And another thing.

[featherynscale]

Often it comes to pass at work or in other social situations that somebody asks me if I saw [insert name of show] last night. I tell them, "No, I don't watch television."

Sometimes this leads people to look shifty and say things like "I don't watch much either, just [these shows]." Sometimes it leads people to turn up their noses and say things like, "Well, aren't you special?". Other negative reactions have been reported, but are less common.

Maybe I'm not being clear enough. I don't watch television. I say this so that people will know that if they ask me about shows, I'm probably not going to be able to provide any response at all, because I will have invariably not seen the thing. I don't watch television. I don't care for enough shows to bother. This is not because I'm inherently a better person than tv-viewers. I'm not advancing the point that people shouldn't watch television. I just don't enjoy it, myself. I also don't enjoy jogging, but nobody seems to get too offended or guilty about that, even joggers.

Why is it so often an attack if I say "I don't watch television" and hardly ever an attack if I say "I don't jog"? To me these are roughly equivalent statements.

Comments

[greektoomey.livejournal.com]

I think there are two reasons. First, television is perceived by many as a non-intellectual activity, so saying "I don't watch television" is often interpreted as "I'm too highbrow for the boob tube." Second, because it is widely enjoyed in our culture as a (potentially) artistic medium, it evokes, or tries to evoke, an emotional response.

Imagine if you were to ask someone, "Did you see the Expressionist exhibit at the local art gallery?" and the person replied, "No, I don't look at paintings." Or, "Did you see the new movie that opened last weekend?" and they replied, "No, I don't watch film." Same sort of situation.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

I don't know... people tell me all the time that they don't go to the movies. I tell people all the time I don't get poetry. Lots of people don't go to museums. Mostly, this doesn't seem to be offensive either.

I'm more inclined towards your first option. :)

[greektoomey.livejournal.com]

Another reason is that, in my opinion, television has largely replaced religion as "the opiate of the masses." Saying you don't watch television in this culture is similar to someone in the Dark Ages denying the Church.

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

I like/understand your top reason a lot. Also, what diermuid said below about "I don't jog." is a good point; saying you don't participate in an activity rated as healthy (even if rare) is unlikely to get you the scorn of the masses, because most of them don't, either.