Television?

[torti]

Hello one and all.

I am curious to know how many of you watch TV, and if so for how long on average per day?

I've never been a big fan of TV, even as a child I'd play outside in the dirt while my sister spent hours glued to the TV. Through-out my adult life I have likened TV with marijuana in a sense: You get home, you have a massive list of things to do, have a joint and then... you do nothing. And TV is the same in that sense, even if you do not enjoy what you are watching, you watch anyway.

I spent a year living in my van, traveling the South Island of NZ. I didn't have a TV (or power...) and since I have stopped traveling, I still don't watch TV.

I find the extra time for me, motivates me to find things I am interested in, learn, grow, research and form my own opinions. I am not led by advertising, nor what the media tell me to be/do/feel.

I have found the biggest growths I have made in the awakening of my own being, and beliefs, is largely attributed to not watching TV. I have freed myself from the biggest form of hypnosis our society is affected by.

And I feel good for it.

What are your thoughts?

[truth4me]

I rarely if ever watch mainstream media news. College sports I do watch and your right it is the biggest form of hypnosis in our society. I limit my intake say maybe 2 hours a day if that much...now the internet that's a different story......

[161803398]

I stopped watching television two years ago.

[torti]

Yeah the internet is a very different story! I think the biggest loss due to TV is the lack of substantial conversation. All my co-workers can talk about is what rubbish they watched on TV, they never talk about anything real or important, most of them don't even watch the news.

[deridan]

documentaries, sci-fi, history, ...about the only thing worthwhile,
can't watch normal t.v. without becoming agitated or getting a niggling laugh over what i see as ridicules,
as far as news goes,...one has to purify it from indoctrination, and wonder about what is not said

[ThePythonicCow]

I've lived with family members (parent, former wife) who had a TV, but I have never purchased a TV for my own use in this life, and have not lived in a household with a TV for a decade now.

[Cognitive Dissident]

I haven't watched TV at home for a number of years. Whenever I do, when I am outside, it always makes me feel a bit woozy, in a light trance, not very pleasant. The computer has the same effect, but not half as bad. I'm sure consuming several hours a day of TV would turn people into complete zombies. Oh, hang on... :(

[Hervé]

Television?

What's that?

Is it a new ipad app or something?

A new AI brain receptor for 3d satellite holographic retransmissions from Mars?

[sdv]

Grew up without TV and have always lived without TV (other than when I visit people who have TV, which I always find strange because most of the time they seem to just sit there and flip through channels and complain that there is nothing worth watching).

Rent DVDs and watch documentaries online.

By the way, I have a book published in the mid-1990s called A is for Ox that shows and explains (backed up by evidence) that TV, computers and social media have led to a collapse of literacy and an increase in violence.

[SilentFeathers]

At least the dangers of walking out in front of a mac truck or getting in to a head on collision and getting killed while watching TV are minimal, cell phones and I-pads seem to be a bit more physically threatening to us than TV "programming"....

TV Programming = Dumbing you down and brainwashing you (safely watched from your couch)-(but now they're putting TV's in vehicles).

Cell Phones & Ipads = almost certain injury or death while driving or walking

Regardless, TV's and gadgets are weapons of mass distraction and destruction.......

The internet and computers fit right in with these "dumbing down & de-population tools" also....(depending on how you use them and how much one lets them control the self).

PS: use these tools wisely if you are to use them at all, and do not allow them to convince or distract you to jump off a cliff or walk out in front of a mac truck!

[Lancelot]

Stopped watching tv a few years ago.
Got tired of the disinformation on news programmes, history programmes and documentaries etc. Soap operas are nothing more than a mass mind control weapon designed to warp peoples perception of what is real/ acceptable. News is a depressing mix of propaganda and negativity.

I would say the only thing worth watching is wildlife programmes - or sport if thats your thing.

[modwiz]

No TV for over 2 years now.

