Friday, October 12, 2007

Downgrading

Today is the day. We are scheduled to have our expanded cable downgraded to limited basic. That means we will only be getting local channels...and a few more thrown in for good measure. We are doing this for financial reasons...$55 verses $15 per month. We are also doing it for other reasons...including the fact that much of what is on TV these days is just garbage.

If I had friends that wanted to have casual sex, spout profanity, and commit random acts of violence...all in my living room...needless to say that they wouldn't be invited over very often. But we think nothing of inviting our "TV friends" into our homes every night...doing the same things. I am not a prude, but I do have standards that I want to teach my daughter...and to be honest, most of what is on prime-time television does not meet those standards. BK is at an age that she takes everything in like a sponge. What I sometimes forget is that we all take things in. Everything that we see and hear becomes a part of us...changing us. It may not seem like that is true, but it is. Television is the means that society uses to mold and shape us to its image...transforming us one episode at a time.

So, we have taken the first step to showing some of our "friends" to the front door. Now we just need to learn to use the OFF button on the TV remote more often. I have more than enough life to fill up my waking hours without TV. I might actually get a book read...or my house cleaned. : )

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Deidra, you go, girl. I've been cable TV free now for several years. No satellite, and I'm never going there, either. I won't say that I never watch TV. I'm ashamed to say I still watch football, too much football.

What got to me was that not only is the garbage coming into my living room, I'm paying my hard-earned money for it to do so! Not to mention I had a preteen son at home, Daniel, who was watching MTV in the afternoon. No way!

Even though we made the transition gradually with same step you're taking now, it was hard. But the good news is, we got over it!!!!

Thanks for the opportunity to post on your blog.