# Life without TV **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 1, 2014, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294 "2014-02-01T19:14:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294/41 "2014-02-03T19:26:02Z")
> [@The\_Mad\_Hermit](#): > > I’m currently stuck without most TV; all I can get is what Dish runs free (wife stopped paying the bill to punish me.) The silence is what gets to me the most. I find I actually miss the commercials even, since the house is even more empty since my cat died. Living alone without TV sucks. You live alone yet your wife cut off the tv? Where does your wife live? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294/42 "2014-02-03T19:37:05Z")
How can one feel superior over choosing the internet over television? The internet has more commercials, unregulated porn and viruses that can infect your $2000 machine and turn it into a brick. When was the last time a television commercial locked up your television until you sent that sponsor a wad of cash to get it going again? ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294/43 "2014-02-03T19:38:30Z")
> [@tim-n-va](#): > > You are not the only one but generally non-TV watchers are second only to ex-smokers in the sanctimonious Olympics. I’m sure you aren’t but that could explain the looks. That’s the reason some people don’t own tvs. So they can tell everyone that they don’t, ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294/44 "2014-02-03T20:24:25Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > How can one feel superior over choosing the internet over television? You answered your own question. > [@](#): > > unregulated porn I can not get free unregulated porn on my tv. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294/45 "2014-02-03T23:21:55Z")
> [@This\_Just\_In\_2](#): > > ‘Giving up TV’ is no big deal because there are so many alternatives now - primarily the internet to satisfy entertainment needs. The OP states that they ‘play on the computer’ as an example. > > Life tip to the OP - people love talking about things that interest themselves. If you appear interested in the stories they tell (about celebrities, TV shows or any other topic) they probably won’t be looking at you like you have a horn on your head. Don’t mention your no-TV thing unless the conversation is actually about how many TV’s people own. Just say ‘I haven’t caught that show - sounds cool, what is it about?’ Why should s/he do that? Why not just say, “No, I don’t watch t.v.”? Because some people will automatically assume s/he is being sanctimonious, self-righteous, etc.? Are we really going to assume this person is the one who is being judgmental, because of a lack of interest in celebrity gossip? ---
**Author:** ![LibrarySpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f9ae1b/32.png) [@LibrarySpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LibrarySpy)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294/46 "2014-02-04T00:44:49Z")
> [@ktribe808](#): > > Its just when folks are discussing this famous celebrity or a particular show that I look like an idiot. But this doesn’t come from TV exclusively. This comes from reading magazines, reading the newspaper, reading the news online, talking to people at the watercooler. Buzzfeed. The same places you get your recipes and gardening tips, most likely. I’m not saying you have to start following this stuff, or that you’re missing out on anything, but you’re isolating yourself from “culture” far more than just not watching TV. Like **Left Hand of Dorkness** , I found benefits to plugging myself into the Matrix. You may not. But it has nothing to do with not having a TV. > [@Spud](#): > > I fill my time while not reading watching TV, running a puppy mill, eating fast food, and smoking. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![This\_Just\_In\_2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@This\_Just\_In\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/This_Just_In_2)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294/47 "2014-02-04T03:50:52Z")
> [@j666](#): > > Why should s/he do that? Why not just say, “No, I don’t watch t.v.”? Because some people will automatically assume s/he is being sanctimonious, self-righteous, etc.? > > Are we really going to assume this person is the one who is being judgmental, because of a lack of interest in celebrity gossip? Well he doesn’t have to, but he is the one saying the people he is talking to look at him like he has a horn growing on his head. He just might be doing something wrong. The way I read the OP it sounds like his response when others bring up TV shows is akin to someone dismissively saying “I never go outside” when someone brings up the weather. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Mad\_Hermit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5ac83/32.png) [@The\_Mad\_Hermit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Mad_Hermit)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294/48 "2014-02-04T03:54:15Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > You live alone yet your wife cut off the tv? Where does your wife live? Not here. We’ve been separated for some time now. It’s a long story, but she still takes care of the utilities, since I’m on disability. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294/49 "2014-02-04T04:59:20Z")
Simple statement: I do not watch commercial television. I own a 15 yr old set used exclusively as a playback medium for DVD and occasional VHS. Now, tell me ho obnoxious and sanctimonious I am. I worry more about those whose sole contribution to the threads is to condemn others for being different. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294/50 "2014-02-04T15:49:59Z")
I mindlessly surf the net for hours, so I don’t have time for TV. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294/51 "2014-02-04T16:37:27Z")
> [@usedtobe](#): > > Simple statement: > > I do not watch commercial television. > I own a 15 yr old set used exclusively as a playback medium for DVD and occasional VHS. > > Now, tell me ho obnoxious and sanctimonious I am. > > I worry more about those whose sole contribution to the threads is to condemn others for being different. Your contribution is fine as you didn’t have to tell everyone about how tv is nothing but crap and you’d rather do something else productive. You stated the facts only. If OP had just done that I’m sure there wouldn’t have been the same responses. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2014, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294/52 "2014-02-04T23:40:16Z")
When I’ve just said “I don’t have a TV” or now “I don’t watch TV”, I have often been accused of being sanctimonious. That’s why I came up with the responses posted above. Self-preservation. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294/53 "2014-02-05T00:34:32Z")
