As far as TV goes, we don’t have cable or satellite - just rabbit ears. Furthermore, only the wife and kids watch it. I am not exaggerating when I say I haven’t watched any TV in 8 years. None. Zip. Nada. Not even news or sports. Nothing.
American Idol? I’ve never seen it. Same goes for any “reality” TV show.
I just went to this page to find out what are the most popular TV shows are. Here are a few on the list and my comments:
House - Who’s house are they talking about? Have never seen it. Heroes - Is this a war show? Have never seen it. Prison Break - Who’s breaking out of prison? Have never seen it. Scrubs - Is this a doctor show? Have never seen it.
**Supernatural ** - Have never seen it. Avatar: The Last Airbender - What’s an Airbender? Have never seen it. Battlestar Galactica - Have never seen it. 24 - Twenty four… what? Twenty four beers? Have never seen it. The Office - Who’s office, and why is it so special? Have never seen it. How I Met Your Mother - Why do I care? Have never seen it. Lost - Who’s lost? Has a search party been called? Have never seen it.
Like I said, I’ve seen absolutely no TV for 8 years.
Many years ago–I guess eight years ago (!) I entered my English AP class with some trepidation. I had only been at that HS for a year at that point, and everybody in the class had Mrs. Fitzgerald for tenth grade English. So they all know the teacher, have a rapport with her, and I’m feeling a bit out of my depth.
She opened the class by talking about Survivor. I had no idea what she was talking about…but everybody else jumped into the conversation with enthusiasm. I guess that was the first season, when everybody was having Survivor parties, and Survivor fever was sweeping the nation. After some discussion, Mrs. Fitzgerald announced that the whole class could do an extra-credit assignment. Based on Survivor.
Maybe I shouldn’t be bitter now, nearly a decade and 2 degrees later, that I didn’t get to participate in that assignment, but I am bitter, damnit. Why did she just assume that everybody watched that dumb show? I didn’t even know what that dumb show was!
I never heard of Harry Potter until my sophomore year of college. By then, I felt I was too far outside the demographic to enjoy the books. When I heard what the books were about, I decided I was never in the demographics. So I never read it and didn’t even know they existed until half the series was over.
I didn’t even know what American Idol was until one of the latter seasons. But as with Harry Potter, I realized that I was never in the right demographics for that one.
Just never heard of it before, really. In retrospect, I could remember catching garbled bits here and there and wondering what the hell that was all about. I’ll also reveal that I fell asleep at the theater during the original Star Wars, and haven’t seen another one at all. Just didn’t keep up with it. Don’t know Yoda from Princess Whatever.
I think the second or third Harry Potter book was out before I realized Harry Potter was not the author. It’s just that they have Harry Potter in big bold letters so how was I to know any better?
On review, I’m not so certain that I’m all that far off.
Plenty of people have mentioned not having cellphones, or only using them for clocks or alarms or what have you. I just have more of a reason for not having one. That being that I strongly dislike the trend to be chained to a phone 24/7, as if you need to be available every time Sally Shortbrain wants to chat you up.
Games? I played PBM games back when they were big, I’ve played D&D for 30 years. I was a computer programmer for 20 years. But I’ve never played a MMOG. It’s wierd. But plenty of others have mentioned the same.
I mentioned TV shows that many others have mentioned.
Shaved Heads, Tatoos, Goatees? They’re just The Style of the 00’s, and on my end, I think they look funny and are going to be seriously dated and passe’ in another 10 years time. I’ve been pressured to adopt them and I’m just not interested. I don’t think I’m any more wrong for mentioning that I dislike them than anyone else would be wrong for wondering how people in the 70’s could be into wide ties, loud shirts and big hair.
Let me attempt to explain. I did not start this thread so that people could discuss the things they disdain and have avoided. I started it so that people could discuss the things that passed them by. That a few people have come in to brag about the things they’re above is not my fault, and I’m just trying to keep that off topic stuff to a minimum. There are plenty of threads where you can go and talk about how lame everything is and why you avoid it–that isn’t the point of this thread so I’m asking you to not do that here. Don’t use the fact that other people have gone off topic as some sort of justification, that’s just sad.
I think this is what you mean, OpalCat? There are a lot – a lot of TV shows that have become very popular when I wasn’t looking (literally) and by the time I heard about them and thought, “Well, that sounds interesting, maybe I should watch that,” they had been on long enough that I felt out of the loop and didn’t think I could catch up. So I never really started watching. It wasn’t a case of thinking I was too sophisticated or something.
So as a result, I have never seen any of the following shows: LA Law, Hill Street Blues, Thirtysomething, Desperate Housewives, St. Elsewhere, X Files, any of the CSIs, Law & Order, Sopranos . . . so many more. A friend once told me how much he liked Six Feet Under and urged me to watch . . . but it was in the fifth or so season already. I borrowed Season 1 from the library and watched the first couple of episodes and did like it very much, but I knew I would never have time to watch the whole thing and get all caught up. So I didn’t.
Also, I don’t download music; I think I would like to have a device to do that (MP3? what are they called?) but I don’t know how they work and I think I would be spending too much time looking for stuff I can’t find. So I guess that’s passed me by.
