# Turn the TV OFF! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 9, 2003, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-the-tv-off/187272 "2003-07-09T17:08:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DogMom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9c0ed/32.png) [@DogMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DogMom)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-the-tv-off/187272/21 "2003-07-09T19:50:12Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Trion \* > \*\* As if reading the latest Xanth book is better than Masterpiece Theatre_\* Well, yeah. But then again, it seems like every time I _try_ to watch MT, it’s something I hate. So - there you go. Yep, I’ll read the latest Xanth any day of the week. > [@](#): > > And if we’re gonna make value judgements about media forms, where does my collection of comic books fit in? Depends…how do you feel about Xanth? 😉 > [@](#): > > All I know for sure is that _Wuther Heights_ is ass in text form. > > 😃 \*\* yeah, I’d have to agree. And I’m not trying to say that reading is the end-all, be-all of input, either. But I can’t tell you how many people I’ve encountered that seem to think that TV is the ONLY method of getting information, being entertained, etc. - and who seem not only astonished, but APPALLED, that there are these PRINT THINGIES (books, newspapers) that you can get information from and be entertained by. I mean, why would you go to ALL THAT TROUBLE when you can just see what Jerry Springer has to say? :dubious: And then there’s the whole “go to someone’s house and have to shout over the TV that’s on because they can’t turn it off _even though_ they’ve said they don’t like the show,” as mentioned by **Wang-Ka**. Sorry for hitting a hot button…it just really bugs me that some people seem to assume that books don’t exist anymore or something. (finished Harry Potter #5 in a day, by the way. Couldn’t put it down. Mundungus is a hoot.) ---
**Author:** ![Catsmeow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Catsmeow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catsmeow)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-the-tv-off/187272/22 "2003-07-09T19:53:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Trion \* > \*\* As if reading the latest Xanth book is better than _Masterpiece Theatre_. > \*\* Isn’t that like comparing apples and bananas?😉 IMHO Xanth is a much better choice than Masterpiece Theater…even though I really _like_ MP. 😃 However, I agree with the original meaning of DogMom’s post…if you don’t like what’s on, don’t sit around bitching about it…turn the freakin’ crap off! ---
**Author:** ![Trion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Trion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trion)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-the-tv-off/187272/23 "2003-07-09T20:02:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DogMom \* > \*\* > (finished Harry Potter #5 in a day, by the way. Couldn’t put it down. Mundungus is a hoot.) \*\* Well, sure. I coulda done that. But the TV’s not gonna watch itself. From **Catsmeow** : > [@](#): > > IMHO Xanth is a much better choice than Masterpiece Theater…even though I really _like_ MP. Maybe we could combine them for you. We could have a Victorian costume drama with a heavy emphasis on children’s underpants. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-the-tv-off/187272/24 "2003-07-09T20:04:48Z")
Leaving the TV on as background is like whistling, and clipping your fingernails, and picking your nose\*–fine when you are alone but quite likely to annoy a significant proportion of companions. \*No, I didn’t mean at the same time, but go ahead if it makes you happy. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-the-tv-off/187272/25 "2003-07-09T20:31:41Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by DogMom_ > Well, yeah. But then again, it seems like every time I try to watch MT, it’s something I hate. So - there you go. Yep, I’ll read the latest Xanth any day of the week. I think you just lost the right to criticize how other people spend their time. Why the hell do you waste your time with that Piers Anthony crap, when there’s so much quality programming you could be watching? ---
**Author:** ![Tanaqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Tanaqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tanaqui)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-the-tv-off/187272/26 "2003-07-09T20:55:31Z")
I’ve always found this habit strange too. My mother had a **Thing** about TV. She never censored us in other ways, but when I was a kid, we were allowed exactly 1/2 hour of television per day, usually some kid’s show she had recorded earlier. As we got older, she became a lot more casual about it, but the damage, so to speak, was already done. I used to go to my friend’s houses and be amazed. The television(s) were constantly on and they could watch anything they wanted! The shock! The amazement! The horror! I remember we’d wander on in to a friend’s house after playing outside all day and the television would be just playing there with no one even watching it. I never understood it at all. I have to admit, I still don’t. I understand needing voices sometimes when you’re alone in the house, but I have music for that. I’m not trying to rant or critisize anyone about this, because I could care less what other people do in that regard–I’m just expressing my amazement. I’m actually really thankful for my mother’s Spartan tendencies (she also allowed very little junk food, soda pop, fast food etc.) I think the lack of all these things in childhood make me appreciate being able to indulge in these vices occasionally as an adult all the more. ---
