April 21 - 27 is TV Turn Off Week. Everyone should participate! The benefits of not watching TV are numerous. From physical fitness to distorted perceptions, TV keeps you down. Also, to me, TV Turn Off Week isn't just about unplugging your tv, it's about unplugging from popular culture. The culture tells people to buy the coolest clothes and get a house in the suburbs and sell their souls to work for the man. I mean, culture is important. It's what we as a nation share. But TV just gives you a tiny glimpse of it. It's getting out of your house and actually experiencing it that's important.

Here's more info:
www.tvturnoff.org

Me and Digsy have debated this topic extensively. I feel that TV turn-off week is a wonderful idea and I plan on trying to participate. It also occurs during a week where I have many school assignments that need my attention. There is nothing wrong with watching TV, but there is also nothing wrong with reading a book, going outside, or just spending time with people without the distraction of a TV. I think this week is especially important for children who unfortunately are confusing their TV and video games for playmates, babysitters, or parents. This is all just an opinion...

Screw that. I don't understand why TV gets the worst rap out of all forms of media. Why isn't there a "don't go to movies" week (which is basically watching a huge TV)? Why isn't there a "don't read books" week (since you can't 'go out and enjoy life' with a copy of War & Peace in you hand)? Yeah, there is some bad TV out there. There are also bad movies, bad music, bad books. But we don't 'turn those off.' TV shouldn't be considered evil just because of a bunch of reality shows.

TV can impact people and can be just as creative and important as any other form of media. Maybe instead of Turn Off Your TV Week, we should have a Don't Watch Crap Week. The only reason this topic gets me really pissed off is because I consider television a very big part of my life (since I plan on making a career of it) and I don't like it being disrespected. All of this on top of the wonderful sidewalk chalkings on campus ("Sex is good on TV, but better in real life!") have majorly miffed me. I'm going to watch TV all this week. A lot of it. And I plan on getting a lot out of it, too.

Now if you'll excuse me, Six Feet Under is coming soon, I must prepare.

(Edited by DigsySlattery at 6:16 pm on Apr. 20, 2003)

Isn't being on the computer just as distracting as tv? I don't watch tv anymore then I am online. They are both something I do when I'm bored, not something I fill all my time with. I still work out and go outdoors but what about when you've already worked out and been outside and whatnot? I'm not against the turn off your tv idea just confused on how being on the computer instead is any more beneficial.

I have to agree with Digsy on this one.

people that still complain about tv are completely out of touch. the internet is 10 times more addictive and so much worse for your attention span. it has RUINED MY LIFE. THIS BOARD RUINED MY LIFE.

EXACTLY

i will participate, but i don't have tv anyway, so im usually not wathcing it. anyway. only movies.

A week?!? What a bunch of wussies. I just got through enduring 40 days without audio/visual entertainment. When I get home tonight, I'm going to play 261 games of NHL 2003 on the Gamecube. Then I'm going to go buy the new Zelda game. All the while, I'll be listening to the Features music I haven't heard since February.

Just noticed your signature/ avatar- is the new album good?

I also agree with you & heyitsbriggs & I think there are important distinctions to be made between TV and other media. TV is the most passive media form, and I think the least brain-stimulating (Carl, any thoughts on that?). Books require reading and imagination to complete their experience. Movies are coherent packages that tell a story, and even when they suck achieve much greater levels of visual and auditory art than TV ever does. The Internet requires interaction and input from your brain to determine its output. TV does none of these and, worse, peddles consumerist culture into our minds until we think it's the norm. This is not to say that there aren't some redeeming aspects of TV, they're just vastly overshadowed by the mind-sucking aspects. Digsy- my best friend shares your opinion & I'd like to suggest that you and he take it to a different level than the average slack-jawed viewer. But most of the world uses it as a subsitute for experiencing the real world, meeting their neighbors, finding out their own information, and participating in their community.

I want to play Zelda, too. I fear the addiction, though

Uhhhhh... sure. Unless you're talking about wrestling, cause it rules.

I have a roommate that playes more than his fair share of online video games. It can get pretty scary... Equally scary, I can get sucked into the internet more easily than anything else in the world. Especially when it involves porn.

Lauren- the new album is wonderful. I am very pleased with it and have been addicted to it for over a week.

Is your statement on the brain really true? I am actually curious to know the answer.

Suuuuuure. If you guys want to take food out of my and BrianW's mouth, go right ahead and turn off the TV. We'll just sit here and starve. And then where will you be without Features video entertainment? Huh?!?! HUH!?!?!

