TV mania

Hi Pushpavalli,

You are right..TV sucks big time.. My family back home (Chennai, India) is full of tv maniacs. My mom tops the list.. she watches almost every TV serial in every channel. My Perima too does the same.. My mom's younger sis , chithi who hates visiting her son in the US even when he had a baby..just for the sake of TV and the list goes on.

My mom, especially since her retirement as a teacher, independent, takes care of herself and lives alone with TV. She doesn't entertain any guests , that includes her own daughter (ME) , her own siblings etc., Now, since 1993 whenever I visit India for holidays, I stay in my own flat in Chennai, so that I don't have to bother her schedule. She made it very clear that she doesn't want to cook and take care of me during my holidays..so I have decided to just pay a visit for few minutes to say Hi to her during my India visits. She doesn't feel guilty for not being loving to me..and the same goes to all her siblings. Now, my sis is getting into the same trap (she is 54 yrs old and might retire in a couple of years from her govt service) Sometimes, I wonder CAN THIS BE A FAMILY TRAIT? I am being extremely careful not follow their footsteps.
I guess its purely the selfish nature of these individulas...not the TV serials..

Well, its enough if we watch once a week to catch up with the story as most of the serials drag forever and one needs enormous patience to watch such nonsense. In reality women are lot smarter whereas in TV serials, they are shown as braindead human beings who puts up with all kinds of crap from men and from society..It is very degrading to women and insulting to watch.

Like me, my friend in India suffers. Her mom didn't have kids for the first 10 yrs of her marriage before my friend was born, so she loved her sister's daughter right from her birth and she always claims her sis's daughter is her first born etc., But now, after she became a TV maniac, last time when her sis's daughter visited her after almost 7 years of marriage from London, Engalnd... came just for a day exclusively to spend with her favourite aunt.. was totally disappointed as her dearest aunt didn't even care about her and always has one eye on TV..and didn't bother to cook anything special for her and her hubby, the special maappillai..which made my friend annoyed.
So, I guess its mostly old widowed women are the suckers for this Tv serials more than men. I can understand that they need some form of entertainment, but anything excessive is not good at all. My another friend's hubby watches TV every evening for 4 hours though they have a daughter who is preparing for her 12th exam this year which causes so much of fight in the family between the couple.
The story goes on with everybody I know in Chennai. I also heard Chennai tops the list of TV maniacs in India.:yes:


:wave Geeth Priya.

 

dear pushpa,
i never watch tv untill it is some national geography, travel and living, discovery and animal kingdom my fav if something nice there i have anice time travelling to places which i may not in real life, and the rest i just walk away and enjoy being more with my computer, where i reach out to friends from different part of the world and it is very colorful let me tell u...regards sundari

 

I feel sorry for Geeth Priya 's mom. I think that her loneliness made her an addict to watch TV. I understand your feelings. It is hard to overcome just as other addictions.
I agree with Pushpavalli that whenever any auspicious things going on in the house, the inauspicious things will be there on the TV serial at that moment which makes us feel depressed. We should shut off the TV. If it is not possible we should make it point to keep the volume down so that we cannot hear the same. I have experienced a lot with my MIL in this matter.
as Sundari pointed out it is better to watch only good programmes and leave the rest.
Sriniketan

 

From when I was a kid,I have always seen this...when some guests come home,my parents will immediately switch off the TV.They used to say that it is bad manners to keep the TV on when somebody is come home to visit us and to spend time with us.Till this day,that is still followed in my house...if unavoidable,they just mute the TV.

But I have never seen that in my in-laws house..the TV will be in full volume whether anyone is there or not...

Everything depends on the people to a large extent.

 

hi all,
Came across this thread today. Interesting topic indeed.

TV has become a bane nowadays, thanks to the senseless serials. Most of them are so warped, like they show the (usually) female protagonist is going through hell, one after another. I keep wondering, if a person goes through such things/incidents so soon and so often, and so many times in life, then it is very possible that she would have a nervous breakdown.

Or there will be other females making her life hell. As if they have nothing else to do in their life.

When men and women (and children, oh God!) watch these serials, there must definitely be some impact on their minds. I feel disturbed only on watching one or two episodes of any serial sometimes - I am not a regular at all with serials. If I feel so disturbed, then what about those people who watch it regularly, and then keep discussing them?!!

Are they sadistic? or what?

Many a time my m-i-l keeps blaming me indirectly for things, I feel (and more than me, my hubby also feels) that she is thinking wrongly thanks to the serials she watches. She is a good person, but still I wouldn't put this past her.



If parents are not able to control themselves, then how on earth can they stop their children from watching such crap?

I remember watching in an English program many years back, how parents abroad make it a point to discipline their children with regards to Television watching. Also the time factor.

Say, keep an hour only for your son/daughter daily. And 2, maybe 3 hours during the weekend. Same way, you too will follow it if you want them to do so.

I know easier said than done, but depends on what each one's priorities are in life, I guess!
best,
hasita

 

Hello Puspaji,
your post is apt to the situation in every middle class family. A T.V is more than a family member. When ever we go to a relative's house They never
care to talk with us during the Time of Serials. They look towards us as if we
entered their house at odd time. Not only this they immerse Fully in the serial
showing the feelings in Synchronisation with the feelings of the players like herione etc in that serial. Actually The story in a serial runs only for 15 minutes out of 30 minutes total time of the serial.The remaining time of 15 ninutes serial is fully utilised for Adds.we cannot off T.V although the adds are
boring because these adds mix with the serial ( for every 5 minutes) The total serial is unrealistic,sexy,crime etc This is the problem with ladies in tje family.
With teen aged boys who are interested in watching Cricket they stuck up to T.V whenever they find time neglecting their studies.We all know that there are certain channels exclusively for cricket and other games.
Thus in Modern days a T.V is a Boon as well as a Curse for a family.
Thank U very much for Raising the contemporary problems.
Sd/NISCHEL