[soleil]

hey torti,
at my house we have a tv, however we do not have cable. we also dont even have internet (at this time, but will eventually get it). since nov '11 my little family has had to cut costs, cut literally and nearly ALL material excess costs. we for the past almost yr have been spending money (that we work for) only on food, rent, car, gas, clothes, and some snacks/toys for my daughter/us here and there. anyways, prior to us getting rid of the internet, i had gotten my hands on 500-600 ebooks. and i made a goal to read at least 100 of them this year...anyways i've read nearly 80; while most of them were fiction of some sort, and self help and spirituality mish mashed in there..... without the tv, i entertained myself with these books daily! i entertained myself, and learned about my self - and eventually finally followed the bread crumbs that lead me to awareness. and i cant help but thank NOT having the TV for my success in personal growth.

for example, i read be here now a few times in my life, the first time i liked it. the second/third time, i got it...and after learning about OBE's etc...lets just say I REALLY get that book now.

with all that said, we do watch SOME tv shows, but we download them and allocate an hr or two some nights to indulge. :playball:

[Shade]

I haven't had a T.V for nearly 2 years. I watch some programs on the channel sites or you tube. I think you can get everything you need pretty much from the net these days.

[Nerge]

I used to watched TV a fair bit growing up, not excessively but enough.
Later on in life I re-located to France for a year and a half as part of a job and never owned a TV while over there - didn't miss it one bit.
I did however have net access and occasionally watched a few tv series on there (mostly sci-fi stuff/comedy).

Now days I barely watch any TV, if I do it's the same as above, the odd sci-fi program, documentary or bit of comedy. Sometimes I'll catch the news headlines purely to see what stuff they're spewing lately but I think my girlfriend probably gets fed up with me chuntering about the stuff they're showing and reporting as fact.

I think it is much harder to completely avoid it if you live with a partner who is quite into tv and their 'must see' shows and soaps - it does tend to segregate you if you're not into that.

Even if you do sit down together to watch tv, you become silent zombies with the odd comment on what you're watching. I'd prefer to be surfing the net, which isn't quite so bad, still not a great thing to be spending alot of time doing really - although at least I can decide what I want to look at or research on there.

It seems TV has become an easy and lazy option for many of us (the net too, but it has it's plus sides); it's ingrained into much of society and you'd be classified by many as being 'weird' if you didn't have a 'light and noise box' parked in pride of place in your front room and actually did other things with your time.

It's nuts when you think about it, sat there all night in a trance watching a glowing box in the corner of the room, going to bed, up for work and then repeat the whole process - society is mad I tell you! :)

One of the major problems is when you're living with someone who likes to watch tv for hours each night, but I don't blame them for being that way as many of us were brought up with TV constantly being there, almost like a part of the family (in a weird way). It's tough to convince a partner of how mind numbing it can be, you need some good alternatives to pry them away.

When you start to see what's really going on in our society (pretty much most subjects avalon covers) and you live with a partner who doesn't believe any of it (for the most part) it can create a devide.

Anyone have any tips for prying their loved ones away from the hypno-box? :)

Sometimes we often long for the days when life was simpler, living off the land with small communities where you know the people and say hello to everyone - rather than walking past one another with no acknowledgement or rushing to get where you're going.

It seems the more connected technology supposidly brings us the further apart we actually are, and I'm not talking distance either, long past time we did something about it but it's not going to be easy. :)

[modwiz]

Anyone have any tips for prying their loved ones away from the hypno-box? :)



Squirt guns stored in the refrigerator until use. :P

[BrianEn]

I still watch tv and most likely always will. I ain`t gonna lie about that With the internet I can find enough tv to watch on there so I don`t have to have cable. Thank you internet. I have a media player which allows me to watch what I download on my tv. Still though the tv is the greatest weapon of mass distraction.

[norman]

My Dad came home with a B&W TV when I was 6. We watched it like idiots for a few years. I spent less time in front of it as my school studies were reaching the big exam peak.

After I left home, I never ever bought a TV of my own.

When I visit other people who have a TV, it's really very weird. IF I sit and watch, I get quite disturbed by it.


