Please be HONEST and take my poll re: TV

[DawnM]

I keep running into people who smugly tell me "Oh, we don't watch TV." And then after talking for a while I find they are far more "into TV" than I am and we admit to watching TV!

 

I find that what they really mean is, "We don't watch our shows on an actual TV" (they use computers) or "We use a Roku box" (and get Netflix) or "We don't pay for TV" but they have a TV and it has rabbit ears and they do get channels. They might even mean, "We only use Redbox and watch movies."

 

Now, I am sure there are some people who truly NEVER watch ANY form of TV at all or use DVDs to watch movies. I still haven't met any.

 

But they sure are quick to tell me "Oh, WE don't watch TV."

 

This is one of my pet peeves of the day (yes, you can tell me I need a hobby.....today is a rant day for me!)

 

Dawn

[6packofun]

Yes, it's highly annoying. lol Sometimes "We don't watch TV!!" actually means that they just watch shows and/or movies on their computer. LOL *snort*

[KristinaBreece]

poll?

[DawnM]

sorry, it took me a min. to get the poll up.....kids came in talking....:glare:

[OnTheBrink]

We "watch TV" but it's either Netflix streaming, or my shows on Hulu, which I only watch on my laptop and dd doesn't watch them at all. In my head, "We don't watch TV" translates into, "We don't watch current tv shows as a family on network tv." If you HAVE a TV, chances are you're watching it, even if it is only Netflix! LOL

 

ETA: We do have the bottom-of-the-line basic cable, but only because canceling it would raise my internet rates! It's hooked to the tv and I occasionally watch the news, but I prefer to watch "my" shows when I get around to it, not have to schedule my life around TV Guide.

Edited March 3, 2011 by OnTheBrink

[aggieamy]

I don't know many people who claim to not watch TV however when people ask DH or I if we've seen a show we usually say nonchalantly that we don't watch much TV. I think that's a nicer way of saying it and by most people's standards we don't. Our TV hasn't been on in our house for about two weeks now. That's not to say we don't have DVD's from the library that we're looking forward to watching but we've just been busy with other fun stuff in the evenings that we haven't gotten around to it. We've got the 3rd season of Doctor Who and P&P waiting for us so I'm hoping we might get started on watching one of them this weekend. When we first started on our minimal tv kick we got lots of requests from the kids to watch TV but now it's like they've forgotten it's there. I bet they haven't requested a tv show in maybe a month.

Edited March 3, 2011 by aggieamy

[Random]

My family does not own a TV, and we do not watch TV on our computer. However, from time to time (once a year?), we do watch a documentary that supports our current studies. We don't do Netflix. We don't have any sort of streaming. Nothing. However, I do read the news on my computer, and almost always, there is some 'news' about something in Hollywood, so I guess I know a tiny bit about TV shows, but it's not on purpose.

 

My dad thinks we are totally depriving our kids, and makes a point of having his TV on whenever we are there. :tongue_smilie: I try not to make it a huge issue, so even though I've asked him not to, I will let my kids watch his TV while we are there (but it has to be something appropriate).

[lionfamily1999]

Your poll is not up yet, but I'll tell you. We don't have tv (nothing hooked to our televisions, not even ears ;) ). However, dh and I watch House, Bones, Fringe, Modern Family, and sometimes Craig Ferguson (once or twice a monthish) while we're going to sleep. We have netflix. If none of our shows have new episodes we'll watch a movie.

 

On Saturday, sometimes, we'll put together Saturday Morning Cartoons for the kids to watch in our room :D They watch movies that go with school (Joan of Arc, The Man of LeMancha) during the week.

 

I am not completely against television viewing for kids. Goodness knows my older two were couch potatoes for years. We just got tired of all the trash. Then, once the tvs were off (our computer doesn't connect to our tv) we noticed such a marked difference that we decided we liked it better that way. The kids get one movie at a time from netflix. There's no viewing before school (or during) and we say we don't have tv, because we don't have anything instantly available on our television :D It's usually in response to someone asking if we have seen something...

Edited March 3, 2011 by lionfamily1999

[DawnM]

AHHHH......maybe that is what they mean.....although some of these folks actually DO watch current shows, they just do it on Hulu.