So by this, you mean that "Spice World" achieved greater levels of art than "Twin Peaks"? I may (and probably am) be a rare case, but TV has always, always, always stimulated my imagination and gotten me to think. It has made me think as much as any book that I have ever read and moreso than 90% of the movies that I have ever seen. I guess I am watching the right shows. I do agree that TV can be dangerous to people who watch nothing but reality TV and trash, but I don't agree that the level of creativity is diminished merely because it is on television. I just think that instead of boycotting television for a week, maybe people should try to change what is put on TV. Yeah it's a very stupid and pointless idea to think that protesters can change TV, but I also think it's stupid to think that a group of people not watching TV for a week can change anything.

Of course I'm only an 18-year-old college student with not much real world experience.

Haha.... you've never even seen Twin Peaks or a David Lynch film. But you sure have seen Spice World.

And I am not not watching TV in protest. That's isn't the point, at least not for me. I know this is completely neurotic, but I like to restrict certain parts of my life for given amounts of time. I go on binges where I don't drink caffeine, wear make up, or eat meat. I like to know that I am not dependent on things. I realize that this doesn't make any sense, I guess I just can't explain it.

So, what you're saying is that you having nothing to back that up.

TV is not evil. It's the shows on TV that are evil.

Boo-yah. Exactly.

And no, I haven't seen very much of "Twin Peaks" but intelligent people whose opinions I respect (including pretty much all of you guys) who also have excellent taste in the *superior* form of movies have sung this shows praise, as well as many critics (the same critics who call "Buffy" the best show on tv, but for some reason it's harder for people to believe that).

I completely disagree with this statement.

I agree with Digsy, Lauren et al are obviously comparing good movies with bad TV. And please don't bring up that TV has advertising, or I will have to give you 101 examples of product placement/promotion in the movies of only the last six months.

(Edited by jamiecarroll at 10:12 pm on Apr. 21, 2003)

While I admire the intentions of "TV Turn-off Week," I think that it is a pretty flawed idea. The only people who will participate (heck, even hear about it in the first place) are people who are already intelligent enough to "see through" TV and are in no danger of being "brainwashed" by the ideals that modern TV is selling. These are people who would probably enjoy reading a book or doing something else anyway. The people who could really be helped by taking a week off from TV: A. will not hear about TV Turn-off Week and B. will not want to participate even if they do hear about it.

Don't take it personally, ya'll. It's just my opinion.

(Edited by jamiecarroll at 10:17 pm on Apr. 21, 2003)

Add that to the fact that commercials (not previews for movies, but previews for coca-cola) are now taking up anywhere from 10-20 minutes prior to the trailers even being shown in theaters. This trend started in Europe and is slowly creeping into the USA (thank you Dr. Kalwinsky!).

Yeah, movies can have bigger budgets and also allow full artistic expression and no censoring. But for me, I find it more creative to work inside the limitations of a censor and I also think that TV allows for more character development and lends itself to analyzation better than movies (at least, for me).

I know I enjoy my weekends more when the TV stays off. I can commit to a movie and it won't be the same, since I tend to flip channels incessantly. It helps me to stick to a certain block of time.

I'd rather have a good conversation.

It seems that nearly every time I turn on the television, I am disappointed. This happens only sometimes with movies and rarely with books (though often during movie versions of books!). Nevertheless, I probably won't participate in turn off tv week. If I end up turning on the television, it will be to watch Jeopardy or something, and then I'll turn it right back off...and not feel guilty.

I haven't watched tv in 6 weeks and haven't really missed it.

Turn off the computer week would definitely be harder!

I never watch TV anyways. My TV exists solely for my DVD player (we don't have cable and I don't have an antenna, so this isn't even an exageration). Movie are by and large a superior art, for reasons already mentioned. Yes, the rare show comes along that offers more, a la Twin Peaks, The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Seinfeld, Malcolm in the Middle, and The Simpsons, but most TV is abysmal. Most movies are too, but a great movie is almost always better than great TV, in my opinion.

Will

My TV stays on almost all the time. I even leave it on when I leave home because I think my animals might want to watch it.

I involved myself in outdoor activities when I was little, and I watched TV all the time too. There's time for both unlike some TV-banning parents think. Some of my fondest memories are of watching TV shows when I was really little. My kids will watch as much TV as they want. And they'll play as many video games as they want too....and they'll eat as much sugar as they want. I certainly did, and I'm not dead yet.

It's fine to let kids do all of those things, just in moderation. I think that overdoses of television and video games have all but killed the attention span of the average kid. That doesn't even count those who have ADHD - whatever the hell that is.