**Author:** ![japatlgt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df705f/32.png) [@japatlgt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/japatlgt)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-the-tv-off/187272/27 "2003-07-09T21:51:41Z")
Television is the root of all evil. Where might we be today without it? Better educated? Less neurotic? More sane? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-the-tv-off/187272/28 "2003-07-09T22:33:50Z")
Bored stiff? ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-the-tv-off/187272/29 "2003-07-09T22:40:38Z")
My husband will turn the set on as soon as he comes in the door. His mother is the same way - she used to have it on all day whether she was watching or not. I turn it on when I want to watch something. I do use the TV in the bedroom as an alarm clock, tho. I’m awakened by the news, and it’s a bit more insistent than the gentle classical sounds of NPR at 4:50 AM. ---
**Author:** ![Elza\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Elza\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elza_B)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-the-tv-off/187272/30 "2003-07-09T23:36:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by cher3 \* > \*_Leaving the TV on as background is like whistling, and clipping your fingernails, and picking your nose_–fine when you are alone but quite likely to annoy a significant proportion of companions. > > \*No, I didn’t mean at the same time, but go ahead if it makes you happy. \*\* You know, I’ve been trying to figure out for ages now how to describe what English saddle is like when riding to my boyfriend (He thinks you just sit in the saddle and ride - he doesn’t understand that it takes your entire body, so I’ve been describing it as patting your head and rubbing your tummy, only more involved), but I think you just gave me the perfect analogy:D. **DogMom** , I get what you’re saying now. I do leave the television on as background ALL the time - I come home from work and turn it on, and it typically doesn’t go off until I wake up the next morning. But I rarely have on shows I dislike - if there’s nothing on network television (which there very often isn’t), I put on HGTV or the Travel Channel or the Food Network. I adore documentaries on the History Channel, and I’ve even been known to put on authors on C-SPAN to listen to them. But usually, at best, I’m paying 25% attention to them. And I do read constantly - people at work laugh at me because I usually come in with a different book every day. My boyfriend is very similar - probably why we get along so well:). My mom is one of those people who will watch things even if she hates them. Luckily, though, she has a TiVo, so she just watches her soaps from that day if she’s really bored. But it bothers me to walk downstairs and hear her complaining about “For Love or Money” like last night and not bother to change the channel or turn the television off if she dislikes it so much. Ava ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-the-tv-off/187272/31 "2003-07-09T23:50:14Z")
Originally posted by **Zenster** > [@](#): > > Fear not, DogMom, mine’s been off for almost two years now. I’m going to take a picture of my dust caked remote for posterity. **Zenster** , is it possible, in any way, shape or form, for me to start a religion based on you?? My husband is driving me NUTS with his TV watching. If he’s home, it’s on. If I’m reading a book, he’s constantly telling me, “Put on Channel (whatever) - you gotta see this!” If I’m listening to music, he not only turns MY TV on, but then cranks the volume. God, all I wanted to listen to was a little Collective Soul and the good Lord knows there are TV’s all over the house, but he has to watch the one right where the stereo is. Because he’s “comfortable there”. At night, it’s constant flickering and I can’t get to sleep. But the minute I turn it off when I come in the bedroom, he’s full awake and all over of the “Hey - I was WATCHING that” bit - yeah, while you were snoring. Watch this, buddy, as I toss this remote control right out the bedroom window. (God, I wish.) The 2U family leaves the house for a get together at relatives, he leaves the TV on. For Dog2U to watch. Next, he’s going to teach her how to program the freakin’ VCR. Oh, and when he’s in the middle of his “tube time” (24/7), on top of it, he’s got his scanner going at the same time, so every time something remotely interesting is on the scanner, we go through the “Mute It” dance. Goddamn remote controls and portable phones - he lines them up on the table he sits at and calls them his “cabinet”. I’m gonna give him a “cabinet” if he doesn’t chill out with the TV crap - a cabinet to LIVE IN. He wonders why I come upstairs…to the relative serenity of homework and working late. :rolleyes: **DogMom** , You Rock. Sincerely. Just plain old Rock. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Rasa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rasa/32/3578_2.png) [@Rasa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rasa)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-the-tv-off/187272/32 "2003-07-10T00:52:34Z")