 

Dawn

 

We "watch TV" but it's either Netflix streaming, or my shows on Hulu, which I only watch on my laptop and dd doesn't watch them at all. In my head, "We don't watch TV" translates into, "We don't watch current tv shows as a family on network tv." If you HAVE a TV, chances are you're watching it, even if it is only Netflix! LOL

[SquirrellyMama]

We are what you described. We watch NetFlix and have a TV that gets no channels so we just watch dvd's or videos.

 

I usually explain that we don't have a tv that works (no channels) and we watch what we want on the computer, dvd's, etc... I can preview everything my kids watch and I know exactly what they are watching.

 

I prefer it this way than how I grew up. I had a tv with cable in my room and could watch whatever, whenever and my parents didn't know.

 

I also find it cuts out the junk that I watch. I can select something to watch instead of watching whatever is on at the time. We don't use HULU all that much so my kids aren't exposed to commercials. I love the fact they have no clue what is hot in toys.

 

Kelly

[fairfarmhand]

no broadcast TV at all.

 

occasionally watch odds and ends on internet (maybe once a weeek)

 

Watch dvd's and videos almost daily.

[simka2]

We watch tv. :D

I don't allow the kids to watch on weekdays. Documentaries and Leapfrog videos are the exception.

[elinnea]

I don't see the poll. FWIW we have one tv and we don't get cable. We use the TV to watch dvds. I have a Netflix account and usually watch 2 movies a week after the kids are in bed. My kids get to watch movies on a very limited basis as a treat- usually about once a month.

[HRAAB]

I voted that we have satellite TV, but only during football season so dh can NFL Sunday Ticket. Anyway, we are proud TV watchers. That certainly doesn't mean the TV is always on, and it doesn't mean we watch just anything but we all enjoy TV. PBS is probably the most watched station.

[Chris in VA]

We watch tv but don't have cable.

Ds tells us, "No one says 'cable TV' anymore! It's just assumed all TV is cable!"

[DawnM]

Well, I think they only thing is that many have satellite.

 

Dawn

 

We watch tv but don't have cable.

Ds tells us, "No one says 'cable TV' anymore! It's just assumed all TV is cable!"

[lionfamily1999]

nm

[*Inna*]

We don't have cable, but we watch movies and occasional TV shows through Netflix/Wii combination.

[extendedforecast]

We have cable. We limit screen time to the weekends, which begins on Friday evening and ends on Sunday night. The kids watch whatever they want, because so far they have made good choices in their TV selections. I wouldnt hesitate to restrict certain shows if I needed to. DH and I have shows we record and watch as time allows. The main reason we have cable is for sports programming.

[DawnM]

Can anyone share why you voted "other?" I really would like to know what category I missed in there.

 

Dawn

[Dolphin]

We are getting ready to give up our "pay" tv, but that is because we have a wi for netfilx streaming on one tv, and I just got a roku for the other (Hulu), I can not miss Glee and how I met your mother

[jujsky]

On the weekends, my kids can watch anywhere from no TV to 5-6 hours (if we're having a lazy movie kind of day). On weekdays it's anywhere from 0-2 hours. I'm definitely not anti-TV, but whether or not the kids watch it depends on how quickly we get school done, and which activities we have that day. Most of what we watch are either DVDs or a couple of programs we TiVo. I think the Disney Channel, Nick, and Cartoon Network have too much garbage. I won't let them watch those channels. Usually if they're watching something we haven't pre-recorded on TV, it's the History Channel or Animal Planet.

[laughing lioness]

We really don't watch t.v.- we get no channels. we do utilize the computer a lot, but not to watch t.v. shows.

We did watch a couple of the presidential debates in 08 via the computer.

We do watch dvd's, mostly from the library. We don't have netflix cause I haven't figured out how to talk my dh into it yet!

[Hwin]

:lol: My parents told us that, too. They meant "except for Yankees games and Law & Order, whenever it happens to be on." (You non-TV people may not be aware of this, but at any given time, you can find a station where there is a L&O playing.)

 

Anyway. We watch TV. Mostly on hulu and netflix.

