broke the bonds and loosed the chains

Pauly:

If more Americans read books every night instead of watching TV, we'd live in a more productive society. If more Americans watched the news and read real newspapers and magazines, instead of crappy programs like American Idol, then I'm confident that George Bush would not be our president. But heck, that's what our leaders really want deep down... a mindless, uneducated populous that will work 40 hours a week so they can earn enough money to buy things to keep them distracted from the evil deeds that our leaders and suits in Fortune 500 companies are conducting everyday under your noses.

Amen. It's interesting to think of turning off the television and being less of a consumer as an act of rebellion, but I think Pauly has a valid point, at the very least worthy of consideration if not action. I know how happy and free I feel after cleaning a bunch of needless stuff out my house (and life) recently, and since I'm not completely overwhelmed by stuff that is ultimately not that important, I feel like I can address various mental and spiritual aspects of my life that need attention, now that I'm not constantly battling with a huge pile of material bullshit on a daily basis.

I've been making an effort to turn off the TV, walk away from the Internets, turn on the radio, and read lots of books. It's nothing heady -- I just finished Monster Island, and I'm in the first third of Cell -- but I agree with Pauly. Reading activates and nourishes a different part of my brain than watching TV, even if it's not Hemmingway or Feynman or something weighty. It also makes me want to write more, which is something I sorely need.

I've also made an effort over the last few weeks to unplug, and get out of the house every day, even if it's just out into my yard, or my patio garden. Anne and I have been getting out of the house and walking like crazy, in preparation for the marathon this weekend (you can still sponsor our team here), and though we're down to the "easy" six mile walks this week (we're just tuning up to walk a half marathon, instead of running a full one, remember), it's still great to get out of the house and breathe deeply for a couple of hours every morning. All the flowers in our neighborhood are in bloom, too, so it's almost like walking through the best flower shop in the world, but it's also filled with birds and those really friendly people who get up early to walk during the week.

My soul still needs nourishment, and my life is still out of Balance, but I'm getting closer to finding it. I think all this physical pain in my hip and up my back and on my shoulders is a physical manifestation of my current disarray, and I'm glad my body finally forced me into tuning up my diet and getting more exercise, both physical and psychic.

Update -  just to be clear on something I think I may have been unclear about earlier: I'm not suggesting that watching and enjoying TV, and reading books or being smart and informed are all mutually exclusive activities. If people didn't love TV, I wouldn't have had a job for a long time, and if I didn't watch shows like Lost and Deadliest Catch and NOW and Futurama and Family Guy, I wouldn't have as much joy in my life as I do. From my personal experience, though, and only speaking from my personal experience, I'm happier and I feel more inspired, and more in tune with my creative self, and more inspired, and more willing to use insanely long run on sentences with lots of "and"s in them, when I'm reading lots of books. I don't mean to insult or offend anyone who really enjoys some good TV.

And speaking of good TV: boy, G4 really screwed the pooch with Star Trek 2.0, didn't they? Way to make one of the greatest Sci-Fi shows in history into an afterthought in a broadcast that even the most ADD-stricken among us find annoying. Great job, guys. Really, really fantastic.

Comments

[MistyB78]

Meant to put this here: -

Wil -
I definitely feel for ya on the need to unplug, unwind, and unclutter.
As I get prepared for upcoming back procedures, the doc wants to do spinal steroid injections into my spine before surgery ,(surgery is the final option) I keep thinking to myself about the things I want to do and accomplish when I can walk again without pain. The weight I need to lose, the job I want to do, to get my life going again. I literally have wasted the first 28 years of my life i feel, so I am getting started late. If the injections do not work, then I will be having the surgery and he will be removing the big ruptured disc at the bottom of my spine and maybe some of the smaller ruptured discs between my L1 and L5. I am trying to not let that worry me , or if my back will have pins and rods in it.
I try to value the time I spend with my son, and the relationship with my mother.
Kudos to you for getting out of the house, there are more important things in life, than to be a mindless
consumer zombie. Here's to not accepting everything our government and companies tell us what we should do and buy.
AMEN.

