I have a new favourite game! It involves walking through our shopping centre and being accosted by the salesman for "Sky," whose opening gambit is always,
"hello sir, have YOU got Sky?" *(satellite TV company)
to which I reply, "er ... no!"
He immediately launches into a pitch extolling the virtues of the whole Sky package and I innocently ask a very relevant question?
"Will this work given that I don't have a TV?"
... and here's the fun bit, watching someone trying to comprehend someone not having a TV and struggling (but failing) to imagine that this is possible.
Last night I happened to catch a few minutes of TV at someone's house and was painfully reminded that the "drug of the nation" is still not for me and I remain in agreement with John Stott ("TV makes people: physically lazy, intellectually uncritical, emotionally insensitive, psychologically confused and morally disordered")
Ok, maybe that's over stating the case a little as there are some great programmes, BUT the self important, sound-bite driven, speculation fuelled, posturing and blatant judgemental voyeurism of TV does annoy me ..... more than a little!
So, I REALLY enjoyed Charlie Brookers' dissection of the mechanics of a news report!
Furthermore I'd like "24 Hour News" to be made to entitle themselves more accurately as "Endless speculation!"
My parents never had a TV, so I grew up without one. My dad was often annoyed by the letters from the the TV licensing people, that were worded as if he was a fiendish criminal.
Sadly my wife and I do now have one, but thinking back, I don't think we've switched it on for about a month!
Chris,
good to hear from you
My fav' letter so far said, "you do not appear to have a TV license"
to which I wrote, "we do not appear to have a TV!"
Brilliant video. I agree with you though, I got so much more work done last year when I didn't have a tv in halls. Saying that, as we're now one of the few houses that does have one, our house becomes very sociable when the rugby or doctor who is on, even if people do talk all the way through whatever we're watching. And it is nice to be able to crash out in front of it occasionally. Takes the place of the baths you seem to be so fond of Ian...