Call me jaded. I see propaganda all over the place. Our media is pathetic.

[SheilaT]

19. Not watching any mainstream media is the best possible thing you can do for yourself.

I don't have a TV. When I moved to my current location after a divorce, I had several reasons for not getting a TV, one of which was the cost. I treated that decision as temporary, as an experiment, and at the time (this was more than seven years ago) honestly thought I'd be getting a TV and cable or satellite soon enough.

Instead, at this point, I can't imagine ever having regular TV again.

Here's a list of the reasons, in no special order, just as they occur to me:
1. No commercials. OMG is that wonderful. Best of all, no political commercials.
2. Because of no commercials, I'm not sucked into the SPEND SPEND SPEND messages.
3. I do get to watch many television shows, sometimes using Netflix (which means I'm several years behind on some things), sometimes on streaming. I don't happen to feel very deprived. Your mileage may vary.
4. I'm not locked into the schedules of the various networks. What I watch, I watch on my own time. It's incredibly freeing.
5. No mainstream news. Since I do subscribe to the local paper, I know what's happening in my corner of the world. I wake up every morning to Amy Goodman. That radio station also does BBC news before and after Amy, as well as at noontime. I wind up far better informed about the world than regular viewers of Fox, just to name one.
6. When some sort of breaking news happens, I can go to the internet, google TV stations in that city, and invariably they will be live streaming what is happening. This will be a local station, and I often get to choose between two or three in that market, and it's far better than the national feed would be, CNN, MSNBC, or even your local ABC, CBS, or NBS station gone to live coverage. Trust me on this. Actually, for all of you who have TV and would never give it up, this is still an excellent strategy for breaking news.
7. Did I mention no commercials? You who watch regular TV have no idea. When I'm in a hotel and turn on the TV, within 30 minutes I turn it back off because of those awful commercials. If I'm at someone's house and the TV is on, I don't say anything (because I do try very hard not to be rude) but it can make me totally crazy. I usually have to retreat to another room.
8. Connected to no commercials is that I find it quite easy to live on a somewhat restricted budget. Not being bombarded with messages to buy, buy, buy, I generally purchase those things that I actually need, and some that I really do want. I'm not desperately poor, nor am I a total purist. I probably spend money on things many readers here would say, "WTF? Why is she spending money on THAT??"
9. My final thought to all of you is this: give serious thought to giving up your TV. It's not necessarily easy. This is the fourth time in my adult life I've gone without, and so for most of you, who've always had TV your entire lives, it wouldn't be easy. If you decide to try, do it on a contingency basis. Do NOT assume it will be permanent. Assume it's just an experiment and see how it goes.

Good luck and best wishes to everyone.