On a Much Lighter Note, I Have a Question

Have I changed, or has the world changed?

For six months during our college years together, my husband and I didn't have a television. Oh wait, we had a television, but we couldn't watch it because we didn't have cable. Anyway, we enjoyed not watching TV then--we took pride in it. Well, after graduating, we moved to an apartment complex with an antenna. It didn't take us very long to begin a television habit. We watched a different show every night of the week. We followed series, memorized lines, had favorite characters.

This went on for a few years, but then something happened: we started to become offended. So much of what we had been enjoying we now saw as crude, or in poor taste. Even commercials began to offend us. Don't get me wrong, we still enjoy watching television, but are finding fewer programs to enjoy. Just yesterday, my son was watching a college basketball game. A commercial came on that was so offensive, I made him turn off the game. He did, all-be-it reluctantly--he had been offended by the commercial, too.

In a way, I feel like my right to partake of this simple entertainment has been taken away. When the dresses on Dancing With the Stars begin to look more like kinky lingerie and less like ballroom dance dresses, and the make-out scenes on The Bachelor begin to make me blush, what's left to watch?

So my question is this: Do you watch TV? And if you do, what are you watching?

Comments

Snarky Belle said…
AMEN! You are exactly right!My husband and I have this discussion often. We do a lot of TiVoing so that we can skip commercials and other things that aren't so appropriate. I should probably be embarrassed to admit that the one show we all watch is iCarly. But really, it's one of the only shows all 5 of us can watch together.
And I won't lie, I am still a huge fan of The Andy Griffith Show...but I'm in that boat by myself. Ohh, and we love Cash Cab.
Ok, sorry for rambling, have I driven you crazy yet?
March 14, 2009 at 7:02 AM
Fiauna said…
No, Natalie, you haven't driven me crazy. I must admit, I love to watch Wizards of Waverly Place with my kids. I even like Hannah Montana. Eeks. I just admitted that.
March 14, 2009 at 7:53 AM
Unknown said…
we usually watch something we have recorded so we can fast forward the offensive parts and commercials.
or we watch net flix. we order old t.v series. or old movies. that way we are watching mostly good stuff.
March 14, 2009 at 9:10 AM
Kristina P. said…
I am the wrong person to ask! I watch A LOT of TV, and most of it, not wholesome, unfortuntately.

Rock of Love, anyone?
March 14, 2009 at 9:52 AM
proud mom! said…
Unfortunately, I am the same. I am a tv fanatic. I love watching my shows, Grey's Anatomy, Brothers and Sisters, etc. But most of those shows are on after my kids are in bed. For the most part we are watching either sprout tv or disney.
March 14, 2009 at 10:14 AM
Em said…
nat, you and john bytheway are in the same boat with the andy griffith show. i've heard him speak several times and he always quotes the show. he is convinced it is the only show worth watching b/c there is not one thing in any of the episodes that is offensive! he said he bought every episode and it's all he and his family watch. VERy impressive to me:-)
i must say i watch most shows and change the channel when it gets uncomfortable. sigh. i just love tv too much!!! there are a few that i have sworn to never watch, which i won't list in case someone else watches them;-) but i'm sure there are a few that i watch that many would not.
thanks for the question!
March 14, 2009 at 11:39 AM
Flashlight Girl said…
I have a love/hate thing with TV. Rarely there is a show that I follow religiously. We don't have cable or satelitte or anything technical. There is enough crap without adding to it. My kids like to keep up with American Idol and check in on Biggest Loser once in awhile. During the summer we watch So You Think You Can Dance. Honestly, my favorite stations are PBS stations. I love to watch BBC! If they had MI5 on regular TV I'd be addicted to that, but I can catch in on the internet during the season.
I have been shocked with the outrageousness of commercials lately. It seems that you can sell anything if you use a pretty woman and sexual innuendo.
I love my Netflix for my kids. They have loved watching Hardy Boys and older cartoons. They LOVE looney tunes. It's getting harder as we've been doing this for a couple of years now and have watched most of the things that are acceptable for 9 to 12 year olds. Sigh. Any suggestions?
March 14, 2009 at 11:51 AM
Jason and Heather said…
Fiauna, you know us and our "must have tv". I think if we had to cut back on worldly things food may go before tv!! Jason is to big of a sports fan to not get to watch a game. We tend to record some of the kids favs and play them when they want to watch. Of course PBS, icarly, americas funniest and an all ages fav Scooby Doo!! As for Jason and I we love, #1 fav The Amazing Race! The biggest loser, american idol and Life. Also our fav on thursday nights (you know) and I always wonder how do they get away with that but you have to admit it is funny!! We never watch commercials thanks to tivo! Good luck with the question of tv or not!
March 14, 2009 at 2:54 PM
LaurieJ said…
I was just complaining about commercials the other day. i can't stand when they show trashy movie previews on all channels, including kids.
We watch Biggest Loser (even that has some language somtimes) and Extreme Home Makeover which is clean. Ty could probably take his shirt off a little more and I wouldn't be offended :-)
March 14, 2009 at 8:07 PM
Susan Anderson said…
It's crazy how outrageous TV has gotten. And I agree about the commercials, especially the ones for Cialis and the like. Geez, give me a break!!

My favorite show is So You Think You Can Dance, which I truly love. I also watch American Idol, but I have enjoyed some of the seasons more than others. I think this season is shaping up pretty well so far...
March 15, 2009 at 6:04 PM
Susan Anderson said…
Okay, I'm losing it. I came over to thank you for your kind words on my blog and then got so caught up in your post and people's comments that all I did was start listing my favorite TV shows!

I do thank you, though. =)
March 15, 2009 at 6:14 PM
R Allen said…
I was so horrified at the amount of nudity and profanity I saw on tv when I got home from my mission that I stopped watching... and that was 20 years ago! Now hubby and I allow ourselves to watch American Idol and Stargate Atlantis. And even they can get risque. I told him I would be quite happy to get rid of the box altogether. He is not at that stage yet.

Word Verification got it right... "sycness"
March 15, 2009 at 7:50 PM
Kate said…
We have the same problem over here. The only thing that is really safe is Disney. We don't watch a lot of television just movies that we know what is in them. It is real sad, I remember watching shows growing up but it sure has changed.
March 16, 2009 at 6:08 AM
Candy McCall said…
You are right on point.
Todd and I were watching the Discovery Channel on Saturday night and they had a program on that we usually let Tyson watch. He happnd to be in bed already, thank heavens...because there was a commercial for the new trojan personal finger tip...um...pleasuring device. for women. WHAT THE HECK!! Todd was so mad, he seriously put in a complaint.
I agree withthe dancing with the stars thing too. Just 2 years ago, it was hailed as finally some wholesome entertainment on TV...not anymore.
We always DVR our shows and skip the commercials.
We usually end up on the food network or discovery channel--however now, we defiantely have to even watch out for that.
March 16, 2009 at 7:51 PM
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