Reasons I Let Go of Television Programming

There are a few reasons I decided to forgo watching television since 2007. First, television makes me feel lethargic and provides an excuse and escape from doing things I most likely would otherwise do, like read or do something productive. I'm convinced television can be very detrimental to one's life if you allow it to be.

That's not to say I don't occasionally miss the easier times when I used to come home from the late shift to a glass of wine and Golden Girls episodes I never saw when I was young. The show was hilarious, but hardly something a 30's something would want to watch. Sadly, within two years of my watching most all the episodes, all but one of the stars of the program passed away.

After I caught up on all the GG episodes I also used to love coming home to the endless Will & Grace repeats. Sometimes the program would be on two cable channels at night. After watching at least 3-4 repeats of each episode, I decided enough was enough, especially since the program went off the air. I was late to the W&G bandwagon, as I didn't start watching until 2005, long after it had begun in 1999. I've never seen any of the other popular sitcoms, including Seinfeld and probably never will.

In 2005, I branched out with my new HDTV 42 inch Sharp screen to the Discovery, Science and History Channels and enjoyed some of the programming a while, including Survivorman and those great crab boat dangerous fishing shows. I liked the crime solving shows too, but one thing became apparent the more I watched -- there were too many repeats. Sometimes I'd see the same programs within a few weeks of one another. This was true of a lot of different series, even judge programs.

Today what I do is catch what I want to see on YouTube clips, the alternative media and various other outlets offered by businesses. Let's face it, Comcast's $80 charge per month is a lot of money and adds up over the years. I came to the conclusion I could purchase DVD series of programs I enjoyed and various educational series from the Teaching Company to get more out of my viewing time. I don't regret getting rid of Comcast. I don't think I'll ever have cable television again.

I may also eventually get rid of the large screen television in the near future I don't really need. I hear Governor Schwarzenegger may make it mandatory to get rid of my screen tv anyway, that anything above 40 inches will be banned for energy conservation in the future. I don't think that would be quite right for the state government to force people to dump their large screens they initially allowed industries to profit from.

I don't know if the new legislation means they can eventually force me to get rid of my large screen or if it's just for new purchases, but whatever it is, I can live without a 42 inch large screen set.