Metafilter Weighs In On TV Turnoff Week
Ah Metafilter, my favorite source for wank. Once again TV Turnoff Week is upon us and, as they do every year, Mefites get their panties in a bunch over it.


Stan Chin starts things off on a positive note by making the follwing suggestion:

"How about you TV turnoff people just go fuck yourselves?"

TheophileEscargot's modest proposal:

"I propose an exchange scheme.

You know those boring teetotallers at the office who have to launch into an interminable monologue about the evils of alcohol when you mention you had a nice chablis the other day. Why not partner each one up with their anti-TV equivalent?

You could issue them with those special clocks they use for pro chess matches. The anti-alcohol guy gets to drone on for 15 minutes say, then it flips over and the anti-TV guy gets his turn.

That way they both get to indulge their sanctimonious urges, and those of us with actual willpower can get on with enjoying our pleasure-filled lives."

According to fungible the revolution WILL be televised:

"I don't watch TV at home that much, but this week, I'm turning it on, 24 hours a day, all week. And I'm keeping it on something really awful, like MTV or Fox News, just out of spite."

But nixerman smacks her down with the pimp-hand of sarcasm and throws in a little "won't somebody please think of the children!":

"fungible you're such a rebel! You go girl!

Seriously, I don't care a whit about adults but for children this is a great idea. The television statistics for children seem to get scarier each year along with the obesity statistics. They should focus efforts like this on children since that's where the biggest payoff is."

(Does he really want to bring up obesity on Metafilter? Really?)

Then divine_wino is there to bring things back down to the level on which Mefi functions best and join fungible in her pro-tv revolt:

"Hill Street Blues!

Listen all you Carrie Nations out there: Read a book, go outside. No, YOU read a book and YOU go outside. Don't tell me what to do and don't offer suggestions to me like I can't fucking figure out what to do with my time. Oh read a book you say, how novel! I never would have thought of that.

I might or might not watch tv in the course of the week, but now because it's tv turn off week, my ass is gonna be up at three am with the sound cranked to 50 fucking rivited to elimidate or some Telemundo show where dudes that look like Jay Leno run around with big silver revolvers tucked in their acid washed jeans. SO YOU HAVE FAILED! AGAIN!

On Preview:
You and me Fungible, I'ma send you a case of Jolt and a deluxe edition TV Guide, the one with the channels for the secret CSI shows that these suckers don't even know about!"

kyrademon pulls out the classic "you're all ridiculous" argument:

"Is anyone else really starting to find the people who incessantly complain about the people who brag about how they don't have a TV just as tedious, repetitive, and obnoxious as the people they're complaining about?

Seriously. Get over it."

then biffa proves</b> that Metafilter can argue about anything:

"kyrademon: Is anyone else really starting to find the people who incessantly complain about the people who brag about how they don't have a TV just as tedious, repetitive, and obnoxious as the people they're complaining about?

jonmc: We're not boring! You're boring for saying that we're boring! That is not an effective counter argument.

biffa: You're misrepresenting the statement you quote, the original statement doesn't at any point imply that people who brag about not watching tv aren't boring, merely that a second category of people are also boring. You thus also misinterpret that the statement is a counter-argument."

AlexReynolds sets it up:

"I wonder what a reality show about Metafilter would look like? We'd need the obligatory shaking-documentary-camera style, lots of folding chairs to hit each other with, and a censor to bleep out the swearing. Like "The Real World" but through a blue-hazed lens."

And drezdn knocks it out:

" Except half of the members couldn't watch it because they don't have televisions."

nixerman is back and out to prove that all those who oppose him are just afraid:

"jonmc, except they're not flattering choices I've made. I watch TV. And you have yet to provide any evidence of the condescending tone and I doubt you ever will. What bothers me about the whole affair is that it boils down to dishonesty. People react to things like Earth Day and TV Turnoff Week like Divine Wino did because they're unable or, more likely, just too scared to defend their choices. So they take the cowardly route and hide behind the standard Anti-PC cliches. This is an ok tactic for middle schoolers but I'd expect more from adults. Adults should be comfortable examining themselves."

jonmc, ever the obnoxious stalwart defender of the little guy, weighs in:

"Who the hell says my choices need defending? That all by itself is condescending since you're assuming moral superiority. I watch TV because I enjoy it. I'm just mystified as to why that's any business of yours or the TV Turnoff folks."

agregoli foolishly advocates a common sense approach which is roundly ignored:

"I don't really understand the problem here - TV Turnoff week isn't a mandate - it's just a suggestion. If the suggestion irritates you, well, I would advise trying to ignore it and try not to take things quite so seriously."

And finally, divine_wino (who is actually one of my favorite new posters) returns with a little advice for nixerman:

"I retract my apology to you and say without equivocation, fuck you sir, fuck you right in the eye."

I love you Metafilter. Don't ever leave me.

ETA: Up there where I called fungible a she? Drop that 's' because she is apparently a he. My bad.