I stopped watching TV a few years ago and didn't miss it much. Some of my friends think I am wacko or miss out on something in my life...*shrug* I have more time for other things that I really enjoy - hiking, biking, rollerblading, walking, reading, traveling and much more. If I want to watch TV, then I would have less time to do them. Since I stopped watching TV, I lost some weight and improved with my eating habits. If i really want to watch TV, I just go to sports bar to watch TV with my friends during football game or any other stuff...or rent movies. Only couple of TV shows I would love to watch are Jeopardy and The Amazing Race. Other TV shows are nice to watch are NCIS, CSI, CSI: New York and Bionic Woman. Anyhow, in summary, I can live without TV. 8-)
Your e-mails: Life without TV
- Story Highlights
- Writers on picket lines in New York, Los Angeles
- Producers not expecting a swift resolution
- CNN.com readers said they could live without TV
- I-Report: Share your thoughts with CNN.com
(CNN) -- Would you, could you, survive without TV?
With television and film writers on strike against the studios and production companies, and late-night talk shows, daytime soaps, and prime-time dramas all set to run out of fresh material in the coming months, CNN.com asked readers to tell us what they would do in a world without television.
The response was overwhelming, with many readers saying they could not only survive without TV, they would actually benefit without it. Many others said they gave up TV years ago and have never looked back.
Below is a selection of those responses, some of which have been edited for length and clarity.
Clayton Rule of Houston, Texas
This could be the best thing to ever happen to America! It's a great
opportunity to fix two of our largest social problems. First: Read a
book; the American public is generally fairly ignorant and could stand
to expand their knowledge base. Second perform some outdoor activities
and lose the weight we have collected while sitting on the couch
watching TV.
Cherie Wilson of Austin, Texas
As long as I have basic news, sports, and my beloved food network, I'm
good. What would fill the time left by no "Grey's Anatomy," "Nip/Tuck,"
or Reality TV? Better conversations, reading, and fitness. The most
important of those would be conversation; most people let TV fill the
time when we should be talking to our family.
Diane Carroll of Santa Barbara, California
Since I do not watch TV (as of August this year, by choice), I read a
lot. Picked up Sherlock Holmes complete works the other day. Another
reading friend has turned my attention back to science fiction, once my
best friend. I now volunteer for Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic.
I've lost weight. Hate shopping, but now enjoy window shopping just to
see what there is to see.
I meet people and start conversations that I never would have before, couldn't commit to a schedule already full. My interests have become varied, new things present themselves to me and I can accept them without hesitation of what my evening schedule might be. ... Oh, and one more thing, I get more sleep.
Anastasia Schweikert of McAllen, Texas
Sad to say, but I do allow television to prevent me from reading,
exercising, and doing things that generally require human contact.
Altogether, I don't think that this is a crisis (for television viewers that is). It may be a great time for people to reflect upon the fact that TV has become a crutch that allows people to procrastinate and disengage from daily life.
Travis Welch of Greensboro, North Carolina
I haven't had a TV for several years. What do I do? I spend time
outdoors, cook, enjoy being around friends, read books, run, bike, and
kayak. More importantly, what do I not do? I don't discuss commercials
and TV shows with co-workers. I don't obsess over being home at a
certain time to watch someone's fake life. I don't spend hours a day in
a climate-controlled environment sitting in one place.
Joshua Marcy of Madison, New Jersey
So much of what is on network television is garbage anyway. What about
the documentary and learning channels? Why not give C-SPAN a look,
especially on Election Day? In terms of films, there are loads of
U.S.-made movies out there that I haven't watched yet; this strike
gives me some time to catch up on older releases. And let's not forget
some of the great foreign films that are still being produced and
deserve a look. Foreign studios should enjoy eating the U.S. writers'
lunches until the writers decide to come back to work.
Julia Sundstrom of Penn Valley, California
I returned to live in the U.S. after living in Denmark for eight
years. The programs there are not interrupted by numerous commercials
and at the time reality shows did not dominate the weekly schedule. I
quickly realized that the programming was not of much interest and from
that point I stopped watching conventional TV. I have not had cable or
local channels in over seven years.
I do have a small TV which can be connected to an iPOD or DVD player ... so I can watch what I like when I choose without interruption. One show I think is hilarious is the "Late Show with Craig Ferguson" ... which I try and see if I'm visiting family or friends who have TV and can't live without it! : )
Jena Barber of Springdale, Arkansas
I would keep watching. I can only DVR two programs at a time, so
there will be plenty of things I can get on rerun. Plus, reality TV is
fun, so I'll watch that, too. I'm probably in the minority, but I think
unions and strikes were originally meant for laborers, people working
in horrible conditions who couldn't speak for themselves. It seems that
a job based on creativity should by its nature not allow unions. Can't
these people negotiate for themselves? If they're not up to the task,
let me come to Hollywood and write a sitcom. I'm sure I can do just as
well as the writers of "Big Bang Theory."
Heather Diener of Milwaukee, Wisconsin
I will be lost without my shows!! I guess it will give me more time to
do the things that I've been putting off (cleaning closets, exercise).
Give the writers what they deserve!!
Greg Giannace of Hamilton, New Jersey
Reruns are fine for the amount of TV that I watch. I wish it were the
Reality show writers that went on strike -- wouldn't be much loss there.
