Well, I am now indulging in one of my favorite pastimes, watching a BBC mini-series alone while enjoying a delicious cocktail. I have considered starting a blog for some time now just to have an outlet for some of my thoughts of which I am sure many people would like to be alerted. I think it is the new cocktail, a blend of champagne and St. Germain, that finally gave me the incentive to do it! I would also like to acknowledge my sister and one of my dear BFFs for inspiration. You know why, girls!
The question I am tackling this evening is one that recurs often for me. "Is TV making me lazy and stupid?" I ask it for myself, my husband, my children, and especially all those around me that I feel are lazy and stupid. While I have strict TV rules for my children so that they will be smart and productive, I do not limit my own TV. We don't have cable, and yet, I still manage to spend around 3 hours on the sofa in front of my television (a 52" flatscreen, of course) most evenings. And I love it. I love the sillly shows, the deep movies, the smart episodes, and the Simpsons. I love pausing hulu to have an hour long discussion with my husband about TV or something entirely different triggered by TV. I love getting together with friends and family and discussing MadMen or laughing about 30 Rock. I love connections that form with strangers after a well-placed quote from SNL or The Daily Show. I love watching girl shows when my husband is out and rehashing them later with my girlfriends. But I sometimes wonder if I just love sitting on my rear with my feet up not thinking while the TV glows across the living room.
So, tonight, I am pausing my BBC mini-series to wonder if the reason I am not as accomplished as the characters in this drama is TV. My 52" flatscreen is frozen on the image of a lovely girl playing a lovely and amazing piece on her piano (which, I know from other TV shows, is actually anachronistic because they played harpsichords at the time). This girl also draws, paints, dances, speaks French and Latin, and marries for money. I played the piano at one time with severe mediocrity, which is surprising because I devoted 30 minutes a day to practice. I do not sketch or draw, really, but I think I might have learned the art and enjoyed it had I had the time to take lessons and practice. I know a few Latin words, sayings, and conjugations from the 3 years I studied it in high school, but I do not remember it because I don't have the time to practice it now. I can come up with a useless phrase in Spanish long after the Spanish speaker walks away. I know nothing of French, I cannot dance but wish I could, and I most certainly did not marry for money, but for love. Contemplating all of this, I determined that the reason I do not have these accomplishments, is that I have something better to do than to become accomplished. TV.
But I love it. So my question to my very few readers is this, "Does TV make me stupid or lazy, or is it a new cultural medium, enhancing, connecting, and educating me and the rest of our generation in a new way?"
P.S. I know the answer that I have to this question because I did push play on my netflix drama and came up with more wisdom than I expected. I just want to know what you think.
