Friday, October 26, 2007

I admit, I like TV (but not that much)

Maybe its because I just finished a semester-like test, or maybe because I recently moved out of my home, but in the past few days, I have had a sort of reacquainting myself with the world of television. I am not talking about sitting in front of the boob tube all day and vegging-out. I am talking about actively engaging with whatever show is on and investing myself emotionally, physically, mentally, and the like in every episode.

For example, my roommate and I were searching for a thirty minute show our cable box offered “On-Demand” the other day as a study break. The only non-drama we could find was Kid Nation; so we gave it a go. Seven episodes and a few days later, we haven’t looked back. The original appeal may be slightly wearing off, but I have already, picked my favorites, my love-to-hates, and my hate-to-loves of the show. After my roommates favorite kid does something cruel or stupid, I yell at my roommate the absurdity of his choice. He does the same to mine. We discuss the finer character traits of eight year-olds as if we are debating finely aged wines. Their just kids, but put in the world of Kid Nation, you can see the ridiculousness of life and especially the absurdity of the way the kids mimic phrases they have heard adults use. To shake things up, the four-member “council” awards a twenty-thousand dollar gold star each work and the jockeying the kids do for the star is ridiculous. All that to say, I feel as if in some weird way I know the kids on the show.

I have always enjoyed a good comedy, but I can never remember a show were I just wanted to hang out with the characters as much as “The Office.” I feel as if Jim would just be a riot to hang out with, and watching the show, I feel as if I am. The looks at the camera move the show from a mere voyeuristic delight to a strange illusion of actual interaction.

I had a hard time changing the channel yesterday, because Denzel Washington was starring in Déjà vu. Any time Denzel is on the screen, I can hardly turn away. You just know he is about to do something incredibly B.A. Even though I have already seen the movie, and my friend owns it, when it graces the television screen, I could hardly bring myself to turn it off. I don’t believe this is because I didn’t have to go through the effort of putting a DVD in the player, but actually because deep down I know that somewhere else, someone else is watching this same movie with me.

Which brings me to the crux of my recent TV renaissance. I am not sure the illusion of community that TV brings is bad. I used to. I used to dream of owning a home without a television (and actually still plan on it). When my “introductory offer” runs out on my cable, I will cancel it. However, in small doses, juxtaposed with actual interaction, I think that a good television show can be good medicine. No expectations, no requirements, just actively engaging with the interesting world that lie out there. It’s strange for me to think about how people would eat dinner in front of the TV and treat it like a fifth family member. But in a weird way, I think that in moderation that sort of attitude can be healthy. Obviously, the state of things in our culture is probably out of hand and I cannot bring myself to endorse most of what is on television. But as a relaxed form of passive active engagement, TV has grown dear to me. And if I am hooked on “Kid Nation,” who knows what show I’ll be watching next.

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