one doesn't mean she can't keep hers!!)

 

[kiwi_OT]

Heres a question:

Would you let someone stay in your home, if they swore, lied, stole, blasphemed, had sex on your couch whenever and with whoever, all infront of your family?? we do if we have the TV on. and programs for teens aren't much better, in the UK anyhow.


that is just a question I have been asking myself.

Phil

Excellent point Phil

 

[distinctiveministry]

My wife and I have never had a tv (we've been married since July of '07). Her dad was a big tv watcher and it clearly affected his spiritual life at times. My family also watched a lot when I was growing up, and I could see how it just pulled us away from each other and into a fantasy world. Like others on here, we watch movies from time to time on our computer (through the dvd player).

Some of you will think we're crazy, but from Jan '09 until Jan '10 we did not have a tv, nor internet. Went to the library a couple times a week to check our emails, and the wife has internet at work.

Here's what I have to say about it: we've never struggled to talk when we've needed to. We've never struggled to find/make time for each other. We've never disagreed about what to watch, or whether someone is watching too much. Our marriage is obviously healthier than it would be with a tv. We communicate better. We spend more time together.

Probably the biggest downside to having no tv is having no idea what my co-workers are talking about most of the time. However, they have no idea what I'm talking about when I speak of real life, so it cuts both ways.

 

[BellaFlor]

My family also watched a lot when I was growing up, and I could see how it just pulled us away from each other and into a fantasy world.

I can relate to that in my family too. Especially made me thinking of my mother. She is a big soap opera serie watcher. When I was in the middle of my teens I even told myself that my life feels like living in a soap serie, most because of how my mother is being. I wonder if she wants her life to being like what she watches on those soap series, because parts of our lives with her around has been like what you watch there, and she still is that way. Always liking to split relationships, making family members go against each others, etc...

I do pity how far a person like her can go, and it indeed makes me thinking of what she watches a lot. I do hate most soap series, I think they are so pointless, and some lives actually are that way too, so why watch what most people don't wish for happening in their real lives?

 

[BellaFlor]

Well, to be honest I dont watch much TV, I like the documentarys etc but thats about it.

Heres a question:

Would you let someone stay in your home, if they swore, lied, stole, blasphemed, had sex on your couch whenever and with whoever, all infront of your family?? we do if we have the TV on. and programs for teens aren't much better, in the UK anyhow.


that is just a question I have been asking myself.

Phil

I do agree with you. What we watch also affects our minds and hearts, both in a positive or negative way. This is also why I try now being careful with what we watch often, I have got a lot picky with especially movies lately. The new ones are often more dangerous than the older ones. Maybe also why I am liking more classical movies and not so many of the most recent ones(though there are sure some good new movies too)these days. Most new movies are made so dirty, and so full of everything. Nothing is so sacred and pure anymore, not even in music videos, nor commercials, kids can see anything these days...

But also I don't think it is even good that grown ups can see so much too. Also we should learn to protect our own minds and hearts, that way the kids can have good examples from us, instead of watching a lot of bad things ourselves telling them to not do so. Kids needs grown ups that are good and healthy examples for them.

 

[QuestionTime]

Would anyone here consider giving up television?

Im not married and I dont have children, but I listen to a lot of Moms at work about how much of a nightmare it is getting their kids away from the tv. And Ive been thinking about it for a while and I had a bit of a revelation about it.
Im getting increasingly appauled by the content thats being shown on our tv here in NZ. Majority of it comes from the US (no offense). And its not just about content. How many times do we come home from a hard day at work, grumble at our other half and go straight for the tv remote?
The western world is always moaning about not having enough time in our day. Has anyone ever considered how much we could grow and save time for way better things and activities if we just got rid of them in our homes?

Who here can actually say they can go an entire month without tv? I doubt the numbers.
Im not talking about being isolated from the world and whats going on, theres newspapers and word of mouth, and the radio etc. Im not even saying give up movies, cos movies are a 2 hour time block and when its over its over and you go and do your next thing. But tv is now continuous, and cable is even worse - non stop with only one commercial!!

No wonder New Zealand and the United States lead the world in obesity statistics.

So give me your opinion, would you actually do it? Would a group of us actually consider a trial of doing this?

My opinion is this, Im a student so I only watch 1-3 hours of tv a week anyway, but Im a heavy laptop user (skype, facebook and Word mainly oh and CC ). But what my boyfriend and I have considered (given the right context lol), is that we will start off without a tv at all. We'd still have a 'entertainment' area for a nice stereo and projector system for movies.

Whats peoples thoughts?

Would you do it?

I don't watch much TV or movies. Doesn't interest me.

If there was anything redeeming on television I might be interested, but I have yet to find real Christian content. If you want any good Christian media you have to find it online.

I didn't have access to a TV for a few years and I didn't miss it one bit.

