Tuesday, August 20, 2013

I think that most television shows today are pure crap.

When we visit the U.S. on our annual holiday trips, I can’t stand the shows that my friends and parents watch. I feel my brain cells rotting with nearly every show such as American Idol, The Real Housewives and nearly everything on TLC. Really why would someone watch My Teen is Pregnant & So Am I?

‘Don’t you want to read a book, go for a walk, listen to music; or heck, maybe even talk to each other?’ I think.

In 2010, when we moved to Istanbul to start our new expat life, we left our big screen TV behind with my in-laws. Since there’s different electricity outside of the U.S., we saw no need to bring the TV. We had been wasting over $100 a month for deluxe cable that we hardly ever watched since we worked six days a week.

Once we settled in Turkey, we saw no need to buy an expensive TV and pay for pointless Turkish cable that featured about one channel in English. Instead, we bought a nice Panasonic stereo system so we could listen to music.
I guess if we owned a TV, this is where it would go in our apartment.
I also found plenty of other activities to occupy my time like starting this blog.

Even now in Warsaw (a little over 3 years later), I just don’t miss TV.

However, our one expat indulgence together has been watching The Daily Show and The Colbert Report online via Comedy Central. These guys make me laugh my butt off! Comedians Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert poke fun at all the stupidities happening in America as well as abroad, politicians, U.S. Congress and on Fox News. And for some reason Anthony Weiner continues to make an appearance. Sometimes, I think I find these shows even more hilarious since we don’t live in the U.S.

 For real news, I’ll look online or skim through my Twitter feed. That’s enough for me.

We never saw the need to get hooked on the latest television series except for Mad Men (even if we’re a season behind), and I still continue to watch Grey’s Anatomy.

Many expats I know buy slingboxes, Hulu, Netflix and all sorts of devices or subscription services so they still can stay up-to-date on their current shows. We haven’t. Thank goodness, my husband doesn’t care that much about sports either.

I can understand the fundamental reasons why people watch TV.

Television makes you feel good, laugh, and cry or helps you relax or helps you fall asleep.

But I don’t need television.

And TV definitely doesn’t belong in the bedroom in my opinion. As a friend once told me, the bedroom is for two things and they both start with the letter “s.”


What are your thoughts?

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6 comments:

jaz@octoberfarm said...

i, on the other hand, am addicted to the NFL!

Anonymous said...

OMG, I watch so little TV that I didn't even notice that you don't have one when I visited - not in Istanbul, not in Poland.
TOTALLY and FULLY agree with you on TV in the bedroom; It doesn't belong there. Any man who wanted to have a TV in the bedroom would have to chose; Me or the TV. On the other hand; Smartphones should probably not be there either, I know it is disruptive for me at least, I have to remember to leave it elsewhere (but it's difficult)
/Ann-Katrin

Joy said...

@Joyce, I'm sure if we were back in the U.S., hubby certainly would not mind catching a Ravens or Redskins game on TV. ;-)

@AK, how funny! We do keep our Smartphones by both our bedstands just in case family needs to reach us in an emergency, esp. with my dad's health. And they act as our alarm clocks! :) But definitely no TV!

R. Samolot said...

Well, shows like Big C or Orange is New Black are certainly worth watching lately, and The Daily Show and Colbert Report show the state of the Union which is interrible condition this days (shame) - and my reaction is mostly F**K it's imposible; but the guests on the shows are always worth to listen to. And John Olivier lately was something, right?
O. Panasonic don't make good hi-fi systems BTW.
I'm missing Cubs games.

Miss Footloose | Life in the Expat Lane said...

You're not the only one! Grey's anatomy once in a while, Doc Martin (British show). I detest the reality shows. We had something wrong with our reception and it took us a couple of months to call for service. We cared so little...

Joy said...

@Miss Footloose, Glad to hear it. I'm just surprised by how many people still want to watch TV when they're abroad. There's so much to discover and explore!