Colleen Lahndt of Kasilof, Alaska
We actually choose not to have television just because of all the
violence and sexuality on it. My husband, myself and my son are all big
readers. We are also very close. Everyday after work, school, etc. we
sit down and have a cup of coffee or tea, share our day and stay
connected in each others lives. We pretty much eat dinner together
every night especially on Sundays. I personally would like to see
America have a National "Turn off your TV Week" so that their families
could get to know each other.
Omar G. Brito of Calexico, California
I would exercise, read books, play with my computer, play board games
with my family, listen to the radio, prepare nicer meals, work on my
backyard.
Jeffrey Sill of Charlotte, North Carolina
I don't even own a TV. The last time I owned one was in 2003. That
sounds impressive to a lot of people I talk to because like smoking,
everyone regards too much TV as a bad thing, but people can still get
addicted to it. It saves me $60/month in cable bills.
It's not that I don't ever watch TV, though. I get sports updates, "The
Daily Show," "Gray's Anatomy," and many other shows entirely online. I
have a feeling that I'm an exception now, but I think people like me
will be a growing consumer base who use primarily web-based
entertainment.
This is all the more critical for the Writer's Guild, with corporations
claiming that they're not sure how much content will be delivered
online, and how much money they think they might make online. My only
concern is that the guild doesn't have the firepower to get what they
deserve.
Claudia Weldon of Aliso Viejo, California
We have not had TV for 1-1/2 years and do NOT miss it all. Instead we:
1. Read
2. Write stories and illustrate them
3. Make our own holiday trees and ornaments
4. Take digital pictures and print them
5. Write poetry
6. Design and create our own furniture line.
We really do NOT miss TV. CNN is sufficient for news and news bites. We
go to the movies for big screen and enjoy it once in awhile.
J. Sullivan of Helena, Montana
Television is completely overrated! My family does not watch a lot of
television (besides Discovery, Science, Military and ESPN) because we
believe there a lot of poor role models being showcased. NBC, ABC, etc.
... programming does not match our family's morals and values. Most of
the programming is a lot of fluff without important value besides
brain-numbing episodes. They are a waste of valuable "life" time. We
value education and being productive and respectful community citizens.
We value helping fellow neighbors around the world and non-narcissistic
behaviors. As a family, we spend a lot of quality time playing games,
reading books, cooking and athletics. We could live without television
because we do already!
Mark Barry of Prescott Valley, Arizona
My wife and I have been married 15 years and we have three kids (ages
6-12). We got rid of our TV 14 years ago right after we were married.
Our kids have never grown up watching TV and they always make As in
school. Since they don't have a TV to watch they will read books all
day after they get home from school. Needless to say, they have
excellent reading skills and win awards at school for the most books
read. They even like to write their own short stories and have great
imaginations.
I have also never heard our kids call each other names because kids learn that from TV. And quite often when we're in restaurants people will come up to us and tell us how well-behaved our kids are. My wife and I never quite understood why are kid's attitudes are so much different than other kids, but we believe it's because we don't have a TV. It's amazing how kids really can get along without TVs, but most parents will never know unless they remove them. I guess we're the exception and not the rule.
Stan Marsh of Asheville, North Carolina
I'd get a dog ... and go for long walks. Hangout out at local
coffee shops and bars. Join a book club and meet some new people. Enjoy
life again, instead of hoping TV can live the life I dream of.
Jerry Smith of Charleston, South Carolina
I will do just as I do now, spend time with my family, read, support my
daughter's sports and school activities, and prepare for Christmas and
so on. Basically I live my life rather than sit as a spectator. Most of
what is on TV is a waste and not worth wasting what precious time we
have here on Earth watching. One can no longer even find real news as
all major news programs have become entertainment and rantings by a
bunch of self-righteous blowhards. So won't miss a beat. Won't know
when the strike ends until it's reported in the local newspaper.
Alan Zelhart of Chandler, Arizona
With all the shows loaded with commercials, and all the commercials
being annoyingly louder than the programs themselves, I'm about ready
to shove the TV right out the front door and into the dumpster.
Programming has got worse and worse over the years. And now we are
paying for TV loaded with commercials. It all seems so pointless.
Katy Martin of Albany, New York
Without TV ... my life would be the same, I enjoy playing games,
outside activities and laughing with friends. I watch A LOT OF DVDS ...
but not TV.
I think it would be interesting to see the world without it though; so many are hooked on the reality TV shows and soap operas that their lives revolve around them, rushing home so they don't miss an episode or arguing within their relationships as if it were a soap drama. Oh, to see how it would be without ...
Daniel Mendonca of Montoursville, Pennsylvania
The writers strike is just a reminder to us of how great it is NOT to
have television. Myself and my family have been cable-free for 11
consecutive years as of 2007. We do subscribe, however, to an online
service that delivers DVDs at home so we can watch what we want. But it
is great when we take our 6-year-old boy to parties and while other
kids are glued to the tube, he just wants to play. We are not against
cable -- our decision was not based on religious principles -- just
based on the fact that we can find much better things to do with our
time than watching TV. We ride bikes together, we read a lot, we play
games, we engage in outdoor activities, weather permitting, and simply
love the fact that 11 years later we still believe getting rid of cable
was a great decision. We do not miss it.
Rick Sprague of Erie, Pennsylvania
I do not understand the problem.
I do not have a television.
I have Internet service and I rent videos.
This way my wife and I control what is being brought into the house.
They can strike all they want.
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