[MistyB78]

And.. Yes, there is some enjoyment to be found in GOOD tv, or one or 2 shows you really love. The important thing is to not let it become your life, or
a babysitter to your children. Learn to find the balance.

For example this article entry here :
It's staggering!

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/25/science/24cnd-crib.html?_r=1&ex=1148616000&en=3c36286b4a7e8c6e&ei=5087%0A&oref=slogin

[Sciamachy]

I think TV is a massive thief of time if we're not judicious about what we watch. Even if you have no books to read, if you turn off the TV, you can just chill & meditate. So many people I see in the Zen communities in Livejournal complain that they've no time to meditate, but if they turned off the TV for 20 minutes, voila! Problem solved. Or you could spend some time learning a skill - 30 minutes' guitar practice a day, even if you start when you're 50, by the time you croak you could have been playing for 40 years! Another 30 minutes less TV per day and you've time to get some exercise & make it more likely you'll be there at 90. :-)

I posted a comment on Pauly's blog pointing out the flaw in his political slant on this - firstly people tend to read what reflects their opinions anyway, so you won't find an ardent Bush supporter suddenly reading Chomsky or Glasgow University Media Group's "Bad News from Israel", and secondly what people read in terms of printed media depends on what's available and marketed well enough in their area, so if the local papers down in Texas are all supporting Bush, weaning Texans away from Fox news isn't going to do much to sway their allegiances - and I seem to remember there being one local paper during the run up to the 2004 election that effectively got closed down by their readership abandoning them for speaking out against Bush and the Iraq war.

Kathy Sierra (http://headrush.typepad.com/creating_passionate_users/2006/04/its_tv_turn_off.html) links to and quotes numerous studies which liken TV to an addictive substance - one quote from Percy Tannenbaum (University of California at Berkeley) goes "Among life's more embarrassing moments have been countless occasions when I am engaged in conversation in a room while a TV set is on, and I cannot for the life of me stop from periodically glancing over to the screen." - I have that to a huge degree with my 3 year old son, Frank. He zones out so completely that to get his attention I have to turn the TV right off, which brings on a small tantrum (withdrawal maybe?)

[morgan]

I hear ya Wil, but I'd rather be on the computer writing or doing something creative then watching some of the crap that's on tv now. I hardly watch tv and if I do it's only about 7 hours a week, unless there are some good movies on cable. Tv shows are not like they use to be before. It just depends on the day and time. I'm a big fan of the VH1 shows I LOVE THE 80'S series (strikes back or in 3D) and E!'s Child Confidental. I watch alot of A.E and History Channel. Forget regular tv, there isn't alot of good shows now. Reading a book inbetween helps with my writing, cause I love to write. Have you've seen the show HONEY, WE'RE KILLING THE KIDS? on TLC. Another favorite channel! I watch Little People, Big World, which is a very good show. I can't wait until the new episodes start. Mostly I'm on the computer.LOL

[BenPaddon.co.uk]

There's very little on television to get excited about at the moment. The only show I absolutely have to watch is the new series of Doctor Who (now in its second season here in UK), although I will watch repeats of Futurama and Golden Age episodes of The Simpsons.

[Jonathan]

It really is about having a balance and to find that balance one has to think. With much of TV it is mindless, no decision making, no thought prevoking conversation, which is not bad some of the time, but 24-7 nonstop drivel makes Johnny an angry boy.

[kleggott]

Wil, I completely agree with your point about the need to unplug and simplify our lives. I cannot, however, help but notice the irony of a writer whose base is built on the internet telling his readers to get off the net. Of course, the answer is the oldest one in the book -- moderation in all things.

BTW, I've been reading your site with some regularity for two years now, and I love your writing. Keep it up, and one day the world will know you as Wil Wheaton, the famous and awesome writer who was also once on a TV show.