I'm quite convinced that TV has had a massive effect on the human world. Mostly very negative.


I have a pet theory of my own about why TV ( and sound movies ) are so powerful. It was the first mass media to combine 2 virtual senses together and pump them with programing.

Pictures on their own were quite tame. Sound ( Radio ) on it's own was quite tame. The combination, in sync, was when something orders of magnitude greater happened. The result is something many times greater than the sum of it's parts. Think of triangular arrangements of thin steel tubes in bicycles. The little tubes are quite feeble on their own and a person can just about bend one over their knee. When they are fixed together in a triangle they become very very strong. I feel the same about combining picture and sound.

[truth4me]

Yeah the internet is a very different story! I think the biggest loss due to TV is the lack of substantial conversation. All my co-workers can talk about is what rubbish they watched on TV, they never talk about anything real or important, most of them don't even watch the news. There are people that are so frightened by the computer and the internet and say things like "it's Satan" or the 'Anti Christ" in which some of them will tell me what was on the T.V. news right after making those statements. I understand people are in fear of the unknown yet the computer and the internet have helped me so,so much in my awakening and I truly believe I would not have had my awakening if not for the computer and the net....

[modwiz]

We now return you to your regular scheduled PROGRAMMING!

It is in our faces.

[Zelig]

I extracted myself from the clutches of commercial television several years ago but still watch certain shows via the web, commercial-free. Mostly though, I try to watch informative documentaries that I download. I grew up in a large family and we would all gather around the box in the evenings but only after we'd exhausted ourselves playing outdoors. I think anyone my age or older doesn't have to strain their imagination to envision what life would be like without all our technology. None of my fondest memories include television and I'm starting to think that I probably missed out on some joy while entranced by it.

[angelahedgehog]

TV - I'm not a fan but as a writer and someone who studied communications and media I enjoy popping in from time to time to see what the trends are, latest symbolisms in use and I occasionally look at the lamestream media to check the weather report. I'm all about the content - I don't really care if it's wrapped up in big bangs and whizz-pops.

I am big fan of movies and certain television serials - specially if they're shown on a Friday night in the US and then cancelled for "low ratings" ... things like Dark Angel, Sarah Connor Chronicles, Caprica, Firefly ... you know shows that actually have something meaningful or useful to say ...

I also watch certain comedy shows and take note of the content, hand symbols, set design - that sort of thing.... Like HIMYM ... I don't think it's got a decent message to say, there's a lot of dysfunction wrapped up in comedy - but from a writing point of view - the story arcs are interesting and span several seasons - which shows planning .... but I don't like the message much. I've also noticed that across comedies, similar themes, jokes, [techniques] lurk - it's almost like 'they're' normalising the programme across the target audiences ...

The only time TV is on is when DVDs of childrens shows run - I vet each children's show, I watch a few episodes, read online reviews and take a look at the overall message ... I think they have their place - programmes that are creative, imaginative and positive I will allow it - as long as there's no advertising - I do not want my child exposed to targeted advertising. By no means does this substitute parenting but I have noticed that along with everything else we do - reading, puzzles, letters numbers etc. it enhances it.

I guess TV is a double edged sword - there's some good, some bad and if you don't have the time you're probably better off without it.

[huyi82]

nope, no tv for me, but my boyfriend is addicted to it and loves watching soaps, i tell him to stop watching that garbage but he never listens though.

[Poly Hedra]

The other night I was begging my boyfriend to pick up the TV and put it on the street to let someone to pick it up. It is highly addictive and the more you watch the more you watch, your boundaries of what you will find as complete trash on week 2 becomes something you watch regularly and hating it is a faint memory. I have lived without TV for years at a time and then end up getting a TV thinking I can watch s few interesting informative shows. Here in the UK and in Ireland your broadband connection comes with digital tv. I remember ringing my internet provider and telling I no longer wanted my tv connection, instead of disconnecting my tv I was offered 2 months free tv. I fell for it and agreed, bargain brain! A week later I found myself watching Jeremy Kyle. I realised i had been sucked in and was now a tv zombie. That day I put my tv on a free stuff website and delivered it to a pregnant girl in a block of flats. Called the provider and cancelled the connection.
TV creates the same brainwaves as if you were inebriated.
I have studied media and moving image but TV is another ball game. Century of the Self and Eastenders!
Its the advertising that makes me furious because I understand the psychology and how the viewer is manipulated. It makes me upset and angry and i shout at the tv. i cant watch the news because I shout and rant at the rubbish, bias, propaganda etc. I must look unhinged lol.

