Ok, readers … I did something bad.
I swear it started so innocently—there was no way I could possibly have foreseen the damage. I didn’t even want to do it! But, here it is a week later and I feel … dazed, confused—a little dirty?
I fell victim to TVD. That television on DVD business is a good way to kiss goodbye your ethics, discipline and general integrity as a human being. It happens so sneakily, so stealthily, you don’t even know it’s happening until it’s too late.
Let me bring you back with me to last Tuesday. 7:00 p.m. College View Apartments. It’s dinner time, and my boyfriend and our mutual best friend are having one of their regular part-fantasy part religiously fevered conversations about True Blood. I don’t like blood or scary things so I zoned out of the conversation catching only the occasional “blah, blah, blah … vampire sex … blah, blah, blah.”
Here it gets fuzzy, but somehow I am on the couch and we are watching episode one of season one of True Blood. They are going on and on about how good the intro is and I think it’s sort of scary, maybe the theme song is a little boring, but I placidly watch anyway. All right, it was sort of intriguing. “Sure, I will watch one more,” I say.
Let’s fast forward to Thursday. I have not bathed since early Monday evening. I have made a little nest out of the couch in their apartment, complete with a blanket, sweater, coffee, water, sustenance, maybe there is a Cheeto stuck to my face? Everyone is gone to class … except for me. No, I sit vigil watching True Blood. That class business was a part of my past life. My boyfriend came to find me bobbing up and down to the theme song, a maniacal grin plastered on my face. Pretty hot stuff.
I am not proud, readers, not proud to have watched 12 episodes of True Blood on DVD in four days. I am left without dignity, behind in school and with a True Blood hangover. I can rationalize it away saying that I needed the break; I had just been pushing myself too hard, I didn’t really have much to do last week anyway, but, honestly I just couldn’t say no to one more episode.
Any sort of film or TV or novel or entertainment really offers a certain level of escapism. This is not really a bad thing in fact often is does provide a well needed break and may even inspire you to consider new theories or art forms or something generally constructive. There is no such saving grace in watching an entire season of mainstream television in four days.
I actually think there is a sort of danger that comes in watching too much television, whether on DVD or not. In a way I think that TV can make one feel really dissatisfied with real life. Like, “Oh man, I didn’t meet a new vampire boyfriend and find out my best friend is really a shape shifter and kill a murderer all in one week—my life sucks!” It may also upset one to re-realize that they aren’t 5’4’’ and 110 pounds with C cup brazier, or that all of the men and women surrounding them aren’t drop dead gorgeous.Yet, what I see as possibly more dangerous is that the only way to fulfill the new craving for all such sensational desires is to watch more television.
I am unfortunately rather forcibly reminded of this philosophy that my father espoused. If I ever spent an entire day reading a book he would tell me that “an entire day spent reading just makes you want to do it again the next day,” meaning that taking too long of a break didn’t make you more productive, but less. Apparently Margaret Thatcher said it, but I have never found that quote.
But, I think it is true in a way. If you watch too much TV you just want to do it again and again—and it’s dangerous. So, learn from me, ladies and gentleman. Keep your eyes constantly vigilant and do not fall prey to TVD! There are consequences. Trust me.