Actually I just learned in biology that there is research now that points to flame-retardants causing ADHD. Flame-retardants have been used in baby clothing very recently. This could explain the recent surge in ADHD.

That was a random bit of information.

And I had allergies when I was a kid, so going outside would have killed me...

I think it depends on the kid. I guess I'm a pretty good kid because I didn't really practice moderation with video games, TV, or movies as much as people think a child should, and there's nothing wrong with my attention span. Now, what was I saying?

Well, Carl failed us, so we'll never know. It's something I've heard/ read in passing & have no solid evidence for. I know some people do research on brain activity when kids are doing different stuff, but that's about all. Sorry!



That is so weird because they also think SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) is also linked to the flame retardants in baby mattresses. What the fuck do they use to retard flames?? But I agree more with others that the incessant onslaught of all types of media on kids is warping their attention & their imagination. I met a woman last week who bragged about all the Elmo DVDs that her 2 year old likes to watch when they're driving around IN THE CAR. This made me ill.

Sounds like soft science to me. You would have to be extremely specific about what types of shows you're talking about as well as the specific brain region you're looking at. Obviously, if you sit a kid in front of a TV, you'll have all kinds of sensory cortical regions firing off (visual, auditory, etc). I would assume that the really interesting story would be activation of the frontal cortex where a great deal of executive/creative/abstract thinking takes place. I think the only real conclusion would be that different media preferentially stimulates different areas of the brain. As far as the amout of activation, let me just say as I've been forced to explain many times in the past, size doesn't necessarliy matter.

ironic, yes, that this being turn off the tv week my new roomate decided to unearth my tv and hook it up to a shitty pair of rabbit ears. life over the past six months sans tube has been very enjoyable, i read more and got more stuff done. after watching tv this week, i feel much more lazy. speaking of, american idol is the shit! i'm now the biggest fan of ruben. c'mon he reprazents my home state and he's an overweight balck dude with mad soul. look out luther vandross!

yes, american idol is the shit. however, i am such the clay girl. i love him so much. he is so cute...those big ears and long eyelashes get me everytime... not to mention the voice.

needless to say, i have not participated in tv turn-off week. i really have no strong opinion about it either way.

I'm all about Kim Locke, She's from G-town, she went to GHS and also used to attend the same church as my Aunt. I just started voting for the girl last this week though. I just thought, I'm sure plenty of people are voting besides me then, my sister encouraged me to vote. Hell, if I could sing and was on the show I'd hope all of my hometown was voting but people don't even act like she's even on the show... just a few people recognize it so hell I did my part... But I didn't watch the show tonight, I missed it, I wonder who got the boot?

it was carmen. i always hated her. she can't really sing too well and she always got to dance with clay in the dance numbers. i think she only stayed as long as she did because she's so cutesy.

sorry to talk about a tv show in the "tv turn-off week" thread. me and my irrelevancy will stop now. this is one of maybe 3 shows i watch somewhat regularly and it's hard to resist posting about it when it is brought up in conversation.

she should have gotten kicked off weeks ago. and they should have just gone ahead and gotten rid of the other bottom two [trenyce and the terrible terrible marine] while they were at it.

i want corey clark back, even though oftentimes he sucked. id trade carmen for him anyday. and especially the marine.

I agree, I wasn't a fan of Carmen either. Glad to hear big R is still in da game.

clay's like a homo version of thom yorke
that fuckin' marine needs to get his ass overseas and defend our county
treynce is smokin' hot!
that other girl i have no opinion on
ruben is the shiznit!

I also have a fondness for the Clay. I think he's quite adorable with his dorkiness. And, I think he's consistently the best singer. Ruben's my second favorite. Kim is my third. She's a really good singer, she just doesn't do as much for me as the other two, but she's from my hometown, so i support her. And, it was cool seeing my high school's old chorus director in the audience.

Usually these American Idol things are not for me, but I've enjoyed this one. I'm sure I never would have even watched it if it weren't for Kim Locke.

Same here, I never watched the last one, and I just started watching this one finally, I was like... uh I feel like i need to show support or something?!

Anyway back to the subject at hand, I could have slapped myself, I watched the premier to that Mr. Personality show that came on after AM. Idol. The one Monica Lewinsky host... whhhhhyyyyyyy whhhhyyyyy???? The pain the agony, the remote!

i liked clay at first. but now i really think he belongs on broadway. his facials are getting to be a little too much for me to handle.

Hell, I think that all of them have some type of vocal skills. I just don't like their style as much as the other.. I don't care for Clay's style, my cousin loves him though. I don't care for the girl trynese i think it is? or the dude in the marines. but as I said they all can sing.

I had classes with her at Belmont.