A New Weapon in the War Against TV

OK, this is a beautiful thing! After my last post, I kept surfing around for more anti-TV stuff to get me motivated. Luckily I found this HILARIOUS article about a TV vigilante in New York who goes around turning off TV's in stores, bars, or wherever he happens to find them!

How does he do it without getting busted? With the TV-B-Gone Universal TV Remote Control of course!

How awesome is that? I'm thinking I could have a blast with one of these little devices. Imagine the confusion and bewilderment as TV's start randomly turning off in department stores, bars, restaurants, homes, etc.

You can read the TV vigilante article here, but then how about going to get your own TV-B-Gone and join the fight against MIND SEWAGE!

TV is McDonaldizing our perspectives, knowledge, tastes and desires!

I've been failing miserably at my latest Anti-TV campaign. My goal, when I started this blog, was to eliminate TV from my life. That hasn't quite happened yet, but I won't quit trying until I'm 100% TV free.

I quit smoking cold-turkey over 15 years ago, so I'm not about to believe that the boob-tube is a stronger addictive force than nicotine! If I kicked the cigs and never went back, I can certainly beat this TV thing!

Anyway, after spending almost 10 hours today in front of the television (no, I'm not kidding), I decided it was time for a little anti-TV motivation. I asked my wife if she ever felt guilty wasting so much time in front of the tube doing absolutely nothing. Her answer, not surprisingly, was "NO." She feels that she works hard, so when she has the opportunity to relax, she takes it.

I question whether having your ass plopped in front of the TV for 10+ hours is really the best way for anyone to relax, but it's almost pointless trying to reason with her.

Anyway, after a little Googling for new anti-TV info, I came across an interesting website. Oddly enough, it's a Islamic site and most of the stuff I read is directed as Muslims. Personally, I think we're all equal in the eyes of the evil TV gods, so feel free to substitute in whatever religion you are as you read. :-)

In addition to this article, they have a whole series called the "UnTV Guide". I love it!

So here's an excerpt from the first article I landed on which was titled, "Television and You"...

Night after night, we sit for long hours in dark rooms. Identical images flow into our brains, McDonaldizing our perspectives, knowledge, tastes, desires.

We spend more hours watching nature shows than experiencing the real thing; more time laughing at TV jokes than making jokes ourselves; more time experiencing TV sports than actually picking a ball in our hands.

Halal and haram are lost when eyes are mesmerized, fixed on that 19" piece of furniture.

Our brains are targeted at the rate of 3,000 marketing messages per day -- twelve billion display ads, three million radio ads and over 300,000 TV commercials toxins are dumped on us. Our attention spans are diminishing, our imaginations giving out, we are unable to remember the past.

While competing for the best of this world, we once in a while recall about the everlasting life. But that moment doesn't last very long. It is washed away pretty fast as we willingly set down for another session with the thing.

Continue reading here...

I don't know about you, but I thought that was pretty powerful! The whole reference to McDonald's was perfect too because I just watched "Super Size Me" again with my parents yesterday. Maybe someday, when I get the TV monkey off my back, I'll start an anti-fast-food blog.

8 Changes I Experienced After Giving Up TV

Steve Pavlina is apparently doing a WHOLE lot better than I am at avoiding the idiot box. A couple weeks ago, he published this article about the 8 Changes he Experienced After Giving Up TV.

This is a great article and should provide some motivation by realizing how much of a time and energy leech the tube really is.

Day 1 - Survived a night without the idiot box

Well, I made it through last night, which I'm considering to be Day 1 in my new anti-TV campaign. As I look ahead, I almost dread all the symptoms I'm going to encounter as I attempt this again. The nervousness, fidgiting, wondering what to do with my time... It's much more difficult that most might imagine, especially if you aren't addicted to TV.

Anyway, I ate dinner away from the tube, and then did some reading and made a few updates to my website. Then I spent about an hour talking to my wife. It was quite nice, and I really didn't miss the TV at all. but then again, the withdrawal doesn't really set in until about the 3rd day.

Another Anti-TV Wakeup Call

Somebody is trying to tell me something... Jesse from "You Need A Budget" just posted an article about investing, and somehow managed to work the TV thing in.

I guess it's time for another full-blown campaign to kill the boob tube! :-)

No More TV for Steve Pavlina

Yes, it really has been almost a year since I last posted to this blog. And yes, I totally fell off the wagon and went back to watching TV. In fact, I'm right back to watching the tube pretty much every night while I eat, and then later falling asleep on the couch or floor while the TV plays on throughout the night.

It's actually quite pitifull...

But today, I was fortunate enough to read a new post over on StevePavlina.com about his experiment with giving up TV. Steve's site and blog is one of my most favorite right now because everything he writes about is stuff I'm interested in. His ability to articulate complex and thought provoking topics is really incredible.

Anyway, Steve is in the middle of a 30 day TV fast which be believes will most likely turn into a TV-free life. His post, and a few other anti-TV sites he linked to, reminded me of all the reasons I tried to give up the tube before.

I was successful last year for a little over 30 days, so lets see how well I can do this time. Drop me a comment here if you've already given up TV, or if you plan to, and tell me about your experience.

PS. Steve blogged last year about his whole family doing a 30 day TV fast. It includes many great comments by other readers.