Quest

 

[QuestionTime]

Excellent point Phil

Agreed! Fantastic!

Quest

I can relate to that in my family too. Especially made me thinking of my mother. She is a big soap opera serie watcher. When I was in the middle of my teens I even told myself that my life feels like living in a soap serie, most because of how my mother is being. I wonder if she wants her life to being like what she watches on those soap series, because parts of our lives with her around has been like what you watch there, and she still is that way. Always liking to split relationships, making family members go against each others, etc...

I do pity how far a person like her can go, and it indeed makes me thinking of what she watches a lot. I do hate most soap series, I think they are so pointless, and some lives actually are that way too, so why watch what most people don't wish for happening in their real lives?

I believe that Soap Operas cause the women that watch them to hate men. Am I correct? My Mother is religious in her Soap Opera viewing, and she is happily single with rarely a good thing to say about men. I had a female roommate once that was in her 30s. She was addicted to Soap Operas and it appeared to me that she was destined to grow old single. She didn't have any desire to find a man and was always grumpy to me, often downright rude.

Not to bash women exclusively, I think that male oriented programs are often about objectifying women.

Quest

 

[Matthew]

Would you let someone stay in your home, if they swore, lied, stole, blasphemed, had sex on your couch whenever and with whoever, all infront of your family?? we do if we have the TV on. and programs for teens aren't much better, in the UK anyhow.

This is a very good point and the main reason why I say I wouldn't allow my children to watch TV at their own discretion, sometimes I watch a show and there is a sex scene or a crude and pointless sexual reference etc....the kind of thing that serves the plot in no credible way and is just there for the sake of it.

I don't want to hear that or see that and if someone came into my home and started talking like that I would be equally unhappy, that isn't the knid of person I am and I wouldnt want that on the TV, I stick to DVD's and the news because I like to know what's happening in the world and otherwise I can control what I see.

Anything else can be gotten at other ways, the internet has several legal options to see TV programs outside of the broadcast schedule.

 

[BellaFlor]

I believe that Soap Operas cause the women that watch them to hate men. Am I correct? My Mother is religious in her Soap Opera viewing, and she is happily single with rarely a good thing to say about men. I had a female roommate once that was in her 30s. She was addicted to Soap Operas and it appeared to me that she was destined to grow old single. She didn't have any desire to find a man and was always grumpy to me, often downright rude.

Not to bash women exclusively, I think that male oriented programs are often about objectifying women.
Quest

I don't know. My mother is still married with my father. She states that they are happilly married. But I don't know if I can beleive in that or not, since my father doesn't really looks so happy. In fact, just looking at my father makes me want to cry, there is so much sorrow and disappointment in his eyes. Still, he seems to love my mother enough to stay, and he is also now in his older days of life, so he wants to remain more in peace with everyone, and like my older sister says, he doesn't wants to live alone now either.

My mother only gets more and more confusing, she has a great sense of fantasy and doesn't takes in truth very well, she likes making up her own kind of theories and stories about people in general. And if there is some people she doesn't likes, she talks bad about them and only have negative things to say about them, also trying to convince you that she is right. She isn't "Right", nor is she "Trustworthy".

 

[Matthew]

I believe that Soap Operas cause the women that watch them to hate men. Am I correct? My Mother is religious in her Soap Opera viewing, and she is happily single with rarely a good thing to say about men. I had a female roommate once that was in her 30s. She was addicted to Soap Operas and it appeared to me that she was destined to grow old single. She didn't have any desire to find a man and was always grumpy to me, often downright rude.

Not to bash women exclusively, I think that male oriented programs are often about objectifying women

Personally I would go a step further and say that soap operas are the single worst things on television and if I only had the power to abolish them!

Most programmes I don't particularly like I can still see some value in, for instance a lot of comedy shows sadly rely on crude sexual remarks to get people laughing so I avoid most of them, but even the worst ones sometimes have good clean comedy so they have a good side and a bad side......soap operas......I've seen enough in my life to be convinced there is nothing positive in them.

Everything they build they build to knockdown, they are like a chronicle of self-inflicted human misery, I genuinely pity people who feel a soap opera mirrors their own life, to me the only good that comes from them existing is to remind us to keep trying to be better or that grey repetitive cycle of pathetic human behaviour will become reality, and we are already too close to it.

I hate soap operas rant finished.

 

[charm1110]

There are a few christian oriented channels on our "dish network", I try to keep it tuned to those and also about 3 or 4 christian music channels that I tune in during the day...It's catching on with the kids and wife as they are either not sitting in front of the box all afternoon and doing other things or leaving it on those channels for longer periods of time. I also blocked out all of the adult content with a code that only my wife and I know.....same thing with internet. I haven't been watching a lot of t.v. in the evenings either...I have been trying to study the Word during that time more.