[Scarlett]

We watch too much tv in my opinion. Especially since I put a tv in my bedroom when I bought this new house. Now dh and I watch the news in the morning....and reruns of Criminal Minds at night. I never had a tv in my bedroom before now. I like it but I hate it. :glare:

[myfatherslily]

I don't actually have a working antenna, but that is how I voted because it's the closest. We watch a lot of DVDs on the TV and watch hulu.com. I don't pay for anything, unless you count my out-of-county library card and my DSL.

[Hwin]

Can anyone share why you voted "other?" I really would like to know what category I missed in there.

 

Dawn

 

We watch hulu and netflix through computer, ps3 or wii on our TVs. I just picked "we watch on our computer" because my husband's gaming computer is hooked up to the main TV. Since we don't have cable or rabbit ears, I guess that makes our TV more of a computer screen anyway.

 

But I did consider voting "other."

[Desert Rat]

We have satelite and we share a Netflix account with my folks. My boys watch some tv on Monday nights and lots of tv on the weekend, especially if the weather is yucky. We have sports the other days of the week so they don't plop down often.

I watch an hour or 2 a night on weekdays, but usually my dh is watching and I'm reading a book.

The kids have been watching a bit more tv now that dh is back to work and I work in the afternoons. My folks watch them and I'm just so dang grateful to have their help, I'm not going to dictate how they watch them (I did say no to pop every day though!).

I like tv. I think it can be useful and educational. I'm a middle path kind of girl. No deprivation, no binging.

I have found that people who have no contact with tv or popular culture sometimes have a hard time in social situations connecting with others. Just my experience, no slam intended.

[WTMCassandra]

I voted: "We don't have a TV but we watch on the computer."

 

This is the closest to what we do. We stopped watching "live" TV about 12 years ago. We still have our ancient TV and a few VHS tapes that get watched a few times a year. This combo lives upstairs in a spare/storage room and is definitely not a focus. We have no cable, satellite, or reception. And our TV is not compliant with the new digital standard or whatever.

 

Over the winter, I started dabbling in Hulu a bit on the computer, and I recently joined Netflix. I have been surprised at the amount of quality offerings on Netflix. So, the children and I watch a history-related video about once a week. Today it will be a documentary on U.S. Grant.

 

I also sometimes watch a movie on Netflix after the children go to bed. I like how I can tailor my choices so I don't even see choices I would consider objectionable.

 

So, I watch some TV, but my children watch little TV, and my husband watches almost none. He likes it that way because he used to be addicted. I can balance it with my other responsibilities more easily.

 

I am very out of the loop with popular culture in general and TV in particular, series that are ongoing and whatnot. So I tend to answer, "We don't really watch TV" when someone asks because it's short and sweet, although you are right that it is not technically true.

[5LittleMonkeys]

I choose other because you didn't have a category that fits us. When I say "we don't watch TV" what it means to me, is that we don't have cable or satellite or even local channels, and we don't watch any of the programming that I consider to be garbage. We do however watch a lot of documentaries, historical docudramas, lots of British movies\series\episodes, independent movies, old movies\series\episodes, and box office hits. We are pretty picky about what we watch though and don't ever watch just to watch. We choose specific things that are of interest and fullfill a purpose or desire at that particular time. Does that make sense? IOW, we never just sit down on the couch and mindlessly flip through Netlix or Hulu just to kill time.

 

We have a 65 inch flatscreen in the living room, a 45 inch flatscreen in the older girls room and a 35 inch flatscreen in the office, so to say we don't watch TV is truly inaccurate. I'm not sure how to quickly explain to people what our viewing preferences are without getting long winded though. I'm always loathe to give specific examples of what we find to be garbage because I don't want to offend anyone. Usually if someone asks me if we watch TV and I say that we watch some they will ask if I saw this last night or that last week, or did I see what happened on the other show yesterday. I will say that we don't watch those programs or programs like them and they will say...oh, you don't really watch tv then.

[Crissy]

We have expanded basic cable and watch TV most evenings.

[msk]

We're rabbit-ears-only, but I still *love* having a DVR. PBS Kids makes an awesome babysitter when I'm desperate for a half hour of peace! With the DVR, there's always a new episode of something non-awful waiting when I need it.

[Harriet Vane]

No poll attached, but I'll answer anyway. :)

 

We do not watch any day time TV.

