I am not so bad as some. I am not the 300 pound woman in line at the all you can eat buffet, loading my two plates with mounds of startch-laden foods and topping my ice cream with sushi. Some go in with the mentality that they are going to get as much as they possibly can for the $8.95.
They say you are what you eat.
I say you are what you watch.
I confess. I am a TV junkie. Ask me what was on TV last night, and I’ll tell you. I don’t have cable, and I don’t have TiVo. (I don’t know if either of these things are a good thing.) But even by junkie standards, I do have my limits.
Now, since I am comparing TV to all you can eat buffet, I must say…I do enjoy a good buffet every once in awhile. You can find something good now and again. But, because I am relegated to network television, I am forced to graze on what sells. Just because the selection seems limitless, doesn’t mean its healthy. In fact, the selection is exaclty like the startch-laden foods at the buffet. Mostly filler and fluff. And tasteless.
I avoid NBC’s “Perverted Justice” & “To Catch a Predator” shows just like I avoid the meatloaf. Those idiots are so creepy and they deserve to squirm on national TV, and I get sick when I watch it. I hate the court shows, where they try to reconstruct the events and tell a story around the hearing. Court shows are the glossy green beans that had been sprayed with filler before they were put out in the chafing dish. I hate the “I Lost My Fat” shows. These are the tasteless soft-serve ice cream twists.
If you want me to watch that stuff, you may as well put a feed bag on my face.
But…if you look close enough, you can find something healthy; metaphorical spinach leaves and grapes like History Detectives, Austin City Limits, Boston Legal, Jimmy Kimmel, Last Comic Standing and American Idol (but only after the competition begins because everything prior is just mean.) These shows are entertaining and thoughtful, a healthy serving of humanities, history, and most importantly, self-respect.
