Questions for those who have given up TV

We haven't had a TV for ten years. I should have given it up years before that. Without exposure to MSM and the opinions and thoughts that are generated for you,it is amazing how much clearer your thinking is.

We still watch netflix and dvds on the computer.


I stay in motels a lot for work and never turn the TV on.

The garbage shows,the commercials and the endless propaganda are very evident when you get away from it any length of time. All TV evokes is revulsion,like being in the same room with a gaboon viper.

Last Edited by s. d. butler on 02/06/2013 03:26 PM

Do you miss it?

No. Quit back in 2010

DO you still watch movies/shows on your computer?

Yes. Since I quit, have only watched two movies on the TV.

Do you spend more time on your computer/internet?

Nope. spend more time talking to friends and family.

And most importantly, do you feel like your brain is clearer? I've often wondered if part of the fogginess/stress people feel these days is partially due to watching so much TV and/or needing to fill every moment with sounds.
Brain is clearer, I am much more relaxed, lost weight, more active, eat healthier, vocabulary extending ( my stories far more interesting) get more sunshine, and better sleep.

Do you miss it?
No, stopped watching regular TV over 25 years ago
Luckily I am a lone worked, so don't have to put up with the social chit chat, like last nights TV.

DO you still watch movies/shows on your computer?
Occasionally normally if it is recommended by GLP, such as Utopia at the moment.

Do you spend more time on your computer/internet?
Yes, also read a lot more.
The good thing about the internet is that you can discuss issues, TV is all one way.

And most importantly, do you feel like your brain is clearer? I've often wondered if part of the fogginess/stress people feel these days is partially due to watching so much TV and/or needing to fill every moment with sounds.
Not sure, but what I do notice is how strange TV is now.
Lots of loud noises flashing images, double speak, wobbly heads news readers, how they state opinions as facts.
Also TVs are everywhere, such as waiting rooms.

Would love to hear from anyone that's given up TV! Also- any of you give it up while a spouse/significant other still watched it?

My wife still watches TV and she has it on most evenings, but I keep out of the way.

OP is busy watching TV

with a slack jaw?

Same here
No TV at home. No TV set. Lots of internet though. Some TV when I'm away in hotel room.

I don't miss it. I miss the time when TV was watchable, but not anymore. Those days won't come back for us who are enlightened as to what is happening to the world.

Yes, i watch watever I'm still interested on computers and sometimes cinema too. Just a few movies and series, not much. I don't have much interest on them because of the content/themes usually are a repeat, few innovations, original ideas, and there are much brainwashing on them too. But sometimes i want to see what's the overall message of a particular movie about a particular subject and try to see how it relates to conspiracies.

I feel less stress because i don't get to be angry at the lies on the news at TV and some programs. Some movies are full of lies or distortions too, but they're usually presented on a less revolting way, and the challenge of spotting them adds some fun and an element of unexpected things to the movie.

But there are other sources of stress in this life. And TV is just one. In fact when we know what's happening in the world like we do in conspiracies circles, we have more reasons to be worried about the future, so a time to relax and rest the mind becomes more important.

I think the main sources of stress nowadays are poisons in our food, vaccines, many medicines, radiofrequencies (cellphones, wireless) and so on. Excessive work hours too. Use of computers and electronic appliances in excess (work and free hours) can be very stressing. Not forgetting decreasing economic conditions, job uncertainty, and other worries of life. That's why people are so brain foggy and confused nowadays. Again, relaxing is very important, and we have to watch so that our entertainment don't become stressfull too, since the availability of shows/programs and things to do is very big. People can become tired of so many movies and so many entertainment.

Freeing oneself from scheduled shows/programs TV, movies, movies sequels, series sequels and so on and having a flexible time schedule to watch what we really need and want contributes for freeing time to relax.

I'm single so I think it's easier sometimes than for people who are married to spouses who still like TV/movies. But if at least the movie preferences are the same for both spouses, watching a good movie together sometimes is OK.

Hahahaha...nope was playing with my kids :)
Didn't check back on the thread for a while bc I didn't think anyone had commented and then came back to find 2 pages!

Thanks for all the experiences shared. We are getting rid of our satellite but will still have other ways to watch movies, etc. I'd like to get away from watching anything on TV for a while. I have nights where I won't watch anything and love it, but my husband likes movies, etc and I want to spend time with him so I don't stay away from the TV for too long.

I am most interested to hear from those of you that think your brain is clearer- and someone mentioned that their thoughts seem more meaningful. I have been thinking lately that in the past people's minds seemed to be sharper and had more going on- I mean, where are today's Thomas Jeffersons or Plato, etc...just playing on xbox or watching 'reality' tv?

