How TV Ruined Your Life

JohnnyH · Post by **JohnnyH** » Wed Mar 30, 2011 7:38 pm

I have a feeling these will be a big hit here... I certainly enjoyed the episodes on Aspiration, Fear and Love (last 2 not great IMO). I would recommend starting with Aspiration for some very ERE relevant stuff.
Frankly, I can't believe they let this on TV

1. Fear

2. Lifecycle

3. Aspiration

4. Love

5. Progress

6. Knowledge

Jackson · Post by **Jackson** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 2:21 am

The one about love is hilarious (although not related to ERE).

Shandi76 · Post by **Shandi76** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 12:18 pm

I loved this series. Actually, most of what Charlie Brooker gets involved with is worth reading or watching.
They let this on tv because it is paid for by the TV License Fee rather than advertisers

Surio · Post by **Surio** » Fri Apr 01, 2011 11:05 am

@Shandi76,

Hmm, Was it the same TV programme you posted here sometime back?
That thread also carried some lively discussion as I recall

Shandi76 · Post by **Shandi76** » Fri Apr 01, 2011 5:14 pm

@Surio - Yes it is

I posted a link to the Aspiration episode as it seemed relevant to this forum. I loved the whole series though, but agree with Johnny about the one on Progress not being as good.

JohnnyH · Post by **JohnnyH** » Mon Apr 04, 2011 3:20 pm

It was posted here! Thanks Shandi... I am not surprised, I figured a lot of us would get a kick out of it.

SF · Post by SF » Wed Apr 20, 2011 12:17 am

It's interesting to note how NOT watching TV can reset your brain.
I kicked the daily TV habit some years ago. (I now catch less than an hour a week, mostly on the web.) After a while, I noticed that bad programming seemed much worse than when I was watching regularly. It didn't seem campy anymore, it just seemed like a waste of time.
But even more noticeable was how my tolerance for gratuitous violence, gore, and torture have reset. I just can't watch it without physically feeling sick. (Including that short torture clip from the "fear" segment. I wish I could unwatch that.) I suppose the purpose is to shock, and it takes more and more gore to do that, as more adults have developed an immunity.
I do feel like the series made some good points, although unfortunately presented in a fashion designed for the typical viewer. Yes, they were even pointing that out in one of the segments, some irony there.

Shandi76 · Post by **Shandi76** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 3:18 pm

@SF - I lived without a TV for over a decade until my partner made me get one. I used to go visit my parents and be stunned by how boring some of the tv shows were that they would religiously watch. It can be such a time sink. I have a tv now, but am very selective in my viewing habits and rarely watch anything just because I can't think of something better to do. I did find that most people were shocked at my lack of a tv and would interrogate me about that lifestyle choice. (The TV License inspectors were also surprised...because everyone has a TV: I had to let them come round every year and check I wasn't hiding one in the loft or something.)

SF · Post by SF » Sat Apr 23, 2011 10:10 pm

@Shandi76 I've had a similar experience. One thing that might be surprising is how it can sometimes be hard to talk with TV-watching people. See the latest episode of 24? Oh, never mind.
TV even seeps into everyday conversation. I've learned to memorize factoids about TVland, just so I can engage in conversations using common TV idioms.
BTW: I think better than the abovementioned BBC series (and certainly shorter) is this music video, Candy Everybody Wants. I particularly like the adverts.

Shandi76 · Post by **Shandi76** » Sun Apr 24, 2011 10:04 pm

@SF - I guess I'm quite lucky in that because of where I work, and the way I know friends through other hobbies, tv shows don't come up much in conversation. And my students keep me up to date with what is happening in tvland if I need to know.
I liked the video. Seems like she might be an artist worth checking out (I think she had one hit in the UK at some point but other than that I'd never heard of her).