September 8, 2000
prowling in the
wilderness
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We have enjoyed sunshine
and blue skies the entire day with a high in the lower 70's.
There is a slight wind from the north.
I've been thinking off
and on about eliminating television from my life. I would like
to remove the TV from the house, but I have a
feeling that my family would mutiny. The only things that I watch
with any regularity are on PBS, BRAVO, and of course, Championship Bull Riding on Sunday nights on
TNN.
I understand PETA's
concerns, but at least the bulls have not yet been transformed into
hamburgers on American barbecue grills. Besides, the bulls win
with alarming frequency. It's like going to watch a very
one-sided demolition derby.
I can't think too much
about all of the hours I've wasted watching television without
getting very depressed. I really don't want to die thinking
about the vast amount of accumulated time I've wasted on episodes of
Seinfeld, Northern Exposure or Late Night with David
Letterman. Don't get me wrong, I really like Dave, but he
hasn't really contributed to my quest for enlightenment.
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"...the middleclass non-identity which usually finds its
perfect expression on the outskirts of the campus in rows of well-to-do houses with lawns and
television sets in each living room with everybody looking at the same thing
and thinking the same thing at the same time while the Japhies of the world go prowling in the wilderness..."
- Jack Kerouac
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