I did the most despicable thing a parent could ever do:
I canceled my cable TV service.
What, dude, are you nuts? You would give up the greatest pacifier and argument-ender ever invented? And, hey, you are a professor specializing in media! How are you going to stay current?
The latter questions, regarding my career, are not relevant for this blog, but I might be able to offer a few insights into why getting rid of cable is not that much of a big deal, using my background knowledge.
In some respects getting rid of cable TV is an empty decision, in the age of video and pod casts. This generation of children has vast new ways of using media, and television as I grew up with is for all practical purposes is over. No longer do we sit at set times to watch a favorite show, as I would have with my family and friends. If we hear about a good show, we can find a highlight on the net, or if we’re willing to pay, we can get the whole episode downloaded to us in seconds for viewing on our computers (and if you have a hookup for your laptop you can connect it to your TV set. It might be arguably a better use of the money you spend on cable each month, especially if you consider how many channels you get that you never watch! What is funny now is that television was seen as a medium that could bring the family together, as the whole crew gathered in the living room to bask in the warm electronic glow. Today, we have moved past the multi-TV house, which created families that separated into their own spaces to watch their favorite shows, to an age where there are tons of other choices of entertainment besides television, increasingly technological, which almost always creates a generation gap (since the youth are more adept at the new things than their parents). Television is not the same kind of cultural force that it once was.
Our children have already seen enough television programming to be aware of what is going on around them, what’s hip and what’s not. And they have learned the language pretty well. They understand that the characters are not real, and we have talked at length about the making of shows (especially with our oldest, who knows that “Muppet” was a word meaning both marionette and puppet.). They also have the usual pressures and desires to get stuff, but actually we feel that they don’t want as much in the same way that their peers do. I think this is because we had carefully managed the TV viewing anyway. I had two rules for television:
1) No commercials
2) No bantering with the contestants.
Whenever a commercial came on, we’d shut off the set. If it was on a video, we skipped it. Some evil companies actually force you to watch their trailers, but most DVD players do have a setup feature that can help you get past them; my GOVIDEO DVD recorder/player has that feature: I put a disc in and it goes straight to the feature! While they are no strangers to commercials, we have cut their intake down (as to the banter with the contestants, I just find Alex Trebek too darn condescending!).
My wife is very much opposed to television; she lived without one for three years. So it was easy for her to relent when I told her I wanted us to cancel the cable. She favors regular interaction with the children, and getting them involved in the kind of household responsibilities they can help with, like cooking or sweeping. It’s actually hard to do that with two kids, who tend to fight over who pours what and who mixes what, but they are learning. We also seem to be blessed with two children who love to use their imaginations. They can really play with their toys and create new stories with them. It’s also very funny how one minute they can ask for TV and then the next they are absorbed in a coloring book or walking in mommy’s boots. We found that if we didn’t turn the set on immediately, more often than not they forgot about the set for a good long while.
There were two deciding factors for me: first, of course, the cost. I’m now saving about five hundred to six hundred dollars a year by not having cable. But second, the fact that our oldest is in school full-time now means that she especially has less time to actually watch TV. She gets home from school around three, plays a bit, snacks, does her homework, eats dinner, plays, gets ready for bed, and she’s asleep by eight. The little one is more of a TV junkie now – those Backyardigans! – but with her sister at school, it’s easy enough to take her to places like the zoo or library (she’s also in nursery school five hours a week). It just seemed to make the most sense.
And to be honest, if I had cable TV right now, I’d be watching some old movie on TCM, something great and worthy, but I would not have the time to be writing this blog! I feel great about my decision, and hopefully the kids will, too. I don’t think we’ll give it up for good, but it does seem unnecessary right now.