Day 4: Everyone Has an Opinion

So it seems like when I share with people that we're giving up TV I get one of 3 main reactions from people:


1. The "Good for You" Response - Generally a positive response. People are surprised, but supportive of giving it a try, interested in the endeavor and some even indicate that they wish they had the nerve to do it too.


2. The "Yeah We Did That Too" Response - A positive response as well. This response comes from people who also have gotten rid of their TV's either for good or at least in some abbreviated fashion, i.e. no TV for a summer/a year or only watch movies. These people have all said that it's one of the best things they've done and have found the experience beneficial.


3. The "What Would You Do That For?" Response - I'm disappointed to say that this it the most common response I've gotten, and often the most passionate response as well. Surprisingly, this is the response I received from some of my family. I was like, "Seriously? Why wouldn't they support this little path of self-improvement I'm embarking on?" I don't know for sure why I get this response from so many people, but I can certainly speculate. I think for some of these people, they know on some level that they too are excessive TV watchers, but they don't want to admit it and they certainly don't want to make any changes in their own life. The funny thing is, I'm not asking for anyone else to do what I'm doing, rather I'm just sharing my experience. Suddenly these individuals go into passionate diatribe of "how they don't watch that much TV" and "I don't see the sense in doing that. You're just going to be on the computer more and then anyway" or "I'm always doing something else too while I'm watching TV so I think I'm productive". Rationalizing, Rationalizing, Rationalizing....


For all you people out there who are critical and defensive about someone getting rid of their TV - I suspect that you may be the people who need to reduce you TV time the most - just a thought...... :)