BAD TELEVISION IS A BIG WASTE OF TIME
Why do so many people watch so much junk on TV? Why do the creators of so many of the ‘funny’ sit-coms use those phoney laugh tracks, and turn the laughter up in places that are not funny at all? Why do so many of the high rated programs always have to be about solving murders?
Does the subject matter on TV reflect real life? -or- Does real life take its lead from TV?
How do I know all this? I am a ‘TV JUNKIE’. I live alone. The TV has become my companion of sorts. It is usually just background noise as I work at my computer or prepare meals or do other things. When I require my full concentration, I turn that noisy thing off with the push of a button. I am in full control, usually.
Sometimes an image or a sound or a story line grabs my attention and compels me to sit down and focus. I like to listen to news stations, but they too can be a waste of time. I hate the way that they sensationalize things and repeat showing images over and over for effect and urgency. When I listen to News I want a report, not a drama.
People like things that are familiar. Most of us have favorite foods that we eat frequently; we repeatedly go to the same restaurants and order our same favorite meal. Some people have a favorite book and have read it many times; others have a favorite movie. It has been said that people are creatures of habit. Producers and writers know that; they don’t really have to reinvent the wheel every day on TV, they only have to repaint it a different color and people will continue to tune in.
The good thing about really bad television, for me, is that it chases me off to look at other channels and sometimes discover things of interest. (Usually on the Discovery Channel or The History Channel) But mostly, bad TV chases me to my computer where I can find a good scrabble game online.
I’ve never considered playing scrabble to be a waste of time. I always learn something. There are those frustrating games when every rack has too many or not enough vowels. But that is when there is something to learn. No two games are ever the same. No opponent ever plays the game with the same strategy and word knowledge. When I play against the scrabble computer game and set it to the highest level I am easy prey for the computer, but I learn so many words.
Six-percenters don’t waste too much time watching bad TV. Are you wasting your life?