About TV

It occurred to me this morning - right in the kitchen, as these thoughts usually come so randomly - that although people claim TV brainwashes and stupefy, same things used to be said for books. Remember all those stories about "bad books" and "bad influences"? Suburban housewife diving so recklessly into adultery because Flaubert poisoned her mind? I have been raised with black-and-white TV constantly on, but since I didn't have it in my room, books were my main comfort. Later in life I continued to read with greatest passion and TV was just unnecessary technical gadget I could live without, in fact as I moved to UK and The Netherlands, I was delighted to meet people who were also reading and completely ignoring TV. "What about the news?" I would have asked. "You can read news in the newspapers just the same"

Since I can - and I do - live without TV, this morning I tried to work my mind not against it but "for" its purpose. All those documentaries, news and perhaps entertaining things I deprive myself from. No matter how I try to look at it, I constantly see my acquaintances switching the darn thing on and the brain off, evening after evening, searching for something "interesting", clicking remote control from channel to channel, desperately complaining "there's nothing to watch" - where of course there are thousands things going on but not that expected crime serial or another thriller about mass murderer. So is it brainwashing and bad influence? That would be perhaps too harsh - just like books, newspapers and internet, it is a media and it all depends on a person using it. As a teenager I used to spend a sleepless night completely lost in my first-ever Agatha Christie novel and no one would think about criticizing it, however try to spend a sleepless night on Internet and you instantly feel guilty as time was wasted. Just as some people find the pleasure and comfort in reading love stories or watching soap operas, I am capable of diddling with my own writings (diary, blog, music reviews or whatever) that absolutely makes no ripple elsewhere but it is a good brain exercise and I enjoy it. So it goes like with anything else, as long as person is not addicted in a sense that his/hers life revolves around that TV program, cigarette, glass of vine or any unbreakable habit (and habits are also comforting, I see nothing wrong in them) there should be no harm. It is my own choice to select books, reading or any other distractions as preferred to oh-so-passive TV evening. Just like Internet browsing occasionally brings something quite unexpectedly moving, interesting and thought-provoking, TV has the same option, one just needs to be selective.

However, I spend weeks here on vacation without ever switching it on (except when I hear about some documentary) and when I am sailing for 6 months I never ever watch it. There was a roommate once who was constantly clicking the remote control, guy was not watching anything but just changing channels all the time. Noticing that I am usually lost in my books and completely ignoring this dazzlingly interesting variety of entertaining, once he actually asked me why am I not watching TV and is this maybe because of my religion?

I have spent ten years sailing now and during this time my working hours usually extend long into the early morning hours, after which I am ready just for a shower, some self pity and a page or two, I can't focus on TV at 2 a.m. knowing that there is work waiting for me again in the morning. So I read. And occasionally I watch some old classic movie on my computer, when recommended I even check some TV serial, usually during my vacation. Even with all the high recommendations, I couldn't get into "Breaking Bad" because it simply didn't appeal to me.
Is it great acting as everybody says, I cannot tell - this is a depressing story about unhappy people and it just made me uncomfortable, I was not immersed in it but constantly aware I am sitting here and suffering watching something ugly that is supposed to be interesting. So I gave up on episode four and in search for something more enjoyable, lighter and feel-good turned to "American Horror Story". Yes I know, strange choice but it did work out very well as escapism and few evenings just whizzed by as I was smoking, biting lips, gulping wine, running to WC and back, living it again in my head and checking Wikipedia what's happening next. Both seasons one and two are - I see it now - not so original, ideas are combination of previous successful movies like  "Sixth sense", "Rosemary's baby", "Exorcist" and countless other clichés about dark corners in the haunted houses, however the cast was very good, the stories gripping (though excessively violent and brutal) and the fact that everything on the screen was so unreal helped me to enjoy it as something that is just a "TV show" with no connection to my reality whatsoever. I do must admit that I found it a somehow overlong and extended beyond the cliffhanger point (second season could have easily end at episode 10 instead of going on for another 3) but it was a fine escapism. Jessica Lange and Lily Rabe seems to have particularly enjoyed themselves.