[Lou Anders]

I think television can be mentally stimulating, but it's the differnece between the average HBO series and Survivor. See Steven Johnson's book, EVERYTHING BAD IS GOOD FOR YOU, which argues that the economics of contemporary tv - that the shows must be packaged to sell in DVD boxed sets and thus lend themselves to multiple viewings - is increasing the "narrative complexity" of television and thus unintentionally raising the level of the material. This dovetails nicely with Chris Anderson's THE LONG TAIL, which suggests ecommerce sites like Amazon and Netflix, who aren't bound by the needs of having a physical store and thus can stock a far greater (potentially infinite) range of books and films are encouraging consumers to look beyond the shelf of blockbusters and the table of bestsellers. (Because, hey, a society that unanimously reads only Tom Clancy, Stephen King, James Patterson and Janet Evonovich isn't going to do much better than one that watches only Survivor and American Idol.)

Author Neal Stephenson had a great piece a while back on the new Star Wars trilogy called "Turn On, Tune In, Veg Out," where he describes the difference between "vegging out" - popping a beer and turning on the idiot box, and "geeking out" - drilling down to all the levels and layers of a sci-fi franchise as two competing impulses that Star Wars - by being surface dumb but layered with ancillary geek details - fulfills admirably for both camps.

The article is online at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/17/opinion/17stephenson.html?ei=5090&en=a693ccc4ec008424&ex=1276660800&pagewanted=all

Meanwhile, between cable channels and the old networks, we can continue to divide into Moorlocks and Eloi!

I have a one year old, and as he grows, I'm going to tell him I don't mind what he's into, as long as he's actively - not passively - involved in it. Like computer games? Learn how to program them and structure narrative structure. Like comics - go draw one. Like film - here's a camera. Fortunately, our increasingly technological world makes a child's ability to indulge any passion much easier than it was when I was younger.
www.louanders.com

[Nyarl]

I have been TV free for almost ten years now.

By that I mean no hookup - just DVDs. I get to watch the shows I want when I want and no commercials or reality bullshit programming.

I also read a lot which takes the place of watching commercials.

I like quality TV shows, but just can't stand wading through all the crap to find that one digested quarter . . .

[busy]

Dude, I love my TV! LOL! But I also read like a madwoman. I think it all has to do with a balance. I LOVE American Idol (fav show btw). TV watching is the only thing I can do after I work all day, come home and cook dinner for the kids and do whatever homework etc, they have. My brain is not going to want to read anything. I read during the day and can get through about 5 books a month, so I think I have it pretty much in check. And yes, if it wasn't for the magic of TV/movies, I would never have come across this great guy named Wil Wheaton! :D

[Joseph Haight]

Wil, I hope you have a good run this weekend. Chase Masterson wanted me to have you get in touch with her. Remember me asking about USO tours last year? Well, we're rapping up our 6 month deployment in Afghanistan, again. Keep up the good work.

Joseph Haight
VAQ-133

[Becky..Absent Minded Housewife]

What's funny is I'm reading this whilst watching the showcase showdown on The Price is Right.

Hey, I do have a window open.

[Joe]

Ahh, an interesting subject. I rely on television for my livelyhood. Through extensive exposure with the various corporate representatives that have a vested interest in what you watch, when you watch it, and especially how you behave afterwards, I can say the following with sincere honesty.

If Los Angeles had television and cable outtage for six months, it would be the best and most successful diet we could ever go on.

We'd all loose some weight, and have much less sinus pressure to boot. We'd be much less obsessed with disinfecting our toilets, or would try prevent our house from smelling like a french whore because Glade promised flower petals would fly through our living room.

We would certainly be in much better place today. How the hell can Carl's still sell chicken sandwiches after they admitted their chickens get impants?! It's subliminal. We're there with the surgeon, actually rejoicing at the fact that the chicken is a candidate for silicone. It kinda tastes like silicone, if you think about it...

