Television is a most important aspect of American life - or so I have always been told. Partly I can see how that would be caused by the mindboggling number of channels available - wherever I've lived so far, the default answer to "what's on television tonight" was "nothing interesting, don't even bother". But when there is a seemingly infinite supply of channels to pick from, things do change. (I've zapped through everything from 1 to 54 and gave up there. A random check showed there was still life at 102, but that might have been a duplicate.) Of course it is fundamentally a chicken-and-egg question which came first: the addiction to television or the exorbitant number of channels.
The fact is, everyone has a television. In the house I'm sharing, there's one big television in the living room - and four more, one per bedroom. That makes five televisions for four people which, on the positive side, means there is no need to fight over which channel to pick but on the negative side implies a privacy that kills most random human interaction.
Thinking back about the shared houses I've lived in over the past years, there have been two areas of the house most conducive to socialising: the kitchen and the television. Simply put, if the only television is in a common area, then anyone watching it will be open for a chat - if not during the show itself, then at least during the commercial break. Down here, these dynamics are entirely different - between the unlimited broadband internet and the private possession of a TV-set, people lock themselves in their rooms and only make fleeting appearances outside that cave.
It should therefore not be surprising that the longest event of 'sitting-around-and-chatting' we've had so far, was during a two-hour blackout a few weeks ago. Collecting the few candles we had lying around, we just managed to light the living room enough to all sit around without needing to be in the dark. We didn't quite make it to playing cards just yet, but without internet and television, we had an interesting social experiment all the same...
6 years ago
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...and this is why I don't have a TV. At least with a computer you have to choose to watch something, and when it's over, you have to choose to watch the next thing, or not.
ReplyDeleteI was actually pretty surprised at all of the Australians who were shocked that I didn't have a TV.
Hi guys - good to hear something from Melbourne!
ReplyDeleteJosh - My point wasn't necessarily against television as such because in moderation, it may be a good thing, too. It can, for example, be a great social lubricant. As a matter of anecdotal evidence, the only time my grandparents seemed to peacefully coexist (and even agree on things!), was while watching the Bold and the Beautiful (or Neighbours).
So I guess as long as it's a shared experience, it may actually be good. Computers on the other hand, pretty much always cater for the individual, private eye.
Emily - I don't doubt it would be great to meet your brother so if I do, one day, find myself in Blacksburg, I'll definitely tell you. At present, though, I'll have to admit Blacksburg isn't quite on top of my to-do list (yet). (On the other hand, I imagine the landscape in South-West Virginia may be pretty nice?)