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In the News
Life without cable
Friday, February 12, 2010
My husband and I have been conducting an experiment by not having cable. I call it an experiment because I have always had cable. As a kid, I never understood why most of my friends couldn't watch Fraggle Rock in their rooms. Well, not all kids were spoiled enough to have a cable box and tv where they sleep. I doubt I am better for it. When my husband first proposed that we not have cable, I was concerned. He would say I was devastated. I try to avoid talking about sticky issues like religion and politics with most people, but television is conversation gold. I was also more than a little disappointed about possibly missing So You Think You Can Dance in the Fall. As I began formulating a plan to convince my husband just how drastically our lives would change without cable, I had an epiphany. My unreasonable reaction was exactly why he didn't want us to have cable. I was too dependant on that form on entertainment. And he was right.
We are now 6 months into our experiment and I couldn't be happier. We didn't have to give up watching the shows we enjoy like The Office or miss the premiere of great new shows like Modern Family. We just cut down turning the television on just to watch something. Instead, we use Hulu and Netflix to catch up on shows and movies that we have an genuine interest in seeing. We are more actively involved in our decision of what to watch, rather than following whatever the networks have deemed worthy of a particular time slot. I will admit this transition was difficult at first, but not for the reasons you might suspect. First, some people just can't understand not having cable. They would repeatedly ask why, and explain that it really isn't that expensive. Well, it wasn't a matter of not being able to afford it, it was more about not always doing what is expected. That's when I realized why it bothered some people so much, we had jumped ship and they were too connected to follow.
It is also amazing how much people love commercials and reality television. There are many reasons to watch reality television and I will not attempt to breakdown the psychological rationals here. Suffice it to say, people love watching other people do stupid things. I am proud to say that I have never watched an episode of Jersey Shore. As for commercials, I do miss those a little.
This would not be a good post, and I would not be a good wife if I didn't quickly discuss the sacrifice my husband made with this move. While Hulu, Fancast and other sites post television shows, there is currently no reliable online viewing forum to watch sports. That's right, my husband gave up College Football, NFL, Basketball, Baseball and any other major sporting event that air exclusively on the major networks(which is mot of them). This makes my concern over missing So You Think You Can Dance seem trivial.
All in all, I feel great about not having cable. We didn't have the option of watching the Super Bowl at home, but is it worth spending almost $2000 a year for a game that is aired at every bar, restaurant and friend's house? No longer am I subject to the "news" the 24-hour networks deem important. NPR gives me more than enough information about topics that may not be as flashy, but have much more sustenance. And now when my husband and I sit down to watch something, its a decision we are both happy with.
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