Can this television blackout ever happen? Over Rupert Murdoch's dead body!

[namedpipe]

The previous post is " West Coast - I'm on WPT tonight ". I like the irony.

[photoguy]

I have also cut down my TV watching. I had been wasting a lot of time watching it which can be better spent working on creative things. Like my website or my photography.

Also, nice U2 reference. :)

Ryan (facerealityphoto.com)

[Jack's Raging Mommy]

I hope my comment wasn't one of the ones you felt the need to make the update over. I wasn't trying to say that you implied the activities were mutually exclusive.
I do find it interesting that so many people chose to attack you over Pauly's quote, acting as if it were your original thought.
I do think that the fact that the current administration has stayed in power is largely due to lack of awareness and education. Since I also agree that a lack of reading is linked to a lack of education, well, I guess I'm saying I agree with you all that much more.
Once again, I'll shut up now.

[VeronicaRobinson]

We stopped watching G4 after they started putting music groups on Screen Savers and the personal lives of two of the host started to be talked about more than computers. Then X-Plan got canceled and not being able to cream over Morgan Webb was the last straw. (notice i didn't specify exactly WHO was creaming over Miss Webb. wouldn't want to point fingers)

[VinNay]

#sarcasm#
Pauly hit the nail on the head with this one. I never realized what dumb, illiterate, TV obsessed hick I must be for voting Republican. If I could only turn off the boob toob and put down my double quarter pounders for long enough to get someone to learn me the alphabet I might not make such a dumb and uninformed vote next time. Maybe Pauly can give lessons on how to be drunk/stoner misogynist deadhead so I can vote correctly in 2008.
#/sarcasm#

[Wil]

Another comment rescue, because I am apparently too stupid to hit "publish as edit" instead of "publish as new" in performancing.

In my defense, I'm working like crazy on WWdN, and in my flurry of multi-tasking, I've made a lot of stupid noob mistakes in the last 48 hours.

Anway, here's all the comments from the previous version of this post, which was *before* the WPT post, for those of you enjoying the irony.

Good to hear things are going well for you.

I just started watching battlestar galactica, so there no way in hell im turning off my tv.

Hows the podcast going?

Posted by: Philip | May 31, 2006 at 03:51 PM

Not that you're depressed or anything, but depression and other emotional distresses have been known to cause/reflect themselves in physical pain.

So you just might be on to something.

On another note, finding balance in your life has got to be one of the hardest thing to do. Ever. I as well have been finding myself walking away from the computer, or not turning on the TV, but I can't keep reading like crazy, because I can't afford new books!!!
And since I'm too lazy/procrastinating against a super major (much needed) cleaning... I head back to the computer after a few minutes walking around aimlessly or just looking over the balcony.

/me is lame

I totally admire you for having the will power to get out there and get your act together.

Posted by: starshine_diva | May 31, 2006 at 04:13 PM

It definitely takes willpower (or in your case.. oh ok I won't make that joke) to remove yourself from the computer or tv and do other things. It's especially hard to do it if the other things you have to do are not exactly pleasant (i.e. cleaning, a tedious project, etc.). Perhaps tv really IS a sedative for the masses... we kneel before the cathode ray for replenishment of the blue glow that distracts us from the stress of everyday existence.

Posted by: Oorgo | May 31, 2006 at 04:27 PM

I watch way too much TV.
I also have read 86 books so far this year. (I'm keeping count for the first time ever. The list can be found on my blog in the sidebar.)

I agree that reading is something that is sorely lacking in our society, but I also believe that TV is not the foremost culprit leading to it's downfall. I think the poor nature of our educational system is a much more accurate scapegoat.

Just me ranting.
I Am Jack's Raging Mommy

Posted by: Jack's Raging Mommy | May 31, 2006 at 05:51 PM

I liked Cell. I wont' spoil it for you, but I'll just say I liked it. King's writing is like an old friend or a comfy pair of jeans. Sometimes it's nice to go back to. Cell was like that. I'll say one other thing: I think it was creepier the less you knew about what was going on. The more explanation, the less scary. Anyway, enjoy.

