The Death of the Boob Tube

In a few short days television will forever be changed. No longer will the analog signal float through the airwaves to entertain the masses. Unless, of course, you have satellite service, cable, or have already purchased your converter box. Have you made the switch to high definition television?

We have not.

To many people our skimpy television viewing is mystifying. We are an enigma. We do not subscribe to any outside service, nor do we intend to. Frankly, we’re not huge television fans. Sure, if it’s here, we’ll watch it. I’ll admit to being entrance by HGTV, The Food Network and The Sci-Fi channel. Thanks to Girl’s adopted grandma, we fell in love with American Idol this past season, and I admit that we’ll scan the channels searching for something to watch. For the most part, we are usually disappointed and thus we don’t watch a great deal of TV.

We adore Netflix.

When Beloved and I were first married we were televisionless. Both our families were shocked. They offered to give/buy/ loan us a TV, yet we were fine without one. We read books, we worked on projects, we talked, and we really didn’t miss the the boob tube. When our children came along, we restricted television viewing but we weren’t weird about it. It’s not that we think television is evil (okay, I kinda think it is), we simply felt that the children’s time would be better spent outside.

We do not regret that decision.

Of course there are shows we like, many of which are on the Public Broadcasting station and yes, sometimes I watch the news (much to Girl’s dismay). The one eyed monster often sits blankly staring at us, urging us, silently, to grab the remote and settle in for a few hours of mindless dribble. Who doesn’t like mindless dribble?

We grew up with television.

Happy Days, Rosanne, Gilligan’s Island, Emergency!, ER, Friends, Blazer Basketball (that’s for you Mr. Mike), MTV, VH1, HBO, Showtime, and on and on and on. The TV was a member of the family. We’d all gather round it, our dinners on TV trays, as we inhaled the fragrance of electricity and the scent of dying brain cells.

Good times people, good times.

Yet… Isn’t there something more? Remember board games, the art of conversation, and classic literature?

In a few short days our television will grow strangely quiet. We’ll be forced to find something else to do besides “veg” in front of the tube. Our Netflix will still be delivered to our mailbox and we’ll enjoy episodes of Jeeves and Wooster, SG-1, and various other commercial free entertainment. I’m sure we’ll all suffer from some attachment issues, but I think we’ll be okay.

After all, we still remember how to play Scrabble.