Are tv shows worth watching?

Thats about it- and you can get THAT on the interwebs. I havent looked at televison in nearly 2 years. I get all of my news (from a variety of national and international sources) online and theres this 13 year old kid that was on "Britains Got Talent" that did an amazing rendition of Pie Jesu I caught on YouTube. Theres also this adorable water-skiing, farting panda if you swing that way- (not my bag but in fairness I have to throw that out there ) that you just wont see on the tellie...but yeah...no tv suxs : )

TV has great value if you are selective and don't use it as a pacifier. I watch movie channels like HBO and Showtime, and educational shows on Discovery Health, CSPAN, Science, History, local news, etc. I never watch sitcoms or reality shows. It's all in the eye and brain of the beholder. YOU must take control and not be FED some the crap that they show. Everything is filtered through my libertarian brain!

High speed internet is the future, not TV. My recommendation, since you asked, is to skip it and buy $50 in silver every month instead. There is plenty of TV access in college. Study and socialize instead.

Cheers!

I got rid of DirecTV a couple of months ago because of this whole mess with Ron Paul. I should have done it a long time ago. You can see so much more on the internet. I get local channels so I watch PBS nature shows and British comedies when I feel like it and catch some local news. Otherwise it is never on. You have more time to do what is really important like read and be informed.

Healthnut4freedom

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:5,6

TVs are a trap. They destroy communication, waste time, and are somewhat hypnotic. But the biggest liability is the constant stream of falsehoods, false values and carefully devised propaganda that pour out of them.

The last TV I ever had, broke almost ten years ago. One day I pulled it to pieces with my son to teach him about electronics. He used some of the bits to make a telephone project for a school science class. There's still an electromagnet we made, lying around here somewhere. It's the best value I ever got out of a TV.

I didn't have a TV for most of my time in college and am far happier for it. If you want to watch a sporting event, take the money you save on TV and cable and go to a bar every now and again. If something like the John Adams series is on TV, it will be on DVD in a matter of months. Also, there are always people around you who will have a TV and cable if you do need to watch something.

TV just isn't worth it.

Funny to read this thread as I have been asking myself the same question of late. At this point the only thing I enjoy watching anymore is sports. I have a 4 year old and she enjoys cartoons of course and I have gotten her to watch old tv like Beaver, Mayberry stuff like that, but really, there is nothing to watch at night. I did also watch John Adams and did enjoy this, but suspect it will be on DVD soon. Like some others here, I once enjoyed History, Science and Discovery, however since becoming internet savvy I have come to realize these stations promote propaganda as well. I would say 95% of televsion is bull****, plus I am paying $110 a month for 500 channels of which maybe 10 are ever viewed. Just about everything on televsion can be catorgorized as sex, drugs, violence, immorality, propaganda and commercials.

Some sports, some reality TV BS just for kicks, and then I watch some news and commercials to get an idea for what is being put in front of the "couch potato voter/consumer".

It is important, in my mind, to be aware of what they are piping into the American consciousness. I also studied media extensively in my college studies and worked in radio news for a period.

That all being said, if you turn off the TV altogether, good for you!

www.ponderthis.net

NO. They are absolutely a tool for mass hypnosis. Stop and listen to the next three commercials that come on, any three. REALLY listen. They lie like they breathe, and people are flicker-rated into a susceptible state. Want to get a little grossed out by it? Listen to the drug company ads. They are telling you to get sick, in oh-so-sweet and subtle ways. Treat yourself to a South Park DVD on your computer sometime, but NO COMMERCIALS should be allowed into your head, and MOST programs have pretty questionable post-hypnotic suggestions. And I do not care if your local stage hypnotist, or even professional hypnotherapist, told you "not everyone can be hypnotized." That is a LIE - we all can be, and run around at the verge of it ALL THE TIME. The hypnotist was probably taught that lie, do not begrudge them.
The cries of "WAKE UP" are not at all inappropriate.

While I agree that most of what is on Television is ABSOLUTE GARBAGE...

There are still some shows worth a looksie. I still watch the history and discovery channels...as well as [adult swim] on cartoon network. Great humor and social commentary.

You get closer to the truth with shows like South Park and the Boondocks than you do with the MSM.

NO! KILL YOUR TV!

I haven't watched TV in a few years, and you know what? It's pretty damn cool when someone says, "Did you watch XXXXXX last night?" I say, "No."

Or when someone says, "Do think XXXX XXXX is pretty?" And I say, "Who's that?"

I want to get to a point where I know absolutely no new actresses or actors--TV or movies. Now that would be very cool in my book. I want to be absolutely clueless on Hollywood fluff in the 21st century.