[Deborah (ahamkara)]

Have not had a TV in years. Now, when I watch it at friends houses, in the airport (!) or at restaurant/sports bars, I am shocked at the blatant manipulation of consciousness - beyond belief. Between the ads for useless crap, physically harmful junk foods, and ridiculous new shows, the ever present vibe of fear/anxiety/violence subtly lowers the collective vibration. Giving up TV seems an obvious and necessary step to awakening to your true self...I don't try to convince anyone not to watch anymore. In my personal experience, most are not interested in cutting off the addiction. Peace.

[ghostrider]

the news and the weather channel, everything else is noise.

[modwiz]

the news and the weather channel, everything else is noise.

I was unaware of news on TV. I still won't watch one. :P

I used to watch the weather channel until I turned it on and one of their "drama shows" was on. :bad: Had to wait for a commercial to see the weather on the weather channel. That is when they lost the plot, IMO. :crazy:

[sandy]

Been without for over 3 years now>>>>>>>think what you may as you will be right on all counts :wink:

[torti]

Very interesting, thank you all for your responses.

So the general theme is that most of us don't bother with the TV, and those that do are very selective with what they view. I think that is awesome.

NZ is a bit behind the rest of the world in some aspects, and a few months ago in Hawkes Bay (the region I live in) they cut free TV, and now you have to "BUY" a decoder, and "BUY" a satellite dish if you don't have one, and then you can watch "FREEview" TV.

Anyway, so I never watched it much before-hand, and so when they cut it off, my one flatmate had a tantrum because I was unwilling to chip in to buy the decoder. So we still don't have TV and it's awesome!

I mainly only watch documentaries now, all hand picked and on topics I care about.

[Living Food]

Never watch television anymore. Very rarely I'll watch a couple minutes just to see how many satanic symbols I can spot and laugh at their blatantly obvious programming, but I almost never do that anymore because I can literally feel the drain on my spirituality after just a minute of watching it. Television is a WMO (Weapon of Mass Oppression).


I was unaware of news on TV.

There isn't any.

[Living Food]

And I would NEVER let my kids watch any TV [if I had any kids], but for people who do never let them watch anything related to Disney - Disney produces the most perverted shows imaginable, loaded with satanic symbolism, sexual subliminals, drug subliminals, etc.

But really, even if you found a completely pure show that promotes only good morals and values [probably impossible], you're still suffering lots of negative effects just from looking at the tv screen. All the subliminals and programming are just the icing on the cake.

[Akasha]

TV free for over 9 years now.......the way forward!

[David Trd1]

NEH ..is my response to the title

And NEVER is my answer to the question...

Peace.

Dave

[Strat]

I haven't had a T.V for nearly 2 years. I watch some programs on the channel sites or you tube. I think you can get everything you need pretty much from the net these days.

Exactly. This is my problem, this little thing called Netflix.

The TV doesn't get me so much but the PC does. I've dubbed mainstream media "The Grand Wizard" because it's great at getting my attention and wasting my time. I have no regrets of watching documentaries, but when I'm watching back-to-back episodes of Lost then I know I need to just stop; get up and get some work done, go exercise, whatever.

Sometimes I will literally go for a jog ASAP to reset my brain. It's crazy though because it's like I'm fighting my own thoughts as I'm changing into work-out clothes and lacing up my shoes. I have to do this quickly because I'm one thought away from justifying watching something.

[Ron Mauer Sr]

The role of television.



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