One of the most popular pastimes that all Whyvillians can relate to is television. I'm pretty much sure that some of us are the kind of people who get home from school in the afternoon and watch TV until they go to bed. I'm also pretty sure that some of us hardly watch any TV, maybe just a show or two. Maybe three. I'm one of them.
When I was in the third grade seven years ago, my brother, sister and I would blow off our homework to watch TV. We'd watch Nickelodeon (the 90's Nick), Disney Channel, Cartoon Network, whatever was on until we were told to go to bed. However, my parents got sick of us constantly watching TV and put a ban on it Mondays through Thursdays, meaning we could only watch TV on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, unless it was a school holiday or we were sick.
I'm in tenth grade now and the rule is still in effect. Back in third grade it was absolute torture not having the television to watch until I went to bed. I would miss the programs that my friends would talk about non-stop all day. If I wanted to watch something, I'd have to get my parent's permission and make sure that all my homework was done before I could watch it. That's still in effect, too.
Now, being the fifteen year old that I am, I've realized that there is life other than television. I only watch an hour of TV every Monday and Thursday, and I sometimes watch reruns of "America's Next Top Model" (because I'll be on that show) on the weekends. On Mondays, I watch "Heroes" and on Thursdays I watch "Gossip Girl" on my DVR. That's basically all the TV I ever watch.
Today in math, I was talking to my teacher about TV and I said how for the past seven years I wasn't allowed to watch TV Mondays through Thursdays. He agreed with my parents, saying that the rule was really good and if he had kids he probably wouldn't allow TV at all. He says, "TV rots the brains of the younger generation."
I pretty much agree with him. I've found life other than TV. After school, I do my homework and study for tests or work on projects. I eat dinner with my family every night. Next year I'm trying out for Color-Guard. I'm in DECA, Key Club and BETA club. I'm going to be on the National Honor Society. On Tuesdays I go to work until 7 or 7:30. I eat dinner with my family every night. On Wednesdays I mentor a kid from a middle school across the street from my high school. On Fridays I go to the football games or out with my friends. On Saturdays I either work or hang out with my friends. My Sundays are spent at my church or with my family. Notice how I rarely watch TV at all, and I can barely fit it into my schedule.
Sure, TV's great. "Heroes", "America's Next Top Model" and "Gossip Girl" are really good TV shows. Sometimes my DVR forgets to record things for me, which is frequently (it has something against "Gossip Girl", since I've only seen 5 episodes this season) and I usually don't care. I can miss a week of any show (except "Heroes") and live.
I'm sure you could, too.
Why not try cutting back on the television you watch, Whyvillians? Try hanging out with your family more, going to the movies or out to eat with your friends. Try out for a sport at your school. Join a club. Do something other than watching a trillion hours of television a week.
This is bluebag, going to get ready for tomorrow.
(Tonight I'm finding a way to make the things that you say a little less obvious . . . )
Editor's Note: As many of you may be aware the WGA (Writer's Guild of America) is currently on strike. Since I live in Los Angeles, and work in the Entertainment Industry, this strike has been all over the news recently. Without going into too much detail, I'll basically say that bluebag's article could not have come at a better time. It is a good idea to start finding other ways to entertain yourselves, because television as we know it will not exist for long if this strike continues. New episodes of your favorite shows will only be on for about another month, when they run out of new scripts to shoot. Since the writer's are on strike, they are not writing any new episodes. One form of television that has already been affected is late night talk shows. Leno, Letterman, and all of their colleagues have been airing reruns for the past week. But more important than your favorite shows going into reruns, thousands of people have lost their jobs. For more information on the strike visit www.unitedhollywood.com or www.variety.com.