Ban the fluff!!! Our world is way more exciting than any brainless 30-min sitcom.

and Dexter seem to be the only shows worth a crap. Download them for free at mininova.

The last time I myself turned on a tv to watch something was over 3 years ago.

Books, Netflix documentaries, and the internet....Although I do watch SpongeBob in the morning while getting the kids ready for school.

For one time must see events, channelsurfing.net has access to hundreds of open slingboxes. By the time the ISP's get hounded the event is over.

If you don't want to be chained to your computer all the time for information, get yourself a shortwave radio.

The more books you consume, the healthier your mind will be.

and nothing's on. Don't get addicted to anything but books.

I used to be a tv watcher, but my 14 year old ordered a bunch of porn on our tv, so we got rid of cable to teach him a lesson. Best thing that ever happened to our family really.

You can watch just about anything you want to on the internet. Plus, we all read now a lot more than we did before which is definitely a positive.

Live sporting events are about the only thing I miss without having tv. I usually just go to a friend's house to watch that kind of thing.

You don't need tv. It's an Orwellian mind-control device any way.

Fortune Favors the Bold

anything interesting you can get on dvd

I mean really old. Watched a Buster Keaton movie from 1928 a couple of nights ago. It was a silent film. I loved seeing America before the crash. I was very sad even though it was a comedy. I just kept thinking of the people in New York walking around in the background -- they have so many hard times ahead -- the Depression, WWII, etc.

I also like documentaries and the travel shows. We watched a Sir David Attenborough documentary (his final) on reptiles and amphibians. I new nothing about newts before watcing. It was beautifully shot as well.

I do watch TV but, it's like eating, you can choose junk food or something with a bit more fiber. I make no apologies for that.

Sorry, just re-read your question. For you, in your situation, no, not worth it.
___________

Lisa C.

www.women4ronpaul.com

Do not give them your money. Learn to snowboard, ride your bike, gaze at the sunrise every day, sit in the grass, run around the block, walk with friends or family, teach a class to a child about something you know well, realize that the oligarchs use this as a system of control to plant ideas in your head.

They have a solution, they present a problem, they offer the solution.

"Walls are stronger than the men that defend them."

Ghengis Khan

sends me questionaires about once a week, and I don't hold back on my opinion about some of the shows they air, and the questions they ask.

Since the internet came out I haven't watched TV. Everything you would want to watch on TV is online for free anyway. It's way cheaper to pay $58 a month for internet than $150 (I don't know how much it is) additional for cable TV.

I'm supposedly "missing out" on shows like Lost, Heroes, family guy but I think they are just useless addictions of the masses. And we all know hows useless and dumbed down the mass media news is (we have the trusty internet for that). The only few shows I watch are history channel and mythbusters etc. I think I should just cut the act altogether. The real problem is I spend 8+ hours on the internet/ day need to cut that down A LOT. It's killing me.

I haven't had a TV in my home ever! When my husband and I got married in 1994 we decided not to buy one. I have been more informed than anyone I know with a TV. As for the TV shows, I think there have been some really good post on here about them. Good luck making this decision.

I don't watch much TV but when I do it is more along the lines of educational / informational rather than entertainment type. I watch a bit of the History Channel as well as Discovery. Someone else mentioned the show "John Adams" - I recorded the entire mini series on my Tivo, but haven't yet watched it. Does look good, though.

Anyhow, in general, you could probably get a lot more information as well as entertainment via other means. TV is definitely not a necessity. As for the Internet, that is a must have... ;-)

Is John McCain a defender of the Constitution?

Is Hillary going to lead us into prosperity and peace?

Is Obama going to give us the "change" we really need?

Has W stopped wiping his ass with the Bill of Rights?

I just watched the last of a mini series called "John Adams" on HBO. I thought it was soooo good. Every now and then you can find something worth watching. There's going to be a movie on May 25th about the election of 2004. It looks really good. Can't remember the name of it right now. It looks like it's going to be VERY interesting. Other than that there isn't a lot that we watch. Don't watch a lot of tv.

well, if you aren't a fan of a certain sport or a regular viewer of any particular series, then don't even bother.

as long as you have access to an unregulated internet, you're taken care of.

but honestly, cable is almost worth it just because of the C-SPAN networks. I've learned more about what really happens on Capitol Hill in an hour of watching C-SPAN than in weeks of watching CNN.

: wipes eyes : That's a good one, punjabimunda!

...oh wait...were you serious?

In that case, the answer is a clear and emphatic NO.