Profound Thoughts on TV Viewing

T.V. is funny. No, I don't mean T.V.shows per se. I don't really see much anymore that makes me laugh. I mean the phenomena of watching T.V. and all that surrounds it.

For instance, when I was a kid all the T.V.s were pretty much the same size- right around 21" or so. I don't remember watching Gilligan's Island, Carol Burnett, or Mary Tyler Moore, thinking, "Gosh, this would be funny if only the T.V. was bigger!" But, in the name of progress, T.V. size has grown...and grown...and grown. Now, somehow you are a labeled a loser or a social pariah if you don't own at least a 56" Wide Screen Plasma, Hi-Def, Surround Sound, television. Ironically, the quality of T.V. programming is inversely proportional to the size of the today's T.V. screens.

And today's programming? Fuhget about it! You can't even sit down and try to watch a sporting event with your kids without being bombarded with pharma ads like Viagra, Cialis and Trojan. Memo to the CEO of Pfizer: I really like football, but I don't want my nine-year-old asking me if I've ever had an erection that lasted more than 4 hours! (By the way, I haven't, thanks for asking.) Do you think adults could find out about these wonderful products in a different medium that's not so available to children?

Funny thing is, I walk around for hours searching vainly for our missing T.V. remote just so I can change the channel on the T.V. that's ten feet from me. Thirty years ago I would've walked 10 feet and manually turned the dial (remember dials, all you geezers?) I bet if I added up all the time I've spent in the last ten years searching for a T.V. remote, messing with the programming, pulling my hair out trying to figure out how it works, etc., I could've written a novel, cured cancer, or invented something like a Ginsu knife.

Ironically, during these sometimes lengthy T.V. remote scavenger hunts, my blood pressure probably goes up 30 points. Then, when I finally manage to find the dang thing and turn the channel, there's a commercial on for controlling hypertension! Now that's progress!! Grrrr.....