# I Don't Own A TV, Am I A Weirdo?



## EC (Aug 20, 2013)

Three years ago I realized that I was vegetating my life away watching X Factor and other compellingly useless TV programmes. lacking self control , as I do, I threw the TV out. I do use Youtube though to pick up on documentaries and the very occasional film. 

The amount I read since that wonderful TV free day has soared. I'm not a prisoner of the well crafted cliff hangers any more, so I don't worry about people weeping as "this is their dream" I realized that while sitting watching them weeping about losing their dreams, I wasn't pursuing mine. 

Could you live without TV?


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## PulpDogg (Mar 26, 2011)

Yes I could and I actually do. I did away with mine nearly 6 years ago and haven't regretted it.


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## Justawriter (Jul 24, 2012)

I don't want to live without TV. I don't watch a ton of it, but I do look forward to shows such as Homeland, Mad Men, etc. There is some excellent story-telling on TV and I think it helps with my writing and understanding of story structure. Plus, I like to watch the news and sports.  

If you don't enjoy TV, then you're probably saving a good bit of money, my cable bills are ridiculous, but still I wouldn't want to go without.


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## Sarah Stimson (Oct 9, 2013)

I *could* live without it but I wouldn't choose to.  There are lots of things about TV that I like (including, sometimes, a mindless reality talent show like X Factor), but mostly for drama and films.

And Monster's Inc a gazillion times a week as that's the film of choice for my toddler.

However, I did give up soap operas about five years ago and have never looked back.  I really do not know how i had the time to watch them!


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## Patty Jansen (Apr 5, 2011)

I've never had a tv in my life. No reason than that's it's just a big timesuck.


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## EC (Aug 20, 2013)

That was an interesting point by Pamela about story development. Do you use TV as inspiration?


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## AngryGames (Jul 28, 2013)

You aren't weird. I know a few friends who don't own a television. 

I could live without one other than the need to watch NHL hockey during the season (and of course the Stanley Cup Playoffs). Everything I 'watch' is one video format or another from a computer (Netflix/Amazon Prime/Hulu/South Park/etc.). 

Well, speaking of story development, I probably wouldn't have as many weird ideas. Infomercials are my weakness. I get all kinds of weird ideas from watching infomercials.


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## Shane Ward (Jan 25, 2013)

I don't have a TV, but I download and watch films series and what I want of the internet. I have two children and without Television, they play with each other, play with toys and do things. I would never get a TV, too much crap and most of all, you are constantly bombarded with advertisements which infuriates me...

Internet is the way to go these days, freedom to do what you want in a way.

Shane


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## Jos Van Brussel (Feb 13, 2013)

We have a TV but pretty much only watch movies. In fact, we record them and watch later on, skipping the commercial breaks (though that's an option that's likely to disappear apparently). I will typically watch the pilot of much-hyped TV shows though, just to know what they're about and stay 'au courant', but very rarely feel compelled to watch beyond the first episode, and hardly ever beyond the first season (though I did see a couple of episodes of Game of Thrones season 2 before giving up). The rest of it (reality shows, game shows...) I don't watch. The highlights (some prodigy on The Voice or some outrageous dance routine) will turn up on YouTube or Facebook anyway.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I enjoy a number of TV shows, but wouldn't be seriously inconvenienced if I didn't have one.

Do NOT take away my books/kindle, however. 

We lived in the UK for 3 years back in the 90's -- didn't have a UK standard TV and didn't feel like buying one for 3 years or paying the TV tax, so we did without. We'd occasionally rent US videos via the US Exchange and The Boy played his video games. We did a fair amount of computer gaming as a family -- that was when _Myst_ first came out. We'd find good puzzle/adventure games and play them all together.

Even now we rarely watch anything WHEN it's on. . . . . in most cases we record it one night and watch it the next. Except sports. It always feels really stupid to me to watch a recorded sporting event.  Even if you don't know who won, there's the niggling knowledge that no matter how much you scream, you won't be able to influence events.


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## 68564 (Mar 17, 2013)

I have a TV - but its more of a Netflix appliance then anything else. My family watches times times as much as I do, maybe 20... I could live with out it no prob.


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## Ty Johnston (Jun 19, 2009)

I went without a TV for 10 years, nearly all of the '90s and a little after, and I never felt like I missed a thing. The only reason I ever bought another TV was because I got married and the wife insisted. Now we have 5 televisions, 4 of them in storage. Go figure.

I do watch some television today, but then I also think there are generally better quality shows that are better written today than there were a couple of decades ago. I'm speaking very generally here, because of course there were quality TV shows in the past, but overall I feel TV is better than it was during the '60s and '80s, for instance.


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## Nancy Beck (Jul 1, 2011)

I had TV for most of my life, but last year, due to personal circumstances, I had to get rid of cable. Which I did, and it's only recently - within the last month - that I brought it back, tho only with what the cable company calls Lifeline (major stations from New York & Philly, since I live sort of equidistant from both areas), plus regular ESPN and QVC. Barely watch any of them, except at night when the Big Bang Theory repeats are on, or Jeopardy. I also have the internet bundled in, which I _have _missed having at home. 