Like **ava** and **Trion** , I’ll read a book every few days, with the TV on. It’s just there in place of silence or music. I too keep it on CNN or MSNBC or TechTV or somesuch. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Trion \* > \*\*…And, odd as it may seem, I still manage to read. I managed the latest Harry Potter in under a week. Last night I finished _Put a Lid On It_ by Donald E. Westlake and today I’m starting on George R. R. Martin’s _A Clash of Kings_. \*\* Apropos of nothing, I read _A Game of Thrones_ and enjoyed it but couldn’t make it through _A Clash of Kings_. It was too grim and dense for me or something. I hate starting a book and not finishing it so I’ll re-read it eventually but it’s been so long since I picked it up that I have to go back and re-read it and I loathed the beginning! Just MHO, not to turn you off to it! Back to the OP: I think my “TV always on even when I’m not watching” is partly subconscious rebellion against my parents. When I was a kid, we watched very very little TV–we were read to, or read, or played. I’m glad for this, as I developed a love for reading at an early age. The only TV I watched as a kid was Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers and Electric Company really. It wasn’t till high school really that I started watching actual TV shows, and my TV always on started when I moved out on my own. Ok so maybe I’m just making up excuses to not feel like a freak for keeping my TV on for background noise so I don’t feel lonely. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mullets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/aeb1de/32.png) [@John\_Mullets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mullets)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-the-tv-off/187272/33 "2003-07-10T00:58:46Z")
Okay, I think I have to talk about my dad now. I don’t want to badmouth him, he has a shitty job, he has to do TONS of work but he just drives me fucking insane with his TV watching bullshit. He starts at 6:00-6:30PM and goes all the way from 2:00-4:00AM, watching stuff HE DOESN’T ENJOY! Just turn it off. ---
**Author:** ![Kallessa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7993a0/32.png) [@Kallessa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kallessa)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-the-tv-off/187272/34 "2003-07-10T01:18:01Z")
If you read many books, you are considered well-read. I watch a lot of TV, so I’m well-viewed. As with books, I am a discriminating watcher, but, just as I don’t make excuses for sometimes reading junky novels or quickie biographies, I don’t make excuses for watching some dumb TV. I almost always read while I watch TV, or do logic puzzles. If there is nothing I want to watch, it stays on as background noise because I am too lazy to get up to turn on the stereo (although I sometimes turn the TV to one of the 30 music channels). The issue isn’t whether the TV is on or off, but rather allowing yourself to be bored when there are so many ways to entertain yourself. If I said I was reading a perfectly dreadful book (that bored me to tears) because it was the only book in the house, then someone would be justified in telling me to stop reading the book and do something else. If TV is boring, stop watching and do something else. But you can still leave to TV on. ---
**Author:** ![lezlers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@lezlers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lezlers)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-the-tv-off/187272/35 "2003-07-10T03:36:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kallessa \* > \*\* I almost always read while I watch TV, or do logic puzzles. \*\* I can never do that! I’m one of those people who only has the TV on when I’m watching something. I don’t mind silence at all, in fact, I rather enjoy it. If I’m reading something I CANNOT have the TV on. To me, it’s distracting. I’ve never been able to “tune out” the sound of the TV, it’s jarring to me. Sure, I’ll leaf through a magazine during commercials, but as far as actually _reading_ something? No way. I can’t have the radio on when I’m reading either. When I’m on the boards? Silence. My stepdad is one of those “tv for background noise” people and it drives my poor mom nuts. I don’t think I’ve ever been in their house and not seen the TV on. The first thing my mom does when he leaves the house (which is rare, he’s retired) is RUN to turn the TV off. She can’t stand it. **Dogmom** : this thread inspired me to go take a walk! Seriously, I just got back home. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Kallessa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7993a0/32.png) [@Kallessa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kallessa)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-the-tv-off/187272/36 "2003-07-10T03:44:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lezlers \* > \*\*! > > I’m one of those people who only has the TV on when I’m watching something. \*\* I grew up this way–we all did our homework in front of the TV. When I went to law school, I used to read my criminal law assignments while watching football. The mayhem on the field was a nice counterpoint to the violence in the court cases. I find it difficult to read or write without noise–my co-workers know I’ve gotten serious about writing a brief when the music from my office gets loud! The more I need to concentrate, the more I need a background noise, although for heavy studying or writing, music works better than TV. Silence is for meditation, relaxation and dreaming. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-the-tv-off/187272/37 "2003-07-10T03:47:23Z")
I have to chime in with my “me toos” too! Jim is much more of a tv watcher than I am - he is of the “turn it on when you get up and off when you go to bed” variety (in all fairness, he’s a sports nut, so most of it is sports stuff). I’m sitting here putzing around on the computer with almost no noise at all in the house - and I LIKE IT! It’s so peaceful. It soothes me after a day of talking and laughing and working and driving and stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Trigonal\_Planar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/0ea827/32.png) [@Trigonal\_Planar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trigonal_Planar)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-the-tv-off/187272/38 "2003-07-10T04:17:29Z")
Well, I too am one of those people who has the TV on basically all the time. I have a video card that lets me watch TV on my computer - this thing is the devil (or a godsend, as I see it!). I can sit here reading the SDMB, browsing da’ web, etc, all with the little TV window opened up in the corner. Its just so great! 😃 I’m also a long-time TV multitasker: I’ll sit infront of the TV reading, doing homework, etc. I find it makes the time pass more quickly. I also find the silence very sleep-inducing when I’m reading; the TV helps keep my attention active and focused. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-the-tv-off/187272/39 "2003-07-10T05:04:27Z")
You know, I actually do some work in front of the TV, too. Especially homework or other stuff for my college classes. Usually just whatever’s on The History Channel (“Watch The Same Stock Footage, But There’s New Narration!”). I don’t know why, but I don’t focus well in complete silence. But reading a regular book, no TV. ---
**Author:** ![DogMom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9c0ed/32.png) [@DogMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DogMom)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-the-tv-off/187272/40 "2003-07-10T13:30:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lezlers \* > \*\*I can never do that! > > I’m one of those people who only has the TV on when I’m watching something. I don’t mind silence at all, in fact, I rather enjoy it. If I’m reading something I CANNOT have the TV on. To me, it’s distracting. \*\* YES! That’s something else altogether! if there’s something on I _hate_, and DogDad loves, I’ll go into another room to read my book or whatever. Because I simply _cannot_ tune out the TV, and I in fact wind up watching the wretched show. And to **Miller** , I do agree there is a large amount of quality programming on. However, it’s not on all the time, and just as there are “junk programs” that people watch just for entertainment, so do I read the Xanth novels just for “mind candy”. I’ve quite a bit of “quality programming” on my bookshelves, as well. The whole point was, if there’s nothing on you _want to have on_ then the solution is simple: \*\* turn it off\*\* instead of sitting and griping about the lack of “quality programming”. Just like if I don’t like the book I’m reading, or the CD I’m listening to, or the newspaper I’ve got, or the thread I’m reading, I _go to a different one_. > [@](#): > > **Dogmom** : this thread inspired me to go take a walk! Seriously, I just got back home. 😃 Glad to be of service! 🙂 CurrentDog is Currently Peeved since it’s been storming here for the last almost-week, so he’s gotten his Daily Walk only…mm…two or three times in the past week. We’re hoping for better weather tonight so he can get a full-length Daily Walk today. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-the-tv-off/187272.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-the-tv-off/187272.md?page=3)