America is being pulled apart at the seams. It’s a technological balkanization. America has become a bizarro Babel.
In Babel, everyone was talking but nobody could understand each other. But in America it’s now the opposite. Nobody’s even allowed to talk because the main topic of what we talk most often about -television- is now off limits as a conversation point. Let’s face it folks, television has formed the foundation of 70 percent of my workplace conversations in my life and 90 percent of my good ones. And now we’re being silenced because there’s people who are three or four or even five episodes behind.
Nowadays, anyone says anything about what they watched on television and you get three people holding their hands over the ears, running in place, and screaming “lalalalalalaladon’tsayanotherwordaboutitbecauseIhaven’twatchedityet.”
January 4, 2012 at 6:04 am
I haven't watched it yet… and I never will! TURN IT OFF!
January 4, 2012 at 6:20 am
Funny…we got rid of TV…I mean got RID of programming, even the local stuff, and people look at me like I have two heads when it comes up (very frequently) in conversation. It is a conversation stopper. People don't know what to talk about otherwise, and it sort of makes me feel isolated, but the benefits of going without so far outweigh any awkward social interactions. Our kids talk to us, they teach themselves how to play musical instruments…and we all read more. Not a bad way to pass the time.
January 4, 2012 at 11:09 am
Yes, I get the "two heads" look when I tell people that I haven't been to a movie since 1993 (Jurassic Park).
January 4, 2012 at 5:37 pm
I would consider cancelling cable but it's where I get the only decent TV available: EWTN, of course, but also the cooking/fashion/home remodelling reality shows, as well as Dirty Jobs and the ilk showing how real people do real work.
They're not perfect, the language isn't great, and the oddest lifestyle is studiously accepted as nothing different, but compared to "Two And A Half Men" the competition-reality shows are practically Disney for adults.