When a population becomes distracted by trivia, when cultural life is redefined as a perpetual round of entertainments, when serious public conversation becomes a form of baby-talk, when, in short, a people become an audience, and their public business a vaudeville act, then a nation finds itself at risk; culture-death is a clear possibility.
NEIL POSTMAN
Neil Postman was the reason I gave up watching television in the 1990s. 9/11 was the reason I went back to television especially cable television and Fox News. My opinion of Postman now is that he overstated his case. He never saw the internet coming.
I think television is awesome. It has been unfairly maligned by the likes of Postman and myself. I remember reading once that watching television doesn't get credit as a hobby, but it would be the number one hobby in America if it did get that credit. I read that decades ago, so the internet may have taken that spot now. The bottom line is that looking at screens is our number one activity, but we feel shame over it. Why?
I know someone who recently purchased a large screen TV for the enhanced pleasure of watching professional wrestling. I think that was a smart purchase and a good use of money. I think owning a nice radio or stereo system is good, too. Throw in the books and shelves and the CD and DVD collections. Entertainment is a good purchase.
This love for entertainment is in contrast to the frivolous purchasing of toys like motorcycles, boats, RVs, ATVs, exercise machines, and other aspirational clutter that ends up unused. Say what you will about TV sets and stereos, that equipment for entertainment sees regular use while the motorcycle rusts to pieces in your cluttered garage alongside the unused weight set and Peloton bicycle.
The problem people have is the conflict between their fantasy selves and their actual selves. They waste money buying for the person they want to be while feeling guilty about the person they are in actuality. This needs to stop. Kill your fantasy self and be who you are.
The fantasy self is vanity. No one wants to waste time or life, but wasting money is not a cure for this. If you buy a thing you don't use, you wasted your money. Everyone else sees this but you. The better way is to stop buying and accumulating this aspirational clutter and admit that you like spending your leisure time relaxing and enjoying entertainment.
The problem people have with enjoying entertainment at home is that it conflicts with all of those notions about self-actualization. Somehow, life on the couch is not as good as life on the ski slopes or mountain bike trails. The reality is that these "self-actualized" people make fake videos and pictures for their social media accounts. The fantasy self is now entertainment for public consumption.
I don't ride motorcycles or go surfing or travel the world. I read books and listen to the radio. I don't watch much television because of the visual processing issues from my TBI, but I enjoy that bit of time with my wife without guilt. Those are shared experiences.
Excessive entertainment consumption is a vice. Of course, this is true of all things in life. When it cuts into your work life or physical fitness, entertainment consumption needs a reduction. I have never had a problem with this in my life. There isn't enough pleasure in entertainment to rise to the level of addiction.
The final thing I have to say regards the sedentary nature of entertainment consumption. Where I live, the trifecta of getting outdoors is hunting, fishing, and playing golf. All three of these activities fundamentally boil down to sitting on your ass outside. How is this better than sitting inside? I think the better way is to get some exercise outside with walking and yard work. Then, you can sit in front of the TV set or stereo as a reward.