Posted by: scott d. feldstein | May 31, 2006 at 06:42 PM

Wil...I agree...it's not just folks in the US who need to...the UK is going very much the same way. We're a slave to the corporate grindstone and too exhausted at the end of the day to deal with anything vaguely heavy...we barely have time for our kids and when we do make time for them some can get so obsessive that they forget their manners and respect for others...Many problems in todays society can be traced back, in my opinion...to this one root.

Posted by: cookee | May 31, 2006 at 06:51 PM

"My soul still needs nourishment..."

"My soul thirsts for thee, my flesh longs for thee like a dry and parched land without water...for thou art my helper and I rejoice in the shadow of thy wings."

Psalm 62

Posted by: Freeman | May 31, 2006 at 06:57 PM

Exasperating.

I enjoy your website very much, and I think what you write is thoughtful and entertaining. I like the idea that you have been un-cluttering your physical world and that has in turn un-cluttered your outlook as well. That said, how can you believe (by posting Pauly’s comments to begin your blog today, I’m assuming that you echo his sentiment) that if I could just read and think a little more, I would have different political opinions? It’s insulting.

Just like you, I am a product of my environment and my experience. This, and not American Idol, formed my political opinions. Just because I won’t vote for Mr. Kerry or Mr. Gore (although I could have voted for his running mate and did vote or Mr. Lieberman in the presidential primary) doesn’t mean I am defined politically or intellectually. I don’t think that President Bush and Fortune 500 companies are the great evil in our country either. To me, the real culprits are the extreme members on either side of the political spectrum that are allowed to define the issues and the agenda for the country. They would have us believe that you and I have no common ground. That to vote for the other guy’s candidate is either dangerous and immoral (right wing) or dangerous and stupid (left wing).

I’ve read quite a bit of what you’ve had to write, and I’m convinced that we have more in common that not. Including active brain waves.

Posted by: srayship | May 31, 2006 at 07:20 PM

I echo the last commenter, and I'm more than a little disappointed in you here. I'll go a step further and say that what Pauly says and what you advance is not insulting, it's outright bigotry. I know you don't mean it that way, and while I don't know Pauly I hope he didn't mean it that way, but that's the only way to translate it: people voted for George Bush because they just weren't as smart as you gosh-derned edumacated city folk, ah-yuk!

Think hard about it, remember the discussion you had with your parents about making deeply polarized statements about those you disagree with politically. Nobody is going to disagree with you that reading is the absolute best thing you can do for your mind, and that the country would be a lot better off if more people read much more than they do. The way you both cast that basic truth in a light that comes out of your own political bigotry is just absolutely wrong.

Posted by: Mr. Dark | May 31, 2006 at 07:31 PM

I think Wil's posting of Pauly's quote reflects the idea that a well-informed populace is one less vulnerable to the sort of panic-button issues that more than a few Republicans ran on in the 2004 election. If you voted based on issues that you took the time to research and think through, that's wonderful, but it seems to me, and I'm assuming to Pauly, that a lot of people voted Republican in 2004 because they were afraid of Osama/gays/the economy/fill in the blank, and many Republicans ran on the platform that only they could keep America safe. I truly believe we're less safe now, because we've not only installed a huge, tremendously inefficient bureaucracy to "secure" us, but we've also seen our civil liberties stripped away. Now, Pauly and Wil and I may be wrong. We may not be. Either way, we are all entitled to our opinions, and you are entitled to disagree, if you wish. To call it "bigotry," however, strikes me as more than a little disingenuous. It smacks of the dangerous "you're either with us or you're with the terrorists" mentality that makes everything into a false dichotomy and ignores any shade of gray.

But anyway, on to the real subject of the post.

Wil, as a life-long reader, I completely agree. Books are a solid meal in a fast-food world. I'd offer suggestions, but you've probably read half of what I'd name, and not be too interested in the other half.