It’s a contest they have every year to decide which company has the best commercial. To keep you from passing out from too much laughing (at both the good ones and the bad ones) they usually show a really bad football game between the groups of commercials. This also gives you time to go get another beer, or more food.
Glad I could help.
Yes exactly. Things that you didn’t have time to check out or weren’t aware of until they’d become some huge thing that everyone but you knew about/was into. So then you sit around feeling dumb when your friends are all talking about whatever it is that you’re out of the loop on, etc.
I didn’t want this thread to become a “oh, that looked stupid so I avoided it” thing, which a few people seem determined to make it into. If it keeps going that way I’ll just ask a mod to close it. We’ve had enough of that other kind of thread and don’t need another.
I’m not sure you can take the high ground when the first hijack in this thread was you arguing with someone who said he didn’t get texting.
I also stand by my answer of cell phones as a famous piece of popular culture that has passed me by. I wouldn’t know how to take a picture with a camera, how to text, connect to the internet or any number of things 95% of the population seems to be able to do blindfolded and take utterly for granted. And the looks one gets when you admit you don’t have a cell…
I never argued with someone who said he didn’t get texting, I explained it to someone who said they didn’t understand the point. Rather big difference.
I never saw Reservoir Dogs because when I saw the trailer of a bunch of gangsters going around L.A. in black suits with narrow black ties I just rolled my eyes. If you want to make fantasy, then make fantasy. If you want to make reality, then make reality. But make up your damn mind which you’re trying to do.
But I did see Pulp Fiction (it was on cable late at night, and I couldn’t sleep), and it was okay, but they still did that black suit and narrow black tie thing–only they had to disrobe and wear beach ware, which I guess was a kind of restitution.
But what really turned me off was that awful film–From Dusk to Dawn–and the time I went to the Universal Amphitheater to buy ticket for Carlos Vives, only to have the guy in front of me in line (who was a Tarantino gofer picking up tickets for a Carly Simon concert) ask: “How do you spell ‘Tarantino’.” I should have said, “You idiot, you don’t even know how to spell your boss’s name. Or maybe you think I’m impressed that you’re picking up tickets for Quentin Tarantino. Well, I’m not, so just get the tickets and get out of the way. And your boss likes Carly Simon!!!”
You mean you actually watched it? And stayed through the whole thing. You have a strong stomach.
I can’t think of many things that have totally passed me by in the way OpalCat means. Inevitably there are lots of TV series I’ve not seen, computer games I’ve not played, and pop stars I don’t recognise but in most cases I recognise the names and in a lot I would have some idea what they were about - if nothing else from reading all the threads on the SDMB.
Mind you, I would be way more insular if it wasn’t Miss Marcus and Marcus Junior. Over the years they’ve introduced me to everything from Fergie’s Humps to The Wire!
Jeez, I just thought of a bunch more stuff that’s passed me by. Mostly because I’m poor.
Starbucks, Wii (which I think I would love, such a happy name - Weee!), X-Box 360, MP3 players, photoshop, acrylic fingernails (which I would not have loved), straightening my hair, tooth whitening (some people’s look like Chicklets to me nowadays, but I wouldn’t mind mine being a shade or two whiter), the sweatpants/shorts with logo across the ass (are those gone?), kick-boxing and many, many more.
A few of these I might like/have liked, but some of them I’m glad to have given a miss.
As mentioned above, some TV shows or fads I only know about by living vicariously through other Dopers, but I can at least claim a basic awareness.
Also Sex and the City, but as far as I can tell, I’m not sorry about that.
I just turned 23. I’ve always lived in a suburban, lower-upper-middle class environment. In theory, I should have played every popular video game ever made.
But, get this. I have never played any Zelda game
I don’t know. It just passed me by. I have no excuse.
I’ve never seen Friends or Everybody Loves Raymond (don’t tell me who I love!)
I have a cell phone but don’t carry it around. Stays in my car mostly. I’ve sent probably 2 text messages ever. I’m more likely to send e-mail to a cell phone than type words on a number pad.
Don’t give a crap about Mac computers. Sure I’d like to relearn how to do every mundane system task, and pay about twice as much for the privledge. And hunt for compatible software.
And going back a little farther, I’ve never seen movies like Casablanca or It’s a Wonderful Life.
I’ve never owned an import car with a fart-can muffler and yellow stickers.
I missed hot pants. I was over seas and by the time I got back the style had completely passed. On the plus side I was on a tropical island in the Western Pacific where all the women were topless, but still I do feel the loss of that clothing fad. I mean, boobs are all well and good, but I am a bottom and leg man.
I found the show incredibly boring. The jokes were stale, and were not as good as “Seinfelt”. Yet, many of my office mates seemed to love the show-which left me scratching my head-why would anyone want to watch a bunch of whiney, borderline-mentally-retarded people?
Exactly. I saw this show exactly once – I was in the hospital and had spent the night in intensive care. When I was released to a regular room and finally felt strong enough to lift the remote control, I turned on the TV and Friends was on. I had never seen it, so I thought, “what the hell.” I was so disgusted. These people were awful! Who the hell would want to be friends with them? As I recall the whole plot was they were trying to throw some kind of party and trick somebody else into paying for it. Repulsive. Never again.
