Calvin and Hobbes: Marxism and TV

[Ichingcarpenter]

Waterson was subversive in his own way about TV and the opiate of the masses back then.

Don't touch that dial has gone to don't touch that remote
and now don't touch that mouse for some of us.

[DetlefK]

1. Testimony from someone who doesn't own a TV: Me.

I live in a small apartment. At first I had no place where to put a TV. And later, when finally everything had found its place, I realized that I no longer miss TV.

I get all the entertainment and the news I need from internet, DVDs and cinema.
Meanwhile I find it incredible how people get NOT annoyed when a TV is blaring in the background.
And commercials give me murderous urges. (You have not tasted freedom until you have lived a life void of commercials.)

And the big, BIG plus:
Without TV, I have gained several precious hours of life-time per day that I am free to spend on my hobbies. These things are more important to me than watching the crap that makes up 90% of the program. If I went back to watching TV, it would literally decrease my quality of life.

[Ichingcarpenter]

2. If you have a good internet

You no longer need tv. which I haven't had either for 5 years. I do watch a lot on the internet and no commercials is amazing especially if you walk into someone's place and haven't seen a commercial in years.
Right now I'm watch Danger Man series with patrick McGoohan a lot less violence and guns as compared to any thing today
Anyway...

[hunter]

3. The only television commercials I see are those posted for comment here on DU.

Last I recall was the commercial where the little girl put Cheerios on her napping dad's chest. Or maybe it was some ad featuring gay couples, but I don't remember what for. A car maybe? I'm never going to buy a new car so I pay no attention to those.

Any time I might spend watching television I generally spend reading.

But yeah, after a couple of years not watching television, seeing it becomes irritating, television news and commercials especially. It's like second-hand cigarette smoke. Blech.

The only moving, noisy commercials I see regularly are printed on the sides and backs of buses and trucks.

I block moving or noisy advertising in my web browsing.

[Populist_Prole]

4. It's making me increasingly out of tune with my friends and others

They're always blabbering among themselves about this show or that and gush at me in an overenthusiastic way about how I "just gotta watch" some show or another. I'm skeptical but I'll end up trying it and sure enough, they're all inane enough to be an insult to a cretin. The humor or drama ( depending on the type of the show ) being lame and obvious. When I tell them I didn't like it and why, they get irritated at me as though I am either a snob, or just trying to be a kill-joy contrarian or something.

I'm not saying it's ALL garbage; I mean I watch about 2 hours of TV a week maybe. It just seems most of it is deliberately designed to really really be opiates for the masses.

[Dems to Win]

5. K&R for Calvin and Hobbes

[adirondacker]

6. The only time I watch Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC is when someone posts a video of Jon Stewart.

Man do I miss picking up the Sunday paper and reading a Calvin and Hobbs strip.

[SoapBox]

7. Perfect.

[90-percent]

8. I'm the slime

The SNL Don Pardo version. Frank saw this coming decades ago.

-90% Jimmy

[FrodosPet]

9. Area Man Constantly Mentioning He Doesn't Own A Television

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=5452509

Ah, the simple pleasures of looking down in harsh judgement at the "ignorant" masses as we bask in the glory of our enlightenment.