If you want a similar benefit, and you chance to walk alone from time to time, you might pop on a audiobook, too. It may make you a bit less sociable while walking, though, so it'd probably be best if you do it during times that are a little less populated on your route.

Anyway, I've done enough damage to this thread, so I'll head out now. But before I go...ever though about trying a little meditation? Just light a candle in a darkened room, put it in front of you, say on a coffee table, sit in a chair as straight as you can, and stare at the flame of the candle. And if anything comes to mind, just gently push it away.

Wow, I'm really coming across as a whacked out hippy liberal here...I'd best be shutting up now.

But you rock, Wil! We wouldn't keep coming back if we didn't think so.

\m/

Posted by: Chris the Tiki Guy | May 31, 2006 at 07:56 PM

I believe George W. Bush is the worst president in history, and has done decades worth of damage to our country, and to our standing with the rest of the world.

Sorry if Pauly's statement offends those of you who voted to re-elect Mr. Bush. Personally, I don't see how anyone who was paying attention and didn't believe the Swift Boat liars or buy into the Republican canard about how only The Great George W. Bush can keep you safe from gays/terrorists/whatever could have voted to give that man another four years as the leader of our country.

If more people were paying attention to how corrupt the Republican congress is (don't throw that Jefferson idiot at me; he's one person who should be forced to resign and jailed for a long, long time. Go look at the K street project and Jack Abramoff if you need a place to start) and -- well, you know what? Either you grok it, or you don't. Sorry if you think I'm saying you're not as edumacated as us gosh-derned city folk, but spare me the bigotry, okay? People can disagree without being labeled as bigots or evil or . . ."with us or against us."

Posted by: Wil | May 31, 2006 at 08:05 PM

You used "paying attention" twice in your reply. You also stated that "Sorry if you think I'm saying you're not as edumacated”. Perhaps I can sum that up:

“You’re not stupid. You have your head up your ass.”

That makes me feel LOADS better, and it would explain that constant smell.

I think the Dems will get their chance nationally in the midterms and in 08', and we’ll see. I hope like hell you’re right and I’m dead wrong.

Posted by: srayship | May 31, 2006 at 08:39 PM

*looks at my reply*
*looks at Wil's reply*

Ok, I'm scared.

Wheaton, either I've got your brain, or you've got mine, or we're on "the wavelength."

That is so totally awesome.

Oh, by the way, at some point in the future, you may get a request from a podcast called GeeksOn to come on their show. If you like the idea, I suggested it. If you don't like the idea, um...it was all Bryant Gumbel's idea.

You can check them out at www.geekson.com

Um. yeah. Wavelength! Wooo!

Posted by: Chris the Tiki Guy | May 31, 2006 at 08:50 PM

I've made it my goal to read 100 books this year. I'm at 42.5 and counting. Reading rocks. I'm a writer, and I couldn't work without it. Go reading!

Posted by: gwydions | May 31, 2006 at 08:51 PM

Wil -- I haven't had cable tv in my home since 1998. I watched a few eps of American Idol this last time around while hanging out with some friends, but that's the first I've seen of it. I don't think I've watched a "reality" show yet. I agree with you on the principle that people should do more thinking and learning and less stupid crap.

I voted for both Bushes twice, and, looking at what turned out, I'd do it again. I also make a point of listening to those I disagree with to see where they make good points to consider further, rather than just to argue with them. I recommend the same practice to everybody -- there is more in heaven and Earth than is dreamt of in any of our philosophies.

Honest people disagree about these things. Every point you have to make about the president has a rational response from a reasonable person. Personally, I think you might want to look further into the history of presidents before deciding the current one is the worst, or that cats and dogs will live together as a result of him being in the White House -- worst president is a contest with some pretty serious contenders in it that I haven't heard you mention yet.

And I do think "bigotry" is an overstatement. "Chauvinism" would be closer, but I don't think that applies here either.