 

We DO watch PBS when there is a quality program available--things like NOVA or nature shows or Jane Austen flicks or whatever. Some weeks we will not watch anything; other weeks we may watch a couple hours of good TV.

 

A totally frivolous indulgence is Sat night British sitcoms for an hour.

 

Another frivolous indulgence is watching PBS Mystery. It depends on which series is showing. Often I am the only member of our family watching this. I am somewhat selective--I do NOT like gratuitous violence or sensationalistic garbage. For example, I never watch Inspector Lewis (violent, often gross and sensationalistic), but I do enjoy Poirot or Miss Marple.

 

So, dh and the kids really watch only a little TV, almost all of which is good quality PBS.

 

And finally, to be totally honest, I will confess my own weakness. I grew up watching tons of TV, constantly. I still like TV more than I think is good for me. I find myself indulging often in a little evening TV after the kids are in bed. It's not every night by any stretch. Lately I have been watching things like Star Trek or M*A*S*H, just a little mindless TV to relax with at the end of the day.

 

We also indulge in NetFlix movies, but are extremely selective about what we get. We do not necessarily watch each week, but usually do watch something or other a couple times a month for fun.

[mommaduck]

We used to be entirely tv-free (no computers, no movies, no tv). We now have tv, computer, and movies.

[ocelotmom]

I chose "We have no TV but watch on the computer" but don't know if our setup is really what you meant by that.

 

We watch DVDs from the library and our own collection on the computer. The kids get about an hour of watching time daily. We don't have netflix, and don't watch TV shows on the internet on any sort of regular basis.

[twoxcell]

Ok so I had to vote other:lol:! We have local digital channels, which we rarely watch. We also have Skyangel, but we get it in exchange for blogging for them. We also have and rent DVD's, and our blue ray player connects to the internet, so we can watch crackle, and you tube on our TV.

[susesmiles]

We have an antenna and Netflix. Works great. The kids actually watch less tv now that we dropped cable and started Netflix. The reason is that the shows are always available on Netflix streaming. Instead of the show only being on a 3 pm and the kids feeling like they needed to stop playing to watch the show or they'd miss it. Now they just keep playing, knowing they can watch the show whenever they want.

[Nestof3]

"We don't watch TV" for us means we don't watch something as it's televised. It's not a snobby thing, but it does keep us from sifting through trashy commercials. I find them so assaulting. I also like being able to fast forward things as I see fit.

 

We have Netflix, and we get DVDs and get streaming. We have a huge video collection for the boys, and they stream as well.

 

It also seems that by watching just videos and not having the tv just on (as I've noticed many families do), we end up watching less and what we do watch is more deliberate. We aren't just surfing around for something.

 

I don't really know where I fit on the poll because we have a tv for DVDs and streaming (we also stream Pandora through our Blu-ray player), but we don't watch anything outside of video or Netflix.

 

Being in a hotel has made me happy we don't have tv. We sifted through so much garbage just trying to see what was on. Watching the history channel gave us a sexually graphic preview to a movie that had nothing to do with history and wasn't even airing on the history channel.

Edited March 3, 2011 by nestof3

[LisaKinVA]

Well, even though we have a tv... it's attached to our media center (computer), and really just works like an "extra big screen."

 

Most shows we watch via computer. We do watch movies/videos.

 

Although, since we eliminated cable/sattelite we watch much, much less.

[iona]

Can anyone share why you voted "other?" I really would like to know what category I missed in there.

 

Dawn

 

i thought about voting other because i could say yes to several of the categories. cable has a specific channel my husband wants access to 24/7, but i'd be happy with just the online viewing. we also watch dvds and movies.

 

i voted in the top category because i thought it was the most inclusive:)

[Jennifer3141]

We have a TV but no cable connection. We do watch internet TV through Netflix though.

[Teachin'Mine]

I didn't vote other, but should have. We have TV, but only for special events like the Olympics and major political events. We watch DVDs and movies fairly regularly.

[BakersDozen]

We do not watch TV shows either on TV itself or on the computer. I guess one might say we do watch TV in that my dc have the Andy Griffith DVDs and watch those. However that's as close to watching TV as we get. lol, I think I'm the only person I know IRL who does not have Netflix or anything else like that.

