4 ms·

Smug, presumptuous article. I cut my cord over a decade ago and have no desire to watch TV or Netflix (especially not to watch MPAA films) on the Internet. I ha

Smug, presumptuous article. I cut my cord over a decade ago and have no desire to watch TV or Netflix (especially not to watch MPAA films) on the Internet. I have no interest in paying a "Comcast tax," and if that means no movies or Internet television, fine. TV is verboten here. A time sink with an infinite opportunity cost.

adventured 13y ago
You do realize that what you just said comes across as very smug?
- ChristianMarks 13y ago
  Why? I geniunely cannot stand television. I cannot force myself to watch. That goes for most films. It's smug to assert a preference and act on it?
  - jkelsey 13y ago
    Of course not. I have a similar philosophy. I think cable television is sham: tightly-packaged crap surrounding the few things I want to watch. Who cares if it's only $10 dollars more a month. It's the principal of the damn thing. With the Internet, I get far more freedom about the media I choose to consume versus the crap put down my throat with prepackaged cable television plans.
    - ChristianMarks 13y ago
      Right. There is the principle--and then there is the question of controlling your environment, of cognitive self-defense. TV and the associated paraphenalia introduces clutter and extraneous cognitive load. And it does this out of proportion to exposure--for me, at least.
  - adventured 13y ago
    I can explain the why. You're turning your nose up at something that the vast majority regard as a value culturally, but you regard as worthless (worse actually), and you elaborated it in several different ways in the same short post (and you elaborated your disdain again in the subsequent reply). I'd argue that would come across as being culturally smug across most of the TV loving country. You weren't just asserting a preference, you were putting down that which you don't like repeatedly. Whether one chooses to spend their time crocheting or watching TV is a strictly subjective value judgement. Is it better to laugh at a Seinfeld re-run, or Louis CK live? Better to watch Game of Thrones or read the books? Purely subjective, there is no superior choice. Are you trying to be smug? I have no idea if that's your character type, my point was that what you said comes across as smug. It sounds culturally elitist, as though TV is for the little stupid people (I know you didn't say those words).
    - capisce 13y ago
      > Better to watch Game of Thrones or read the books? Purely subjective, there is no superior choice. I think it can be argued that one is a more intellectually stimulating option, while also being entertaining. The fact that people prefer the more easily digested option might be partially due to the effect of advertising and what makes the wheels of capitalism spin.
    - ChristianMarks 13y ago
      Putdown of others is a hallucination. For me there is the opportunity cost of dealing with unnecessary clutter or deciding what to watch and making time for it. I simply do not have the time. For me, TV has an irritating hypnotic effect I would prefer to avoid, and one way of doing this is to remove the possibility of exposure. I have said nothing about the quality of programming--that would be like reviewing a book I haven't read. But I suspect there must be something about the medium that leads to defensiveness just in case a nonviewer might be critcal of viewers generally.
  - sizzle 13y ago
    define smug
snowwrestler 13y ago
http://www.theonion.com/articles/area-man-constantly-mentioning-he-doesnt-own-a-tel,429/ http://www.theonion.com/articles/area-man-constantly-mention...
- ChristianMarks 13y ago
  Only my comment here was apt.
IvyMike 13y ago
The reason the article doesn't mention people like you is because it wasn't about people like you. You must realize you've opted out of some of the most popular entertainment around and are atypical in that preference. This article was about people finding alternatives, not about those who reject the medium altogether.
- ChristianMarks 13y ago
  I'm a cord cutter. A cord cutter looking for the cheapest alternative, which is to consume no television at any price. It would be good to know how atypical that is.
mcovey 13y ago
I'm in the same boat I gave up on TV and movies altogether, and more recently forced myself to give up political/world news as well. It's quite nice.

adventured 13y ago

You do realize that what you just said comes across as very smug?

ChristianMarks 13y ago
Why? I geniunely cannot stand television. I cannot force myself to watch. That goes for most films. It's smug to assert a preference and act on it?
- jkelsey 13y ago
  Of course not. I have a similar philosophy. I think cable television is sham: tightly-packaged crap surrounding the few things I want to watch. Who cares if it's only $10 dollars more a month. It's the principal of the damn thing. With the Internet, I get far more freedom about the media I choose to consume versus the crap put down my throat with prepackaged cable television plans.
  - ChristianMarks 13y ago
    Right. There is the principle--and then there is the question of controlling your environment, of cognitive self-defense. TV and the associated paraphenalia introduces clutter and extraneous cognitive load. And it does this out of proportion to exposure--for me, at least.
- adventured 13y ago
  I can explain the why. You're turning your nose up at something that the vast majority regard as a value culturally, but you regard as worthless (worse actually), and you elaborated it in several different ways in the same short post (and you elaborated your disdain again in the subsequent reply). I'd argue that would come across as being culturally smug across most of the TV loving country. You weren't just asserting a preference, you were putting down that which you don't like repeatedly. Whether one chooses to spend their time crocheting or watching TV is a strictly subjective value judgement. Is it better to laugh at a Seinfeld re-run, or Louis CK live? Better to watch Game of Thrones or read the books? Purely subjective, there is no superior choice. Are you trying to be smug? I have no idea if that's your character type, my point was that what you said comes across as smug. It sounds culturally elitist, as though TV is for the little stupid people (I know you didn't say those words).
  - capisce 13y ago
    > Better to watch Game of Thrones or read the books? Purely subjective, there is no superior choice. I think it can be argued that one is a more intellectually stimulating option, while also being entertaining. The fact that people prefer the more easily digested option might be partially due to the effect of advertising and what makes the wheels of capitalism spin.
  - ChristianMarks 13y ago
    Putdown of others is a hallucination. For me there is the opportunity cost of dealing with unnecessary clutter or deciding what to watch and making time for it. I simply do not have the time. For me, TV has an irritating hypnotic effect I would prefer to avoid, and one way of doing this is to remove the possibility of exposure. I have said nothing about the quality of programming--that would be like reviewing a book I haven't read. But I suspect there must be something about the medium that leads to defensiveness just in case a nonviewer might be critcal of viewers generally.
- sizzle 13y ago
  define smug

snowwrestler 13y ago

http://www.theonion.com/articles/area-man-constantly-mentioning-he-doesnt-own-a-tel,429/ http://www.theonion.com/articles/area-man-constantly-mention...

ChristianMarks 13y ago
Only my comment here was apt.

IvyMike 13y ago

The reason the article doesn't mention people like you is because it wasn't about people like you. You must realize you've opted out of some of the most popular entertainment around and are atypical in that preference. This article was about people finding alternatives, not about those who reject the medium altogether.

ChristianMarks 13y ago
I'm a cord cutter. A cord cutter looking for the cheapest alternative, which is to consume no television at any price. It would be good to know how atypical that is.

mcovey 13y ago

I'm in the same boat I gave up on TV and movies altogether, and more recently forced myself to give up political/world news as well. It's quite nice.