

Why does everyone think I’m an asshole for not having a TV? - glenbo
http://blog.glenelkins.com/asshole-tv/

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jdludlow
The site is down, but I'll take a stab at it anyway.

Not owning a TV doesn't make you an asshole.

Making sure that everyone else _knows_ you don't own a TV is what makes you an
asshole.

~~~
bunderbunder
_Making sure that everyone else knows you don't own a TV_

Speaking as a non-TV owner (and, unlike the author of the block post, someone
who doesn't watch it particularly much either), you kind of have to. It's
practically a survival skill.

People who do own and watch TV are constantly bringing it up in conversation.
Generally, they start by assuming you watch $POPULAR_SHOW[0]. Once they figure
out you have no idea what they're talking about, they move on to quizzing you
about whether you watch $POPULAR_SHOW[1..7]. After a series of negative
replies, they move on to explaining how you simply have to start catching
$POPULAR_SHOW[8..13]. By the time they're done, it can easily have been the
sole topic of the entire dinner's conversation.

And it's a long, tedious conversation that I've had way too many times. I'm
not sure why it has to happen; I don't try to talk computer science with
people I know aren't interested in computer science, and it seems like it
shouldn't be hard for others to afford me similar courtesy. But it happens,
and if it happens much more I just might die of boredom.

So for me, it's much easier to just shut it down by laying it all out there.
"Don't watch TV, don't have a TV, don't go to movies, don't have a Netflix
account, not interested in getting one." The quizzing usually doesn't end
there, because this apparently makes me some sort of sideshow curiosity. But
it's usually over with rather more quickly, so that we can sooner move on to a
conversation topic that we can both enjoy.

~~~
delsarto
> $POPULAR_SHOW[0]

popular(adj) ... "regarded with favor, approval, or affection by people in
general"

> The quizzing usually doesn't end there, because this apparently makes me
> some sort of sideshow curiosity.

Why are you surprised at that? If you want to be considered part of "people in
general", then I'd suggest becoming familiar with a few (self-described)
popular shows!

I don't watch much TV, as such. But I've found the best way to exercise is to
queue up various series of shows and hit the cardio machine. Usually they're
~40 minutes an episode with ads removed which is a reasonable cardio time. You
get a little popular culture and some fitness too. But I'll bet you're about
to tell me that those popular cardio machines aren't for you, and you only
enjoy exercising by hiking mountain trails :)

~~~
bunderbunder
_If you want to be considered part of "people in general", then I'd suggest
becoming familiar with a few (self-described) popular shows!_

If spending my precious free time on an activity that I find to be enormously
boring is a condition for being considered a peer by people who're so devoted
to an activity that I find to be enormously boring that they're not sure how
to interact with me in a way that doesn't revolve around said activity that I
find to be enormously boring, then I suppose that's fine. Seems a bit
unfortunate that anyone should be so devoted to one thing out of a whole
universe of activities and topics, but if they really don't have anything else
to talk to me about, then I suppose I probably won't have anything to talk to
them about that would interest them, either. :)

------
michael_h
You don't have a TV?

You just have a machine that can receive television programs and display them
on a nice screen? It kinda sounds like you have a TV.

------
Freestyler_3
The advertising boxes here don't have much to offer for me. I can entertain
myself with my computer if I need to.

Why would anyone without a tv be an asshole? We are all born assholes I guess.

------
Rinzai
Probably because he's surrounded by assholes.

