Before I reached my rebellious, I'll-do-what-I-want phase, I had to follow the rules that were implemented at home. There weren't too many of them.. just some general curfew rules, and some about studies. I didn't have a problem with most of the rules. But the one rule I remember that irked me was the 'No-TV-on-weekdays' rule.
My father was always the anti-TV person at home. He believed that TV was a waste of time, especially for kids. He wanted my sister and me to do something "constructive" with our free time. He always told us to get out of the house, play something, try something new, do anything other than spending an hour in front of the TV. (He still says that, actually). And that was the time when IIT had just gotten many new channels on cable... Cartoon Network and Disney Channel were the new "thing" amongst the kids. And so, that 'No-TV-on-weekdays' rule really irked.
Then, when I grew past the age of having to follow the rules, I entered an obsessive TV-watching phase. I discovered the wonderful, wonderful world of downloaded episodes, fell in love with Patrick Dempsey and spent most of my after-class-10th vacations making my father hover on the brink of shouting at me by obsessively downloading and watching the entire series of Grey's Anatomy, among other shows. College in Singapore put a halt to my excessive downloading, but then the online streaming of Will and Grace and Two and A Half Men started.
After years of all this, I have, of course, realised that the world of TV-watching isn't as harmless as I had claimed when I argued with my father about his rules. I don't know whether all the violence on TV influences teenagers or not, or whether the "Western beliefs" showed on TV are infiltrating and corrupting my "Indian culture". I do, however, know that these TV shows can be highly depressing.
I don't generally wish that I had a guy as perfect as Derek Shepherd from Grey's Anatomy in my life, or go "Awwww...." when Derek and Meredith's legendary love overcomes all obstacles (such as Derek being married) in the show. It's not the love stories that make me jealous or melancholy. It's all the drama in TV series that I find depressing. I find myself wishing that my life had some of the constant drama that exists in Tree Hill or Seattle Grace Hospital. I want my life to be more interesting. I want something, anything, to happen!
That's why I think watching so much TV is bad for me. Not because it wastes a lot of time that would be better spent doing the work I have piled up, or because it gets me very involved in the lives of people that don't exist, but because the hectic and dramatic lives of those non-existent people makes me feel bored and unsatisfied with my own normal life.
4 comments:
You know what I just did before I logged into blog-reading? Checked for episode 19 of the fifth season of Grey's Anatomy :D
I discovered downloading after I came to Bombay. With my 10PM-6AM net connection, and a laptop that can be left on all night, it became a whole new world for me :D
My family had a no-TV on weekdays rule too, when I was small. My brother still watched TV on weekdays, but I always felt too guilty, even when I was past the rule stage, to watch much TV on scool days or college days.
I know! Even when the rules went away, I used to feel guilty every time I switched the TV on. :) And imagine the world without downloading... scary! Singapore apparently has all these laws and ways to monitor what I download and all, but I still download a little bit. :)
And isn't Grey's Anatomy just amazing? The new ep should be out to download now. ;)
Yus, it was indeed. :) I think I shall suffer withdrawal symptoms when the series ends! :P
Yes exactly, in some moments I can reveal that I agree with you, but you may be inasmuch as other options.
to the article there is quiet a suspect as you did in the fall efflux of this beg www.google.com/ie?as_q=1click dvd to ipod ?
I noticed the utter you have not used. Or you use the pitch-dark methods of helping of the resource. I possess a week and do necheg
Post a Comment