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Biologically? That your brain is somehow wired differently? That when they do studies to see the effects of television, the results don't apply to you?
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
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katharina, I'm sure everyone else in the sample takes notes when they watch the West Wing, and has a binder of ideas inspired by watching the complete Sportsnight DVD.
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I never got into Seinfeld or The Simpsons like many of my friends. I do recognize their genius, but it isn't something I felt I needed to watch. I watch less and less TV nowadays, but there is plenty good still on...CSI, The West Wing, 24 and much more. The problem right now is all the reality show drivel. Nine-tenths of those shows are redundant, so the truly fun ones are hard to differentiate from the ones that are painful to watch (The Family? Is there a reason to show that AGAIN?).
Posts: 5422 | Registered: Dec 2001
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Interesting. I too had the experience of tv-withdrawal while in college, going from a per week amount that I won't even mention, to only two-four hours, max, a week (Seinfeld and X-Files Group Viewings, and a Football Game, Soccer Game, or Baseball Game usually once a week. I was not a part of the Simpsons group,I stopped watching that in '91 and only restarted in '98). I got along fine without it, in large part because I had no time for it anyway, and had other fun things to do.
Since graduating five years ago, I've taken to tv like a penguin to water, diving in and loving it all over again. There are definitely haters, and with good reason. CBS has not come up with one decent series other than CSI in a decade, ABC hasn't come up with an intelligent and crisp comedy since Roseanne premiered in the Fall of '88, and NBC created 30 comedic dog's for every Seinfeld classic it comes up with. Fox is the only consistent comedy producer supplying the simpsons, family guy, malcolm in the middle, and the like. Fox is also miles better than the other Big Three when it comes to creating unusual drama's, unfortunately they are quick with the axe, and tend to shoot themselves in the foot anytime they do come up with anything creative and interesting.
Anyway as bad as tv is, you can still see classics around, last year introduced the terrific Boomtown, and intriguing if inconsistent John Doe, and the return of Bernie Mac. 24, CSI, The Simpsons, Malcolm and the like are all quite interesting options, as are the Law and Order spin offs (at times) and a few other shows that slip my mind.
In the final analysis tv may pollute the mind, it may not stir brain function the way great literature, and intelligent conversation can, but great tv is still great art, and I for one find pleasure in great dramatic art, whether it's on my television, in the movie theatre, on the stage or on the page. I for one enjoy it, and I enjoyed Seinfeld nearly most of all (in terms of comedies).
Posts: 752 | Registered: Jul 2002
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Actually, Irami, you may be an exception to the general populus, but not to writers.
Sure your particular interest is unique, but lots of writers make notes about odd things. This doesn't make a writer special, it just means they are doing their job.
Being a writer is not so very exceptional either. Otherwise it would be easy to get published. Writers are just people who have a talent with being able to write down stories, be they real or made up. We are a dime a dozen (or worth even less, since most writers don't even make a dime.)
Published writers whose books sell, now those are exceptional. But they aren't any more important or real or special than people who are fantastic mechanics, or excellent computer programmers.