There have been several times in my life when I've been accused of watching too much TV. I grew up with very little TV, mostly only being allowed to watch Sesame Street as a kid. I remember in college, I had a boyfriend who claimed all I wanted to do was watch TV and the only thing he knew about me was that I liked The Drew Carey Show. (In my defense, I didn't own a TV and he did, and I really didn't like Drew Carey all that much. I kept a blog then that I wrote in daily, which he read, and never once wrote about TV.)
Then in my fourth year of medical school, for a couple of months I subletted a room in some friends' house who had a giant TV. It was fourth year and I was bored, so I watched a fair amount and I somehow got a reputation as somehow who watched a lot of TV. Like, they would make jokes about it.
And now, my husband alternates between asking me if we can watch a show tonight and complaining we watch too much TV.
All these experiences with being nagged and teased about watching TV have led me to worry: do I have a secret television addiction? I really don't think I do, but am I simply in denial?
So as an experiment, I've decided to apply the CAGE questions for alcoholism to my TV watchage:
C: Have you ever felt you should cut down on your TV watching?
Not really. I never felt like my watching of TV ever got in the way of anything else.
A: Have people annoyed you by criticising your TV watching?
Yes. But in my defense, people can be very annoying.
G: Have you ever felt bad or guilty about your TV watching?
Hell no. TV is awesome.
E: Have you ever watched TV first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or as an eye-opener?
No, I usually just drink vodka.
My score of 0-1 indicates no apparent problem, so I think we've proven I likely don't have a problem with television. I just use it recreationally.
It does really irritate me though when people try to tell me I have a problem. I mean, from age 18 to 25, I didn't even own a TV and didn't miss it at all. I only bought a tiny one during my third year of medical school because my mother insisted it would make me feel less lonely. In 2011, I read over 40 books in my free time... it's not like all I do is sit there staring at the TV. Sheesh.
lol loved your answers to the self-assessment ;)
ReplyDeleteHappy with the Idol results? I was worried about Phillip!
ReplyDeleteI wasn't worried. He's going to win! Cute guy with guitar for the win!
DeleteI'm just sad that Colton and Elise are gone. They went from having the best top 7 ever to a kind of meh top 4. If Phillip leaves, I'm out.
Hi. My name is MS3, and I'm a tv-holic.
ReplyDeleteHow many hours a day would you say you watch? I watch 2-3 hours a day.
ReplyDeleteDo I *personally* watch? An hour or less. But I let my daughter watch some TV, so the TV is on more than that. But I don't watch Nick Jr.
DeleteI kind of like it on in the background when I'm doing something a little boring, like spoonfeeding the baby.
That's not bad. I end up watching 2 hours a day because I eat lunch and dinner while watching TV. And, sometimes I turn it on at night before bed, but only for a little bit.
DeleteI'd be interested to hear about the origin of all the Simpsons references that pepper your blog then! One usually only gains that much Simpson wisdom after several repetitions :)
ReplyDeleteLove it!
That knowledge was cultivated over the course of over 20 years :)
DeleteI watch TV a lot! It was the only thing that kept me sane through veterinary school. If I hadn't watched TV like I did, I could have been towards the top of the class. But because I chose to watch TV and thus be sane, I was towards the bottom. But C=DVM. TV is awesome.
ReplyDelete