Now I get to watch football - I'm such a football nut. (American football, that is. )

For the past year or so, I had the TV, but only used it to watch DVDs of TV series, movies, or exercise workouts.

I don't think I've really missed all that much, as far as I'm concerned.


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## NapCat (retired) (Jan 17, 2011)

Shane Ward said:


> "...you are constantly bombarded with advertisements which infuriates me..."
> 
> I have a nice HDTV, surround-sound, satellite system in my bedroom. I generally use TV as a method to "turn off the day" and fall asleep, so I record anything I am going to watch and usually watch movies, documentaries and a couple of mystery/adventure shows in short increments...however, the popups, overlays and crawlers are getting so bad that you really cannot enjoy what you are watching. I already have two channels (TNT and REELZ) that I do not watch at all due to non stop advertising.
> 
> I am very close to cancelling my Satellite subscription.


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## Tatiana (Aug 20, 2010)

We have an old 13 inch TV with one of those big picture tubes.  We don't have cable and DH uses it to play  games occasionally.  Any TV program or movie we watch is streamed to either the laptop or our Fires.


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

I actually have 2 tvs.  They are both off right now and generally even if I am watching, I am also doing something else.  The only exceptions were Top Shot and Face-Off.  Those two I actually watch without doing something else.  Now we do have all the premium channels for the movies.


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## Lilith (Dec 25, 2010)

I haven't watched TV since 1999, except the occasional view at a sports bar or someplace like that.
We have a nice big-screen TV but only use it for Netflix and DVDs, we're not even hooked up to cable.
I much prefer reading, where I control the "pictures." 
So, no, I don't think you are a weirdo.  
Lilith


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## journeymama (May 30, 2011)

I like to live simply, so in our family everything has to serve multiple purposes. (Except our kindles, I guess.) So why have a TV taking up space when we have computers, which do the same thing and also let us work and play games and edit photos.... and the list goes on. I also don't like the schedule of TV- when people need to be home at a certain time because "their show is on." Too restricting.


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## Carol (was Dara) (Feb 19, 2011)

I dunno. I used to be a terrible internet addict. The only way I could tear myself away from my PC was by becoming a Netflix addict instead. If I tossed out the TV I'd just go back to the internet. If I canceled the internet, I'd start reading like a fiend, which while fun wouldn't remove the problem of vicariously enjoying life through someone else (the characters) instead of pursuing my own dreams. If I forbade myself reading, I'd spend every moment writing. At least that'd be productive but I'd still be living in front of a screen. In short, there's no escape.


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## 68564 (Mar 17, 2013)

Dara England said:


> I dunno. I used to be a terrible internet addict. The only way I could tear myself away from my PC was by becoming a Netflix addict instead. If I tossed out the TV I'd just go back to the internet. If I canceled the internet, I'd start reading like a fiend, which while fun wouldn't remove the problem of vicariously enjoying life through someone else (the characters) instead of pursuing my own dreams. If I forbade myself reading, I'd spend every moment writing. At least that'd be productive but I'd still be living in front of a screen. In short, there's no escape.


Of the addictions though... reading is the healthiest option... just saying


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

No. Never. It is the first thing I turn on when I get home. I used to sleep with it on all night long in my room. I read while the TV is on. I cannot do without it. It's on right now as I type this.


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## LaraAmber (Feb 24, 2009)

I think there are two things being intertwined.  A television (the device) and television service (DirecTV, cable, etc).

I could not get rid of the device.  Watching BluRays and streaming (Netflix, Amazon) looks so much better on a large screen and is great family time.  There is no way my husband and I are going to snuggle on the couch to watch a movie on my laptop.    

Television service?  One day I could probably cut the cord.  Now that so many shows are available on demand, I have relatively few where I want to watch it the same week/day it airs and can't wait until a binge when the whole season is available to stream (Walking Dead, Game of Thrones).  Live TV is virtually dead to me, if I don't have something on the DVR, I switch to Netflix/Amazon.  I'm honestly seeing a future where instead of "air" dates we have "release" dates for new episodes and just subscribe for auto download to the house server.  USA Network goes from being a station to being a production house and either I pay them directly for a subscription or it's bundled through Netflix or Amazon.  

To really go on tangent, maybe this would mean the death of the 24 hour news channel with their inane blather and shallow non-analysis?  Do we really need to see 24 hours of "what does yesterday's election mean for the one 8 years from now, who will be the contestants" non-news?  Instead of in-depth coverage of actual news events that couldn't get fit in 30 minutes we get the same story over and over again on repeat.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

I just love being able to put aside the keyboard (since I also write) and unplug and watch a TV show...and JUST a TV show. Watching online I find myself unable to just watch the show and I start futzing around with Facebook and Twitter and my blog. I just want to sit back on my couch with my wife and our two dogs and watch a TV show and relax.


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## Shayne Parkinson (Mar 19, 2010)

We don't have a television service (to use Lara's handy definition), and I'm not at all drawn to get one. We do watch DVDs quite often - with TV series, it means waiting (and avoiding spoilers!) till it comes out on DVD, which is easier some times than others.


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