I agree that more people should be better informed. I contend that people should prepare themselves to deal with political truth, and to start tolerating it from candidates. Until a winnable majority of the electorate is willing to do that, don't expect to see any unnecessary truth in any political campaign. Candidates who tell people the things they want to hear get elected, and those who tell them unpleasant truths don't make it out of primaries in any party that matters.

So, from your keyboard to God's eyes, Wil. A more informed electorate. From my keyboard to his eyes, the friendly amendment of a truth-tolerant electorate. Once we get that, we can talk about big issues honestly and be represented by people who don't owe their position to their ability to dissemble pleasantly and pander.

But let's not hold our breaths, hmm?

BTW, is there a rss/xml link for RFB that I can feed to my podcatcher? If not, is one coming soon? I'm starting to get some space in my podcast listening room and could fit RFB in sometime soon.

Posted by: Blain | May 31, 2006 at 08:54 PM

Ouch. Sorry that an honest expression of your thoughts and ideas - on YOUR blog - met with such rank hostility. I suppose that's the price you pay when you put you thoughts out there for the public, but MAN that sucks! It's almost as though they were just waiting for something to jump on you about.

Until I read their posts I saw nothing but a mans musings on what might make a difference to today's political landscape, and in his own life. An educated populace wouldn't necessarily change the political party "in charge", but it would very likely change the way that party conducted business - the business of The People.

Please never feel that you should curb your tongue regarding issues facing this nation, just because some people would litter up your comments section with bitter bile because you don't agree with their view point. You should use your blog as you see fit.

And if they really get you down, you can always come to our house and we'll open up a magnum of ZD Cab for ya!

Posted by: rachel h | May 31, 2006 at 09:46 PM

Everyone is entitled to their opinions, and nobody is required to agree with them.

And you had me at ZD Cab, rachel. The winery gave my friends a magnum of the reserve cab for their wedding. I think Patrick and I drank about half of it just between the two of us. Holy crap that stuff is great.

Posted by: Wil | May 31, 2006 at 09:49 PM

your hip pain?---have you been checked for a slipped disc or a pinched nerve? A pinched nerve will drive you to the looney bin.

God Help me -I voted for the elder Bush. I DID NOT vote for Junior either time and I'm a Republican. I don't care what anybody says, I agree that George W. is probably going to go down in history as the worst president we've ever had. What makes him dangerous is his religous morality. The founding fathers had a reason for keeping politics and religion separate.....

Posted by: GrammaLolly | May 31, 2006 at 10:19 PM

I definitely agree that quiet and reading is good, but (and I'm sure it's not something that's being espoused here, but just to throw it out there) some TV is good. We all have our favorite mindless shows, but I'm in the middle of the most kickass Frontline series on the AIDS crisis I'll ever see. There's some really good TV out there, and it's shows like Frontline that help us stay aware of the political situation here and abroad, and give us the tools to help fight the good fight.

Posted by: Cathy | May 31, 2006 at 10:37 PM

Wil - I definitely feel for ya on the need to unplug, unwind, and unclutter.
As I get prepared for upcoming back procedures, the dr wants to do spinal steroid injections into myspine before surgery (surgery is the final option) I keep thinking to myself about the things I want to do and accomplish when I can walk again without pain. The weight I need to lose, the job I want to do, to get my life going again. If the injections do not work, then I wukll be having the surgery and he will be removing the big ruptured disc at the bottom of my spine and maybe some between my L1 and L5. I am trying to not let that worry me , or if my back will pins and rods in it.
I try to value the time I spend with my son, and the relationship with my mother.
Kudos to you for getting out of the house, there are more important things in life, than to be a mindless
consumer zombie. Accepting everything our government and companies tell us what we should do and buy.
AMEN.

Posted by: MistyB78 | May 31, 2006 at 11:01 PM

[namedpipe]

So now and then the post before or after this post is " West Coast - I'm on WPT tonight ". My irony buzz has gone surreal.

