Writers Strike

I read a lot of blogs. I also read a lot of webcomics. When the authors of said webcomics write decent blogs, you can bet I'm on board. Such is the case with Scott Kurtz of PVP. Today he posted about how the writers' strike in Hollywood has made him look at a lot of old hobbies differently, and how he's reevaluating his television habits. Kudos to him! There's a pretty good quote on there too that really hits the nail on the head about this entire thing, but I'll let you follow the above link and read it there yourself.

So I got to thinking. The blogworld has been buzzing with talk about this strike for some time now, but I have remained silent on the matter. Why, you might ask? Because were it not for the posts of other bloggers, I would not even have realized that there was a strike going on. Grump and I cancelled our satellite tv subscription a few months back. At the moment it's been reactivated, but only so that we can catch all the Christmas specials on tv this time of year. Television hasn't held much fascination for me for quite a number of years. I mean, there have been a few shows I've enjoyed, but overall it's just a load of crap that I could just as well do without. It seems that this strike has made a lot of people realize that.

I mean really, how does television enrich my life? Or yours? Or anyone's? For most people out there it's a way of turning off all of your higher thinking processes and letting yourself just veg out. Now don't get me wrong, that's something we should all do from time to time. We all need time to just quiet our minds and not think. But not five or six hours a day, or more in many cases.

I know a lot of people will say that the internet is no different, but it is. The internet is interactive. Some folks choose to surf the mind-numbing stuff and that's it, but many more of us use this wonderful world wide web to express our creativity, reach out to other people, learn, grow and better ourselves. After all, that's what this blogging thing is at it's root isn't it? A way of connecting with people from all over the world? That's how I see it anyway. Even games aid development in hand-eye coordination, puzzle solving skills, and other fundamental abilities.

So if the writers of lame sitcoms and lamer dramas refuse to work, what is it to me? I couldn't care less. I'm quite happy here in front of my computer where I control my entertainment, rather than the other way around. I'm happy with a means of engaging my brain, rather than disengaging. And if those writers find themselves out of jobs, so much the better. Maybe if more of us would keep our brains firmly in "on" mode, our society as a whole would be a little better off. But perhaps that's just me.