Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Me, My TV and the Month of November

The Documentary Channel is free for the entire month of November!  I'm watching a documentary right now!

I won't be hurt if you don't share my enthusiasm--I understand that I watch TV in a way that is entirely different from the vast majority of the TV viewing public.  I have never watched an entire episode of Survivor, American Idol, Two-and-a-half Men, Jersey Shore, Dancing with the (so-called) Stars, Big Bang Theory or anything that resembles "The Real (blank) of (blank)".  I know!  It's like I live under a rock or something!

The truth is, I need to feel engaged with what I'm watching.  And by "engaged" I mean "educated", "stimulated", and "not entirely disgusted with humanity".  Generally speaking, the only way I can achieve that is through documentaries.

Does this make me a TV snob?  Maybe.  I don't care--I refuse to consume a steady diet of trash TV, much the way I refuse to eat a steady diet of trash food.  Does that mean I don't have my "guilty pleasures?"  Of course I do!  I am strangely addicted to Say "Yes" to the Dress, despite never ever wanting to wear a wedding dress; I try really hard not to miss an episode of Fashion Police (it's pretty much the only reason I know who half our current "celebrities" are); I'm addicted to House Hunters and pretty much anything related to interior design or real estate.

But the vast majority of what I watch is found on PBS, National Geographic Channel or CBC with the occasional Discovery Channel or History Channel thrown in.  To have an entire month of unfettered access to the Documentary Channel?  Let's just say I'll be spending a lot of quality time with my couch and TV for the next four weeks.