For the Love of Television

Q: Why do you watch TV? Why do you not? What shows do you love or hate?

It is kind of an embarrassment but I absolutely love quality television with some educational benefits. Right now, I am currently trying to balance Rizzoli & Isles, Law & Order: SVU, The Good Wife, Bones, Modern Family, The Big C, and Political Animals; however, while it may seem that I am totally addicted to television, after a long day I want to pursue my interests in a way that doesn't require much energy so each of the shows listed above can be divided into roughly three categories: law/politics, forensic science, and good comedy. It can be said with some certainty that most of the shows that I watch provide some kind of intellectual value whether it be about medical anthropology or the federal court system, there is something to be learned when the show actually makes the viewer think instead of zoning out when watching a show like Two and a Half Men, a program that really bugs me for its crude and insensitive humor.

Q: What does it say about our society that the Emmy's have so much glitz and attention and the Nobel Prizes are quietly announced in the news? Is this bad? Good? Appropriate?

When addressing this question, we must ask ourselves if we even care about the Nobel Prize anymore, I certainly do, but if one asks a random man on the street he would most likely say "no." His response would be the response of many Americans who spend their time watching sporting events like football or basketball instead of watching the news or watching the presidential debates which could affect their future. Many citizens are oblivious to what is important because they desire entertainment before knowledge or academics, I think the question posed already has an answer that can be seen almost everyday and almost everywhere when one sees someone reading People magazine instead of Tolstoy or watching the Emmy's or the World Series instead of CNN.