The more I learn on my own, the more I notice in movies/shows propaganda and agenda being pushed and it gets annoying!

The majority of folks said they didn't notice a difference in their brain being more clear. Only a few did.

I repeat: We are NOT getting rid of the TVs.

My wife and I have been without a TV for about 4 years now. I don’t miss it. We have a small 15” TV that we can get out if we want to. I pulled it out to watch the debates and election results. It was left out for a few nights and I turned it on a few times to see what sort of “programming” was popular. I seriously can’t understand what people are watching it for. I realize that I used to be one of the drooling tv zombies, so I don’t mean this in a condescending way, but seriously, people need to cut free of it. To say it’s dumbed down entertainment is an incredible understatement.

Let’s talk about two aspects of your inquiry. First, what does it take to get off of this addiction? It’s not easy. It’s like a cow that grazes in a pasture, giving up grass. There’s nothing else to eat, and so she goes hungry until she finally decides to return to grazing. If there were something else in the pasture to eat, say corn and oats, then she might be ok. When a person spends four hours a night watching TV, and then suddenly stops, what do you suppose that person can do to occupy his mind? You’ll quickly find that your house is not set up to keep you engaged in stimulating activities. This is a bigger problem than you might think. You will soon be asking yourself, “What did people do before TV?” The answer is, that before TV, nobody had TV. Now, everyone does except you. 200 years ago you would walk outside and find your neighbors engaged in work or play, but always there to talk to. Today if you walk outside, you’ll see the giant big screen shining out of your neighbor’s window as he feeds his face and allows his mind to be programmed while it rots in his scull like a big soft tomato on a dried up vine. Finding something for yourself to do is difficult when you and your family are the only ones looking. For this reason, I recommend not going cold turkey. There’s no point in it. Sitting in a quiet room listening to crickets is not much better than TV, and it’ll frustrate you. You may not make it this way. Be the cow that gets the oats first.

The proper approach is to cut out an hour a night for the first month, then cut out another hour on the second month, and so on. There’s a rule here though. Be honest with yourself. What time do you normally sit down and start watching TV? If it’s 5:00, then start by cutting out 5:00 to 6:00. Don’t cut out 3:00 to 4:00 when you don’t even watch tv in the first place. Now, let’s suppose that you normally start watching at 5:00. So for the first month, no TV until 6:00. Don’t play the game so that you can watch until 5:00 and then have to stop until 6:00. Next rule: don’t start by cutting the late hours first. Don’t allow yourself to watch from 5:00 till 10:00 and then cut out 10:00 to 11:00. The whole idea is that you’ll start to find ways to fill your time besides watching TV. You won’t do this if you wait until 10:00 to pry yourself away from the tube. You’ll be too tired, and even if you do turn off your TV at 10:00, you won’t do anything but wait for bedtime. Cut the early hours first and allow yourself to start filling your time with other interests. You may find, after a couple months, you can simply cut out the TV altogether. Also, don’t fool yourself into believing that the news is actually edifying, and good for you. It’s not. You don’t need ABC news telling you about a puppy caught in a sewer pipe, and a bus on the other side of the country that got a flat on the e-way. Read your news online. It’s better news, and takes less time.

The second aspect of your inquiry is the benefits. The rewards are amazing! Of course my interests are not going to excite you necessarily, but let me tell you a few things that I managed while working 40 plus hours a week this past year. I bought a property last year that I completely gutted. I replaced the downstairs floors including the joists – water damage. I moved the front door, I added a sliding glass door where there was a man door. I moved a window, I am rewiring the place, I took out a wall and replaced it with a 16ft beam to make two rooms into one. I replaced the dining room ceiling joists. This, and more, I did to this house after getting home from work this past year, and after spending time with my kids before they went to be at 7:00. In addition, I kept the grass at this place mowed while keeping up the yard at the house I am living in. I installed a furnace in my garage. I do my own work on my vehicles. I have replaced two radiators, a water pump, a fuel pump, and did minor body work on my car. I am cataloging herbal remedies and learning to identify local plants with medicinal qualities. I plan to spend time this spring hiking through several area woods to practice identifying them. My wife and I have my mother over every Wednesday night to eat with us, and to spend time with the kids. I just got home from dropping her off at her house as a matter of fact. My sister and brother-in-law stop over every Wednesday too. It’s a small party every week. On Saturday evenings we have friends over. We sit in my heated garage till about midnight talking about current events and how Obama is ruining the country. I built a chicken coup at the property that we are fixing up, and I bought 30 chickens to raise for meat last spring. I made feeders out of 50 gal barrels so that they would have food for up to three days if I couldn’t make it out there. I bought a horse trailer and rewired the lights, and use it to haul material for the house I am working on.

