Outside Looking In

I’m in day 14 of Jon Stolpe’s “no TV for the month of August” challenge. After the first few days it hasn’t been so bad. My nightly routine has changed and I’m definitely spending more time with my family. The strangest part so far has been the odd reactions from my co-workers. To some, my not watching TV is somehow committing a social crime. A minor crime for sure but it puts me a little closer to the “kook” category and I’m already close enough as it is. Others can’t understand why I would choose to disconnect from the collective consciousness of what brings so many Americans together. The shows we watch give us insights into each other and have something to do with how we organize our social structure. The Olympics are all a buzz around the office. I must have been asked 3 times; “did you see the American girl fall off the balance beam?” This is a conversation starter for a normal office interaction and there is nothing that kills a good TV banter than not watching TV. I find myself apologizing for missing it. I’m not actually sorry for missing the program I’m just a little weary of the “what kind of freak are you?” look I seem to get daily. I think the real issue is that not watching TV is that it puts people who don’t know me very well, at a relational disadvantage. I am now a little harder to understand. Think about a die-hard “Lost” fan or someone who never misses an episode of “WWE Smack Down”. Without knowing anything else, gender, age etc… you can picture what type of person they are. If you knew two or three shows they watched and how committed they were to those shows you could work up a complete personality profile. TV is the perfect entry into a relationship. It is a safe and easy place to start and identifying the shows we watch jump starts our insights about each other. The one thing I am truly grateful for is the break from all the commercials and I like the way it has caused me to spend my time, but I’m not sure how long I can walk on this path to becoming a social outcast.