Anyone ever kill thier T.V.?

[INDYFIGHTER]

I have a beautiful flat screen TV I am very proud of. I have basic cable, no movie channels and a Playstation 2 for games and DVD's. Mostly I watch the Discovery channel, History channel or the Travel channel but I also watch boxing, Colts games and motorcycle racing and movies I've usually seen before. The rest of the time I'm bouncing through the channels and back and forth between something like the Family Guy and what ever stupid reality show is on.

I've noticed that the tv is the first thing I turn on in the morning or when I get home and the last thing I turn off before bed.
I don't have a problem with this in the Winter months when I can't go out and ride my motorcycles and I work short days. I still get my workout in and all my house chores done.

I've often thought of trying going without. I'm considering picking a date in the next two weeks, as the weather is getting better and then unpluging everything but my stereo and covering my tv with a sheet.
I work long hours in the summer and what time I do have free needs to be spent doing more then watching television.

Has anyone ever tried to unplug and if so, how'd it go.
I know alot of people just don't watch tv and that's cool. What I'm really asking is has anyone like me who was raised in front of a tube ever tried go tv free?

 

[Bob Hubbard]

turn on cspan. it'll motivate you to shut it off.

 

[mrhnau]

There are times I think of just turning it off. I don't watch much these days anyways. I'd miss my sports, especially with Olympics coming up. With football season, it would be hard to keep it off!

 

[Grenadier]

Before I got back in training, I used to watch a good bit of TV. At the time, I also lived a lot closer to my work place, and would do the 9-6 routine at work.

Not much time for TV these days, though... Typical day is like this:

Leave home around 615 AM, go to work.

Finish work at 415 PM, go to the dojo to train and / or teach.

Get back home around 900 PM. Wolf down dinner, have a drink, get online and do a few things.

Hit the sack around 1200 AM.

Maybe I'll sneak a peek at the TV during dinner or during that drink, but it's not going to be for long.

 

[Big Don]

About twelve years ago I shot a perfectly good 27" sony with a 357Magnum...
I was somewhat disappointed, the slug did not exit the back of the TV.

 

[tellner]

We got rid of ours years ago - just unplugged it and cancelled the cable contract. It was simple as that.

 

[newGuy12]

About twelve years ago I shot a perfectly good 27" sony with a 357Magnum...
I was somewhat disappointed, the slug did not exit the back of the TV.

hahaha

 

[tshadowchaser]

if being angry and kicking a piece of wood through the screen and not being able to afford a new one counts then yes I have gone without a tv.

It is hard to not watch one if you have become addicted to certain shows. I think we all have some that we have to watch and if we miss them we feel strange till we see them in rerun or catch the next chapter .

Getting out of the house more is the best way to get away from the tv. Sports, shopping, hiking, etc. are fun ways to break the habit.
Hell family time with no tv every day is a get to know your family better and maybe become closer to each other
For those that go to church or are into politics join some activities connected with those

 

[donald]

I 've heard Elvis did, but thats all I can say about that.

 

[Ping898]

never done so, never had a desire too....in this life, I think we need to pick and choose our vices and a tv is one of mine. I don't spend 24/7 or even time every day in front of it, I don't have the time or desire too and I have never not done something cause I wanted to watch tv instead...maybe if I reached that point, I might consider turning it of for a while...

 

[SenseiBear]

Bout 15 years ago - as a financial need in college... After a few years without I didn't miss it - and after 5 or 6 when I would see television, often it was very bizarre especially the advertising.

Now, I own a couple of TV's - and I watch movies, and some of the popular tv series I have rented. But I still have no antenna or cable service - and usually don't miss it.

On 9/11... My wife and I took turns standing in the entry way to the kitchen. If a person stands there, PBS comes in fuzzily on the TV in the living room...

 

[INDYFIGHTER]

Bout 15 years ago - as a financial need in college... After a few years without I didn't miss it - and after 5 or 6 when I would see television, often it was very bizarre especially the advertising

I wondered about that too. My best friend doesn't watch anything but Lost (cause his girlfriend makes him) and cartoons. He's been a student of Electrical Engineering for years so most of his time is spent reading or doing homework. Occasionally I'll make him watch some new show I've started watching and halfway through I can tell he hates it. Here I am totally entertained and he could care less. It makes me wonder if I've lowered my standards for what is entertaining.

I also think often about how many movies are put out these day. When I was a kid in the 80's there might be a handful of big movies a year or less. Movies like Big and Jaws. Now there's a movie being released every month on the big screen and three new DVD's available a week.

 

[thardey]

We scrapped the antenna, and never had cable.

But we did keep the DVD player. We subscribe to the Blockbuster mail-in rental program. For $10 (for us, I think the price has gone up) a month, we can get only one DVD in the mail at a time, and then we can trade it in for a rental if we want.

We often rent the TV series.' We worked our way through Alias, "24" is next. It's so nice watching without commercials, and you never feel like you "need" to be home, or stuck inside, at a certain time to watch it. (Did you realize that an hour show is only 43 minutes w/o commercials?) Granted, you're behind on the watercooler discussions, but you're not tempted to channel surf, because there's nothing to surf!

 

[MA-Caver]

I've adamantly given up watching commercialized television on a regular basis. I try to watch the old re-runs of shows like M*A*S*H and CSI and even Discovery, History and Animal Planet ... but damn those commercials!! Feels like you get 20 minutes of commercials for 5 minutes of show. SIGH... So If there's a movie I wanna watch... then it's DVD time. Otherwise I'll just avoid it unless there's nothing else to do... but lately I've found better alternatives.

 

[terryl965]

About all I watch is wrestling that is the best entertainment you can watch for the money.

 

[Nolerama]

I "unplugged" for a year (no TV) and I think it really helped me get in touch with my own identity. I read the books I wanted, played more sports (racquetball, softball, handball, martial arts) and noticed that I was eating healthier because I started cooking from fresh produce and from scratch. I became very physically fit and started to socialize more.

All my news came from the Internet, and better sources than CNN and local news, and newspapers.

Television is the tether that Big Business has on the populace in order to maintain our consumer society, as well as to pacify our ideas.

That was then... Now I have a really nice satellite package because I wanted to watch The Sopranos. But I've been mulling over disconnecting all over again.

 

[BrandiJo]

TV gets real dull if you do not have cable, i would suggest canceling your subscription and seeing what else you can find to to around the house. Plus its an extra expense you could put that money to better use else where. I haven't had cable in 2 years, for about 3 months we stayed with some friends who had it and it drove me up the wall it was just constant noise. I do not see us getting cable in the near future and i like it that way, however i do have my own little addiction (darn world of warcraft)

 

[SageGhost83]

I never tried to kill my T.V. but I have certainly gotten into nasty arguments with it on many occassions...no just kidding. I went without television and yes, it is like a great fog gets lifted off of your life. I found myself to be more focused, in a much better mood, and generally healthier and less fatigued. Nowadays, I only watch for boxing or WCL, and I watch my old school kung fu DVDs at dinner. Otherwise, I love how quiet and soothing it is in the house without the constant blaring of the television.

 

[JadecloudAlchemist]

I went for a about 2 years no T.V.

Now a days I listen to the T.V. as if it is a radio I find it more enjoyable that way.

Having no Cell phone, no computer, no T.V. you adapt to not having it and than you start to wonder why did you think you needed them after all.