[barbq1]

Wil,

I couldn't agree with you more! I have been a lifelong fan of reading and books. However, my job is to read TV scripts (non-fiction, thank god...) all day and frankly, my eyes get too tired.
I began to notice this past year that I was growing depressed coming home from work, night after night, making dinner, eating it and watching the crap that they put out there. I started watching more news, PBS and Discovery Channel (though I LOVE Family Guy too!)
I began to feel a little better and decided since my local library is only 2 blocks away why not walk there and check out a few books? It was like I had found an old friend again. I am now up to reading a lot more, even if for a half hour or hour before bedtime.
I and my boyfriend feel like turning off the TV has been good for us. He has discovered fishing again.
Maybe we can all just start by turning off a little bit at a time?

[Oorgo]

It never ceases to amaze me how vehement people can get to your posts, Wil. Of course I automatically thought "Wow, this coming from a guy who was made famous by TV" but I thought "Yeah but he's also a well rounded person, who's not saying 'Stop all TV now!'" your just saying, maybe just like everything else, moderation is in order.

I do agree that if more folk were informed and aware of what's going on both of our governments would not have been voted in.

[xelix]

So, let's say it's 1890...no TV to waste our time on..not even radio. So, all Americans (who can) are reading books. Were we a "more productive" society in 1890? Did we have presidents that had ours and the best interests of our country at their heart? You say our leaders want a "mindless, uneducated populous"...wouldn't you agree that we are more educated as a society now than ever in our history?

[38caddy]

I can't quite understand how reading books will make you better informed. Floating off into a world of fiction while the world burns around you will certainly not help. Most non-fiction is complete and total word vomit, so there is no help there.

My personal feeling is that people would be far better informed if they actually cared to be better informed. Most people would rather listen to some "celebrity" tell them what is really going on and why they should be outraged. Whether that celeb. is a newscaster who makes up or intentionally reports on false stories or a Baldwin who exclaims that they are leaving the country if Bush gets (got) re-elected.

While I do think that serious and irreparable harm has been done to the American people by the current Congress (FYI, the pres. doesn't make laws, he just signs them or vetoes them), I think just as much or more harm has been done by past assemblies of Congress.

Past presidents were equally criticized deservedly so. Clinton was impeached. Bush blew chunks on the Japanese. Reagan spent boat-loads of money on nukes. You want me to keep going back? Trying to guess what history will decide is just the arrogant ramblings of someone with an agenda. Honestly, do you think Gore or Kerry would have done any better? Gore could have invented a device to gather up all this pesky global warming and hosed down the terrorists. Kerry could have used his "presidential" hair as a shield to protect us.

Let me ask you this... Who are your local politicians? When was the last town/city council meeting you attended? For that matter, who are your neighbors? I bet many people in this country couldn't answer any of those questions. If they don't know what is happening in their own town, how could they possibly be expected to truly know anything about what is going on at a state or federal level. Take a look at my congressman if you want to see a real piece of work:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_J._Kennedy

Yet, people keep electing him (and his father for that matter).

The citizens in this country dropped their eternal vigilance just for a moment and look what happened. With any luck, people will start to wake up and be accountable for all their own decisions and actions. You think Hillary could straighten us out?

[Devlyn]

I have to admit that I watched the entire first DVD of ST:TNG season 4 last night, but it was the first time I've turned on the teevee in... well over a week. Much like Nyarl, I don't have an antenna or cable, but enjoy watching my "regular shows" at the gym when they're on. I think the big waste of teevee is just the zoning that occurs... when one sits in front of the telly and just clicks through channels to find something on. I personally don't like TV because I hate the commercials and find most of the shows boring. If I want to watch something I like, I d/l it or get the DVDs - then I get to schedule my teevee time around the more-important life activities, which means I rarely even have time to watch a full movie. I figure as long as people don't use the television as the only form of entertainment, it's all good with me.