I could go on, but I think you get the drift. If you watch 4 hours of TV every night, then you waste 1460 hours per year. How many days is that worth? Well, don’t simply divide by 24, because, although that will tell you how many days you wasted, it’s not really a good representation. Your TV watching time comes out of your waking hours. There are not 24 hours a day that you are awake. If you sleep 8 hours each night, then there are 16 hours that you are awake. So divide 1460 by 16. That’s the equivalent of the days you are wasting. It would be like having 91 days a year that you could spend any way you like. Are you beginning to see how TV is steeling your very life away?

An added benefit is that you escape the programming that occurs to the TV watchers. You’ll begin to feel like you don’t belong, but it’s a good thing. You’ll have different views because yours won’t be influenced by Hollywood and the popular news media. You’ll watch others continue to be desensitized by TV, and you’ll wonder how they can be so base, cruel, and uncaring. It takes a while for the divergence to happen. But in a few years, I promise, you’ll notice it.

Finally, your brain will begin to function better, while others continue to decline. I always considered myself to be of average intelligence. That has always been a fair and honest assessment. I don’t mean to brag, only pointing out the truth because it needs to be said here. I am performing above the top 10 percent at work. I have had the job I am working at right now for a relatively short time, and I am getting rave reviews, and offers for promotion from several directions. I am not trying to brag. I don’t know that I could. I suppose I am staying rather sharp by keeping my mind occupied, but the other side of the coin is that everyone else’s mind is dulling from lack of use. The difference is striking. Like I said, I have never been considered exceptionally smart. But I think people are getting that impression of me as they contrast my work to the work of others.

In conclusion, I would like to say, that I have not stopped watching movies. My wife and I will often watch a movie on Saturday night, and sometimes we’ll watch two a week. We’re not legalistic about it. We might even watch a show on a weeknight on the computer too, but our lives are full enough from having broken away from TV that we don’t need it, and fill our time very well without it. When we watch something, it’s because we want to see it; it’s engaging or interesting. We’re not watching it because nothing else is on.

This took some time to write, so I hope it edifies. I hope it encourages and not discourages. I hope I didn’t come off as a braggart.

Regards

Thank you so much for that answer, I know it took some time to write. Definitely an interesting perspective and I really like the idea of giving up an hour at a time- I think that's something my husband would be on board with as well so that would make it easier. There is a garden that will need to be tended to soon so I'm sure we'll find ways to fill that time!

I've got four old style TVs in good shape and haven't plugged them in for years. Eventually, I'll connect one to a computer as a large monitor. I watch something online once or twice a week - no more than an hour. My time is spent planning, building, researching, and otherwise being productive.

TV was OK when it was the best comm media we had. Now broadcast TV is as bad as AM radio - OK for the weather if that's what you need, but otherwise worthless.

Cable was a non-starter - NOTHING of value ever.

No yes yes yes

TV Disgust me.. Even being able to TIVO past commercials I can't stand it. The NEWS upsets me completely how they report garbage avoiding real issues.

Not owned cable TV in 8yrs now. I pick and chose what I watch when the series is complete so I do not have to wait a week for the next episode. etc..

Have dual monitors 21" and 50" I drag and watch stuff on the big screen while I work on the 21".

i just started a thread earlier about my wife smashing our tv yesterday during an argument.

in the next 24 hours of no tv in the house, it has become apparent, the prominence of attention and thought we give to the tv, whilst ignoring every day the ones we supposedly love around us, is harming the family unit. most of our fashion sense, sense of whats cool and whats not, relavant news, are all controlled by the tv. i say break the yoke that this evil invention has cast around our collective necks. break free from the all enslaving tv. do it. you will feel better for it.

obviously in my case i didnt have a choice in the matter, but sometimes a blessing can come disguised as a curse.

There is a little game I've seen played. It's called, Honey, I'm home.

This is where you take your TV out to a safe place and shoot it with a 12 gauge. Actually choice of weapon is up to the shooter.

Sounds like you played a variation.

Last Edited by s. d. butler on 02/13/2013 10:46 PM

Depends on what you watch, I mostly watch nature and educational shows.

We canceled satellite for the TV in June, 2012.


Do you miss it? No, I do not miss it at all.

DO you still watch movies/shows on your computer? Sometimes I watch movies or old TV shows on the computer. Sometimes I watch videos on a small TV that we still have, but not often.

Do you spend more time on your computer/internet? Probably not. I already spent more time on the computer than on TV. Both my spouse and I have a large all-in-one computer, so we can each do what we want to on the computers.

And most importantly, do you feel like your brain is clearer? I don't think it's made much difference to tell the truth. I rarely watched anything on TV anyway.