[TravelingChris]

I hear the we don't watch tv all the time in co-op. Then it turns out that all the teenagers have watched things like South Park. Well, I don't know if parents have cable, satellite or they get it off the computer but anyone who is watching South Park or one of the myriad shows I hear them talking about is watching tv. I don't care whether it is DVRed, on DVD, on Hulu, on network channels on the internet, or any other way. It is the same stuff. Oh and because I say I do watch tv doesn't mean I am watching something bad- I personally watch medical shows, news shows, legal shows, and that is about it except for British mysteries I also watch, usually rented from Netflix.

[Allearia]

I guess my answer belongs in the Other category.

 

We have a TV, we have cable only for the ultra basic channels (PBS, ABC, etc.) but we don't ever watch them (we get a credit for it because we have cable internet, so we keep it, we used it to watch the Superbowl but haven't turned it on since).

 

However, we watch many movies and TV shows and documentaries, etc. using Netflix instant streaming on our TV using the Wii, netflix and library DVDs. So we avoid commercials but otherwise watch plenty of TV, probably 1-2 hours in the evening, more on weekends. I also watch some stuff on my computer on Hulu and other free sites and download some shows from iTunes, they are mostly for me and my husband to watch after the kids go to bed (Dexter!!!).

 

So it is more than occasional and I don't really differentiate it from other "TV" watching that people with cable might do. In fact I am wanting to buy a big screen TV soon and I really enjoy the movies and shows we watch, but do try to keep the limit especially for the kids and so I get more done.

 

Oh, I did consider getting cable recently to watch some shows on premium channels but I was worried I would get too caught up in them and unable to limit myself.

[Paintedlady]

We have one tv that we use to watch DVD's & movies/tv via Netflix. I also occasionally watch a show on my computer via HULU. Our 2 big reasons to get rid of satellite was to keep more control over what the kids watch, in both the shows/movies themselves, but also the commercials, which are outrageous IMO, and also to cut costs.

 

Now we have more control over what the kids watch and it only costs us about $8 or $9 a month. Way more reasonable than the $60+ a month we used to pay.

[MamaT]

We do have the bottom-of-the-line basic cable, but only because canceling it would raise my internet rates! It's hooked to the tv and I occasionally watch the news, but I prefer to watch "my" shows when I get around to it, not have to schedule my life around TV Guide.

 

This is us. We have the very basic cable so that our internet rates stay low, but we mostly watch Netflix streaming.

[Vanna]

I voted that we watch tv on the computer, b/c we don't have network or cable on our television (only a DVD/VHS player).

 

We rent videos from Redbox and we also get them from the library.

[KrissiK]

We have tv, not cable, but the digital converter box. And yes, I love tv. I won't miss "The Middle" and both NCIS shows, and I love most of the CSIs unless they're too twisted. I'm not ashamed!:D

[DawnM]

I see.....yeah, to ME that would mean you still do watch DVDs and or shows.

 

So, I guess definitions can just be really different for different people.

 

Dawn

 

 

 

I choose other because you didn't have a category that fits us. When I say "we don't watch TV" what it means to me, is that we don't have cable or satellite or even local channels, and we don't watch any of the programming that I consider to be garbage. We do however watch a lot of documentaries, historical docudramas, lots of British movies\series\episodes, independent movies, old movies\series\episodes, and box office hits. We are pretty picky about what we watch though and don't ever watch just to watch. We choose specific things that are of interest and fullfill a purpose or desire at that particular time. Does that make sense? IOW, we never just sit down on the couch and mindlessly flip through Netlix or Hulu just to kill time.

 

We have a 65 inch flatscreen in the living room, a 45 inch flatscreen in the older girls room and a 35 inch flatscreen in the office, so to say we don't watch TV is truly inaccurate. I'm not sure how to quickly explain to people what our viewing preferences are without getting long winded though. I'm always loathe to give specific examples of what we find to be garbage because I don't want to offend anyone. Usually if someone asks me if we watch TV and I say that we watch some they will ask if I saw this last night or that last week, or did I see what happened on the other show yesterday. I will say that we don't watch those programs or programs like them and they will say...oh, you don't really watch tv then.