I find it fascinating how often you reference back to TV of your youth, for a guy who eschews the medium completely in adulthood. I'm not saying that's bad. I'm just observing. Perhaps wondering if something you saw on the small screen in your childhood turned you off to it. Perhaps everything? I recognize that nostalgia and value are two different things.
I'm not sure who Dubbahdee was speaking to, but in my case, when I was little, not everybody had a TV (much less 6 or more), the ones people had were not on 24/7 (test patterns and 1000 cycle notes get tedious--but so does what is in no, so I'm not sure what my point is here), big cities might have as many as six or eight channels. not a hundred times that, and the programming offered stuff we could not get anywhere else.
Now we have strident screeching, incessant advertisements for products we didn't used to talk about in polite company, and nonstop political ranting by people who want to destroy what I find valuable.
So I've gone back to the habits of my youth--reading looking, and thinking for myself.
(When I was little, I was _on_ TV several times--my family trooped down to the Famous Department Store Mezzanine to watch.)
I am a complete tubehead, utterly seduced by a box in the room showing me pictures and talking. In highschool I would often watch three episodes of "Gilligan's Island" a night - two of which were the same. If the TV is on in a room I am constantly drawn back to it, unable to have a sustained conversation. The radio talking or decipherable lyrics in songs have the same effect, though not so strongly.
I read with the same intensity as a child, especially fiction. That is less pronounced now, perhaps because I read little fiction. Ben's intensity with the TV when he visited at another's house was equal to mine, or even exceeded it. Ditto his reading.
I had forgotten about Maypo. I think the commercials were probably pretty good at selling Maypo. At least they convinced me it was good...... until I tasted it. My sister liked it put I thought it was ghastly stuff.
Larry, I was addressing AVI, because I happen to know that lives sans TV. I was not making a comment on the value of that choice. I totally understand why someone would not want a TV in the house. AVI's explanation is perfect. In fact, I think it's a great choice. I don't know all his children, but it doesn't seem to have greatly stunted the growth of the ones I have met. It has been clear though, that the medium has had an impact. Now I have an even clearer notion of why.
Why do I think the original "Mikey likes it" ad was a Maypo ad?
ReplyDeleteWell "Marky" is close, but Mikey was Life cereal.
ReplyDeleteShort circuit in the old memorys I guess.
ReplyDeleteI was not able to find anything but "Life" references when I searched yesterday or the day before.
Seems like it was longer ago than I remember "Life" being introduced.
Marky and Maypo:1950s-60s.
ReplyDeleteMikey and Life: early 1970s.
I find it fascinating how often you reference back to TV of your youth, for a guy who eschews the medium completely in adulthood. I'm not saying that's bad. I'm just observing. Perhaps wondering if something you saw on the small screen in your childhood turned you off to it. Perhaps everything?
ReplyDeleteI recognize that nostalgia and value are two different things.
I'm not sure who Dubbahdee was speaking to, but in my case, when I was little, not everybody had a TV (much less 6 or more), the ones people had were not on 24/7 (test patterns and 1000 cycle notes get tedious--but so does what is in no, so I'm not sure what my point is here), big cities might have as many as six or eight channels. not a hundred times that, and the programming offered stuff we could not get anywhere else.
ReplyDeleteNow we have strident screeching, incessant advertisements for products we didn't used to talk about in polite company, and nonstop political ranting by people who want to destroy what I find valuable.
So I've gone back to the habits of my youth--reading looking, and thinking for myself.
(When I was little, I was _on_ TV several times--my family trooped down to the Famous Department Store Mezzanine to watch.)
I am a complete tubehead, utterly seduced by a box in the room showing me pictures and talking. In highschool I would often watch three episodes of "Gilligan's Island" a night - two of which were the same. If the TV is on in a room I am constantly drawn back to it, unable to have a sustained conversation. The radio talking or decipherable lyrics in songs have the same effect, though not so strongly.
ReplyDeleteI read with the same intensity as a child, especially fiction. That is less pronounced now, perhaps because I read little fiction.
Ben's intensity with the TV when he visited at another's house was equal to mine, or even exceeded it. Ditto his reading.
Given my druthers, for our children we chose...
I had forgotten about Maypo. I think the commercials were probably pretty good at selling Maypo. At least they convinced me it was good...... until I tasted it. My sister liked it put I thought it was ghastly stuff.
ReplyDeleteLarry, I was addressing AVI, because I happen to know that lives sans TV. I was not making a comment on the value of that choice. I totally understand why someone would not want a TV in the house. AVI's explanation is perfect. In fact, I think it's a great choice. I don't know all his children, but it doesn't seem to have greatly stunted the growth of the ones I have met.
ReplyDeleteIt has been clear though, that the medium has had an impact. Now I have an even clearer notion of why.