In Defense of Television

It's that time of year. When the leaves are changing, apples are ripe, and all of the networks compete for viewers with TV shows new and old. And I'll be one of those viewers. I love television. No matter what anyone else says, I believe it has value. And it turns out I'm not the only one.

I have a handful of friends who "don't watch television," and I certainly respect their preference not to. There's plenty of nonsense on there for sure, and I think it's totally reasonable when someone prefers to spend his/her time doing things besides staring at magic pictures in a box. However, I do feel frustrated when people disparage television on the whole or consider the fact that they don't watch television a point of pride rather than just a simple choice of hobby. (To me it's like saying, "Oh, I don't do needlepoint." Who cares?) Awhile back, a news article discussing CBS's choice to edit a racist rant out of Big Brother was followed by reader comments about the general worthlessness of television. (I quietly wondered how many of them regularly check LOLCats for updates before perusing their friends' Facebook pages and watching videos on YouTube.) But the funny part is that their rants actually just reinforced one of the major benefits of television: it can serve as a starting point for very useful conversations. In this particular case, it started a conversation about race and free speech.

The "boob tube" of late is anything but. Sure, there's still plenty of garbage on television, but there is also a lot of wonderful programming. We are fans of numerous shows these days, including Lost, Mad Men, House, History Detectives, Nova, and 30 Rock. I must admit we have never been fans of reality television, mostly because I just don't have the stomach for the drama and bickering that comes with it. But I'm willing to consent that some of those shows may have value as well. I'm just not personally aware of it.

I like television for many reasons. Perhaps the best one is that it can provide common ground where otherwise there might be none. Shows like Lost, for instance, carry a devoted group of followers that will discuss the details of an episode ad nauseam, often building positive feelings about those with whom they share this interest. Particularly entertaining Saturday Night Live skits are discussed at work and school and emailed around to friends and family. Coverage of major sporting events helps build a sense of community (and a sense of enmity, to be fair), like when most of America became enamored with Shaun White during the 2006 Winter Olympics. Along those lines, television also provides a good starting point for conversations, both lighthearted and serious. Episodes of Mad Men frequently incite long discussions in our household about what it meant to be female in the 1960s, what a marriage should be, and how to raise children, never mind which cocktails we like best. Shows like 30 Rock and The Simpsons provide social and political commentary that can raise awareness of current issues and spark discussion, not to mention make us laugh. Television also inspires creativity through programming that deals with food, fashion, home improvement, etc. The Food Network is responsible for a number of new dishes in our household, for instance. Along these lines, television also gives people access to information they might not otherwise have had. (I admit sometimes this is a bad thing, particularly when people get their "facts" from some of those "news" programs out there. Personally, we prefer to get our news from the Colbert Report.) When put in the hands of intelligent, thoughtful people, television can be a wonderful thing. Will we let our children watch it? You bet.

Honestly, though, for us television provides one thing that we value above all of this other stuff: much needed escape. We look forward to laughing at Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin each week. We like the suspense and heated debate that comes at the conclusion of each episode of Lost. And oddly enough, we even enjoy that slightly frustrated, empty feeling we get at the conclusion of each episode of Mad Men. Whereas some might proudly proclaim some superhuman resistance to the power of television, we proudly proclaim our allegiance. Sure, we can and have lived without it, but we prefer not to.