MSN.com has a brief video titled “Last Night on TV.” The video recaps shows that aired on TV the previous night. I watched this video for the first time this morning. I have no idea why. This morning’s video highlighted the winner of Hell’s Kitchen, the latest “betrayal” on Survivor, and the end of the contest vomit-fest on MTV’s The Challenge Cutthroat. Literally, the clip highlighted four or five contestants vomiting on the ground, with an off-camera female voice shouting, “You get it out, girl!” This video recap came the morning after the Boss and I, enjoying some couch time after her brief foray to DC this week, flipped through some 250 channels on cable without finding anything we were interested in watching. We settled on Phineas and Ferb on the Disney channel.
I’m not much of a TV watcher. I have a rather large high definition TV hanging on the wall, and if I watch three hours of TV each week, that’s a lot. After football season ends, my viewing time will drop significantly. I’ve seen one episode of Hell’s Kitchen. After you’ve seen Gordon Ramsey verbally decimate one chef, you’ve seen the entire show. I’ve seen one or two episodes of Survivor (years ago), but honestly, wouldn’t it be a better moral and ethical choice to take that million dollar prize and give it to someone who actually survives day-to-day in hellish conditions (Gordon Ramsey’s kitchen not included) rather than awarding that money to pampered Americans who get a wee taste of poor living conditions while revisiting immature drama that they should have escaped when they graduated from high school? Jesus experienced betrayal at the hands of Judas. Survivor contestants experience disappointment. Someone will have to explain to me the premise behind The Challenge Cutthroat. MTV lost its allure in the mid 80’s, shortly after I deployed on Westpac. It was fun to watch in the barracks during sub school, but there really wasn’t time for it after that. And, if watching people vomiting is the highlight of television programming, I’m thinking that maybe less is more. If we have so many TV channels and so much programming that we have to resort to watching people vomit to be entertained, I’m thinking that maybe we’ve lost sight of what is important in life.
7 comments:
I suggest catching a half hour of The Soup on Friday night's on E. That will give you a recap and remind you why you don't watch much TV, especially reality shows (ie: people vomiting and doing stupid stuff). (Not saying I don't watch way too much TV, but after watching The Soup I always wonder why I watch so much.)
I agree. Reality tv is at its worst and displays how horrible we really are. I watch probably 6-7 hours a week. There are nights when I don't even turn it on. I like about 7 tv shows, but if I don't see them its not a big deal. I prefer to sit and read or do genealogy research. I like to listen to tv when I'm quilting or knitting, but otherwise, who cares. Now that LOST and 24 are gone, I'm not a dedicated tv watcher. I used to love HGTV, but since arriving back in the US, apparently all they show now is House Hunters. Seriously? Six episodes every single night is a big much.
Amen, amen I say unto you.
You are so right. All a TV set is good for these days is watching DVDs. I used to watch the news, but it doesn't seem any more accurate than the internet any more. I'd rather just look around me.
I lost interest in TV fifteen years ago. I first realized how bad it was getting by watching the news (living at home where my Dad was/is addicted to watching morning, noon, and night with talk radio in between). They would spend an hour telling what is coming up on the news, the actual news, what they already told you on the news and a summary at the end. They spent only about ten minutes of the time on actual news stories and those were not very in depth. Surely more is happening in the world than that. I gave up on it long ago and married a guy who didn't care to have a T.V. I don't feel like I've missed anything. Now I just wonder why everyone thinks that it is so vital that they be entertained all the time.
There is football viewing season, and then there is the rest of the year when I watch bits and pieces of American Idol and NHL playoffs.
It helps that we have only broadcast TV. I have enough ways to waste my time - I don't want to pay some cable company a few hundred dollars a year to waste more of my time.
I watched Survivor years ago. I like cooking shows but haven't seen the one you mentioned. And I've never heard of the vomiting one. Gross!
Post a Comment