I Watch Television

When I was born, the very late 70s (October 79), the television was on an upward trajectory. It was changing from black and white to color, network to cable, one size, to all sizes, even hand-held, and it was all trash, a waste of time and space, a drain on the brain of the future of the world. Despite this, the television as a medium of entertainment has continued to evolve, invent, and reinvent itself.

Now, trapped in my apartment, with little but a dog, a kitchen, a computer, and a large television set, I have embarked on a journey of radical self-acceptance. I have embraced the reality that I watch a lot of television, and that’s…okay. I read A LOT in undergraduate and graduate school, especially non-fiction. Now, I read non-fiction constantly. Now, I watch television, a lot. I call it literature, text.

I took a class in graduate school called “Cultural Theories.” I made a ‘B’ because I took it out of order and did not get it. Then, I took the class on literary theory (criticism), and it all made perfect sense. How do I use literary criticism to explain the world around me (culture)? I look at the world around me as literary text (cultural theory). Yes. I look at television as literature in an effort to avoid beating myself up for my new lifestyle because I believe television is currently responsible for forcing a paradigm shift that has been a long time coming. Television is changing our culture, whether we like it or not and fueling conversations that we need to be having anyway.

I like telling people what to watch and why to watch it. I have good taste, and I’m funny. A close friend told me to write about what I watched so that I felt, you know, like a capable member of society. Despite the fact that I teach English and composition to ages 5–40 and literally AM a capable member of society, I feel I need this. It brings me joy. So, enjoy.