TV or not TV?
Jez and I just popped down to town for some cleaning stuff, and decided to go to PC World to buy an ink catridge. It’s a store which I totally shun, incidentally. I think the staff are generally stupid, the quality of service rotten, the products miserable and the whole place just stinks of the mediocrity of corporation. So there.
So I’m standing there in PC World gazing blankly at the ink cartridge boxes, wondering which of the strange numeric codes corresponds to the model of my printer (which has decided it needs to be filled with colour ink before it can print plain black text). And since it’s over a year since I’ve had to buy ink, I really have no idea which cartridge I need to get. A young man comes up to me and says very brightly:
"Hello, can I help you at all there?"
I am grateful to see him.
"Yes," I say, "I’m wondering which ink cartridge I need to get for my Epson. I know that the black ink has a teddy bear on the box but I don’t know which coloured cartridge I should buy, they all look the same."
"Ah…" he said. "Hmmm, you see, I don’t actually work for PC World."
"Whu-"
"But what I can offer you is a promotion I’m doing for users of digital TV! Do you have a digital TV?"
The young man shuffles his feet enthusiatically and is poised, pen in hand, ready to take our details. Jez and I, incredulous, say together:
"We don’t have a TV."
"What? You mean - "
"No, we don’t own a television. Goodbye."
Tonight, there’s a young salesman eating pizza in front of the TV, wearing the same bewildered expression he was when we left him, and wondering what on earth people who don’t have a television actually do all night!
*****
Jez and I simply decided that we didn’t have any use for a television. We watched it for about an hour once every month. For culture, we’re Radio 3 addicts and get all our news needs from the BBC website. We have lots of DVDs, hundreds of CDs between us, and we’re both complete bookworms. (In fact one of the best things about meeting him was all the new music and literature I discovered.)
So one day in July I logged onto facebook, and saw a notice saying something like "Jez is feeling liberated from the power of the gogglebox after giving away his telly on freecycle." And I worked it out and realised I hadn’t watched television since the first week in April.
I don’t want to sound like a highbrow culture snob here. I did enjoy certain TV shows (my favourites were Rick Stein and company) but I just couldn’t cope with the crappiness of the rest of it! We only had the standard five channels and had considered upgrading by getting freeview or whatever it’s called, but then we realised that actually, TV had just ceased to be a part of our lives.
Has anyone else had this epiphany?
Yes! Yes!
The wife and I decided to try life without TV for a year when we first got married… never missed it, never bothered getting one again. So it’s now been 6 years without one.
I love the reactions of people when they find out, they usually simply can’t believe it!
Comment by concertmaster — September 12, 2007 @ 9:37 am
Hi there!
Totally with you!
I only turn the tv on when I want to watch my (mainly opera) dvds… I also can’t remember when I last watched tv.
There is so little time, and so much to do! *sigh*
I’m another BBC Radio 3 fan.
What have you been reading recently?
Bye for now xxxx :-)
Comment by Viv — September 12, 2007 @ 11:05 am
I didn’t have a television for about two years. That was about 8 years ago.
I was working about 100 hours a week so did not have any spare time to sit and watch it anyway, but when my old 14″ portable gave up the ghost, I did not replace it. I decided that there was absolutely nothing on there worth devoting my time to anyway.
I still feel the same, but I live alone now and have slightly more time on my hands. I look forward to one or two programmes, esp. The Simpsons, which I simply couldn’t live without.
Tata!
Comment by Napoleon Fantastic — September 12, 2007 @ 11:17 am
(bewildered) You don’t have a TV!!???!! I heard your species existed but thought it was only an urban myth ;-)
Comment by sugar007 — September 12, 2007 @ 1:47 pm
I think sometimes tv is just a “noise” while we’re doing something else!I think you made the right decision and I can tell it because…I work for a tv channel! ;)
Comment by Saffron — September 12, 2007 @ 2:54 pm
Maestro - congratulations on both counts, firstly on being TV-free, and secondly on six years of marriage. You’re right, people are often dumbstruck when I tell them!
Viv - I’m reading Inventing the Victorians at the moment, but over the summer I read some Kafka stories, Milan Kundera’s Immortaility and The Unbearable Lightness of Being, also The Icarus Girl by Helen Oyeyemi, which was an amazing read. Plus a few other things on the side, mainly history stuff!
What about you? You’re always so busy! By the way I can lend you the Bartoli / Rodney Gilfrey Don Giovanni if you want to see it, I can’t remember whether you have or not!
Ciao ciao x
Napoleon - a word in your ear, I’m afraid I play God and moderate my comments, you’ll have to wait a while to see your efforts here, I’m sorry!
God I’m missing those Simpsons too! You sound like you plan your TV watching though, and you have lots of other things in your life too!
Sugar - our species is increasing I think, as big as the myth and twice as ugly!
Saffron - you’re right about the background noise. Ha, you work for TV, I hope I didn’t offend you!
Comment by missdespina — September 12, 2007 @ 5:11 pm
You didn’ offend me at all! Most of the tv show are horrible!
Comment by Saffron — September 13, 2007 @ 8:24 am
Too true!
Comment by missdespina — September 13, 2007 @ 10:08 am
Of course I realise you moderate but I thought something was amiss as after trying to add a comment, there is nothing to tell me that it has been tentatively accepted and is awaiting moderation etc.
I probably hit send 3 or 4 times as I suspected that my firefox was incompatible or something. Never mind, I know now. Right, I’m off to watch Jeremy Kyle.
Tata.
Comment by Napoleon Fantastic — September 13, 2007 @ 12:03 pm
Napoleon, I didn’t want you wasting all your energy by typing the same thing over again. I know I’m distinctly un-user friendly, I do want to move a.s.a.p!
Enjoy Jeremy ;) (That phrase has a different meaning for me!)
Comment by missdespina — September 13, 2007 @ 3:04 pm
Despina when you have children you will find a TV comes in very handy now and then…
We didn’t miss it on holiday though.
Comment by Jo Beaufoix — September 14, 2007 @ 8:49 pm