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April 22nd, 2001

TV Turnoff Week

Sunday, April 22 2001

Last year, TV Turnoff Week began on this day. Today it begins again, and I encourage you to give it a try once again.

The whole concept behind the week, to me, is to acknowledge TV’s rightful place in our society: an entertainment medium, nothing more. But for lots of people, TV is the dominant force. Think about it: we do schedule parties around TV shows and the like (it makes TV social), yet we often fail to see that this results in six or eight people staring at a glass tube for an hour or so. There’s juuuust a little more that you can be doing. Go outside. Take a walk. Read a book. Draw. Paint. Post a comment on the Ping.

That said, Meg brings up a very solid point. Adbusters heads up the campaign, and the intentions are all good, but situations like hers aren’t defined. I like to watch movies on TV; does that mean I’m breaking the concept? I can easily go a week without watching any TV, as I did it last year.

Maybe then, TV Turnoff Week isn’t just about turning off the television, and maybe it doesn’t need rules. Maybe you should make up your own. Now that, I like. -pm

Posted in Television, Movies, and Music

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