> [@This\_Just\_In\_2](#): > > Well he doesn’t have to, but he is the one saying the people he is talking to look at him like he has a horn growing on his head. He just might be doing something wrong. > > The way I read the OP it sounds like his response when others bring up TV shows is akin to someone dismissively saying “I never go outside” when someone brings up the weather. Yeah, but I don’t get that. The only snarky thing the OP said was about celebrity gossip. Do you indulge? I don’t. In fact, no-one at my workplace does. Okay, what if the OP had come in here talking about being treated as a freak for not watching Fox News? People would be tripping over themselves to recommend getting a new job. ---
**Author:** ![Zago](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecccb3/32.png) [@Zago](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zago)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294/54 "2014-02-05T01:21:31Z")
From the time I left home for college until about 15 years later I didn’t own a tv. I didn’t mind especially since I was so busy studying in school and then when I graduated and got a job I went out pretty much every night. If I was at loose ends I went for a bike ride or picked up a book. I was fine then… Once I got tv I was able to get by without cable at first, then I signed up for cable **and I succumbed.** I watch too much but mostly I think about all the bad effects watching tv has had on me and how different I was when I didn’t watch. In spite of some really clever programming we have out there these days, the most common variety tv program and advertising is sort of toxic. I still watch (way too much) but am toying with cutting off my cable. You see, I think\*\*\* I was a better person \*\*\*before I started watching. I never cared about other people’s viewing habits, it is/was _ **about my own well being** _. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294/55 "2014-02-05T01:46:04Z")
> [@Spud](#): > > I fill my time while not reading watching TV, running a puppy mill, eating fast food, and smoking. This cracked me up! ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294/56 "2014-02-05T02:23:00Z")
I have TVs; lots of 'em. Want one? We gave up our cable a couple of years ago and now have 7 paperweights/dust magnets; one in just about every room of the house. We have an early 1990s-era floor model RCA TV that weighs over 400 lbs that still functions perfectly and is able to pull in over-the-air stations, but is practically useless. It’s the first TV my wife and I bought new. Tried to sell it a few years ago, but no one wanted to come pick it up. We don’t watch scheduled, broadcast media anymore. It’s funny, because at one point we were addicted to TV; during the heyday of VCRs, we used to record many programs and went through VHS tapes like water. We also had memberships with at least 2 video rental shops. Then, when TiVo came out, we were early adopters and 86d our VCRs so quickly you would have thought we never had them. Now, not only do we not watch TV, we don’t buy DVD movies either, which we were also hot on for a few years. At this point, I’d say that at least 95 percent of our media consumption is internet-based, and we don’t need TVs for that. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294/57 "2014-02-05T02:34:02Z")
I can’t go to all the hockey games and baseball games I would like to see, so I guess I have to have a TV. By the way, I had a little bet with myself about the join date of the OP. I won. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294/58 "2014-02-05T06:11:08Z")
True 'dat. Have you seen the price of tickets? And I gotta see my Pens. > [@ktribe808](#): > > I haven’t watched TV in years. I simply got tired of corporate and government-driven TV and I have absolutely no problem filling my time or being entertained. I run a private animal sanctuary, garden, read, play on the computer, experiment with new recipes, etc. I really don’t care if other people watch TV, I simply chose not to. > > The only time I have a problem is when I am at social events and people start talking about celebrities (like I care) or TV shows. Then I have to admit that I have no idea about who or what they are talking about. When I share that I do not watch TV, I get these looks like I have a horn growing out of my head or something. Surely I am not the only person on the planet who isn’t glued to the TV set! Somebody tell me that I am not the only one! I think the key phrase is “like I care”. That’s not about having a tv, that’s about being a snob. I don’t know about a lot of celebrities, and I watch TV. Not watching TV doesn’t make you a better (or worse) person, Statements like the one above, however, do make you look judgemental, and THAT’S the reason why people often look at “I don’t own a TV” types as being snotty. Besides, it’s not like there aren’t actually GOOD things about TV – my parents remember seeing the moon landing, and I remember when I was a kid and the Berlin Wall fell and seeing footage of it on the news. It’s not a choice between Shakespeare and the Kardashians – it can also be a choice between “Citizen Kane” and _Twilight_. 😉 (BTW, if you watch shows on the internet, that counts as TV, people.) ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294/59 "2014-02-05T08:27:21Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > (BTW, if you watch shows on the internet, that counts as TV, people.) Oh my god yes. And DVDs too. I can’t tell you the number of people that come into the library, check out stacks of full season DVD sets and then tell me, “I never watch _TV_, so much garbage” ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294/60 "2014-02-05T15:00:37Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > (BTW, if you watch shows on the internet, that counts as TV, people.) I disagree. Watching a program on a television counts as TV because it is. How does watching a program on an internet-enabled device that is not a television count as TV? Is YouTube TV? Is Netflix TV? Is Hulu TV? (Is Hulu still a thing?) Is a Roku box TV? Perhaps you’re saying that any media that was originally broadcast for television is TV regardless of the device that is used to access it, but then I think I still disagree. If I watch a program on my tablet that was last broadcast for TV 20 years ago, I don’t consider that I am watching TV. As well, if you’re saying that any program, without regard to whether or not it was ever broadcast for TV, counts as TV, then obviously we are working with completely different definitions of TV. For example, does a live sporting event count as TV if I access it online even if it is not broadcast for television? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294.md?page=4)