The book of questions, Volume 43
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Friday is The Book of Questions Day around these parts.
Today’s question comes from the aptly titled book “The Book of Questions” by Gregory Stock, Ph.D.
And here it is, Question 150.
Would you be willing to give up all television for the next five years if it would induce someone to provide for 1,000 starving children in Indonesia? If giving up TV is too much of a sacrifice, would you consider switching to black-and-white viewing?
I’m quite sure I could do this, although I must admit that the incentive is not a motivator for me. I’m going to lay my cards on the table. I would do it and it would be a nice bonus that those kids were going to bed with a full tummy, but I wouldn’t do it for that sole reason.
I’m not sure what a good motivator would be for me. It does seem like television is mindless entertainment. That’s exactly how I use it.
I do enjoy the Real Housewives series on Bravo. The New York City installment has been my favorite so far, although the New Jersey housewives have jumped on the scene in a big, bad way and those chicks are crazy.
And a quick aside to my fellow fans — just read that Teresa Giudice (second from left in that picture) is pregnant with her fourth kid and due in four more months! I wonder if that means she did not get the breast augmentation that she’s been drooling over after all.
Okay, back to the original point here.
That show is highly entertaining to me, but clearly my life would be the same had I never seen that show. They are a hoot, though. You should check it out, if you haven’t had the chance.
I had to laugh when I read part two of this question, “If giving up TV is too much of a sacrifice…”
Perhaps I’m feeling this way because we’ve been attacking our budget, whittling it down to wants and needs. Plus watching the state of our economy on the news is really depressing and sobering.
For us television is a want, plain and simple. It serves as entertainment but there’s no way I could say it’s a need. It’s easy to add up the savings should we cancel our cable subscription, but I do wonder what the financial savings would be in the electricity saved by not having a television.
It seems like it would be nominal, perhaps $5-$10 per month, but in this five-year example I suppose that’s could be up to $600.
Of course “The Book of Questions” was published in 1985.
Naturally the updated question would be: could you give up all access to the computer and the internet for the next five years. The too-much-to-sacrifice addendum would allow you to keep the computer for word processing, spread sheets, etc. with no internet access.
Now I’m feeling the burn. I don’t want to give up my computer or my internet access for the children in Indonesia, but I cannot justify this as a need.
Final answer: I’ll give up TV but not my computer (cringes).
This is a tough one. I think the only way I could have the will power to follow thru on this would be to first schedule a visit to Indonesia and see these children in person. Then I guess I would be motivated to put them ahead of my self-absorbed ways. Even then it would probably be difficult! I guess that is why ‘mission trips’ are so life changing.
I have to agree with you kado, that seeing is believing — to be cheesy about it. Definitely it makes a bigger impression if you can see the circumstances/environment of the children. I suppose that’s why those commercials often show scenes from the villages and communities.
Obviously a photo or film on TV is not a substitute for personal experience.
And I also have to agree that giving something up without seeing tangible results is very difficult. I guess that’s why it’s hard to give up smoking. It’s hard to see immediate or even long term results.
I could give up television in a second and barely blink. We’ve pretty much done this anyway, since the kids were born. I would miss sports, but there is always the radio.
That said, I don’t think I could give up the Internet. I need medical help for that addiction.
That’s the exact same thought I had sw. Our TV has not been our own since we had kids and surprisingly it hasn’t been that difficult or all.
And amen on the computer. I do feel guilty and lazy when I consider that roughly one generation ago no one experienced the internet. And they got along just fine.
I guess everything in moderation, right?
i don’t watch tv as it is now and can give it up…do i still get to watch desperate housewives (in answer to your other question, yes i watch DH) online and well what about jeopardy? i would miss jeopardy.
the boob tube can go, but EVERYBODY will go hungry before i give up the internet. i’m addicted.
and see you monday, CG. the nerve of me, but you will be posting on monday, right? of course you will. you’re cg! enjoy the weekend.
i’m off to get a life. bye.
maybe i should go post something.
I thought about that as well — watching shows via the internet and I’m going with no. I love that every last person will feel a grumble in their tummies before you ditch the computer!
That’s how I feel, truth be told.
I also wondered about Monday. As you may have noticed I’ve been having difficulty answering comments in a timely manner since the kids have been home for Memorial Day weekend. I’m not sure what that’s going to mean over the summer.
Perhaps it means I need to schedule my time more efficiently…
But yes, I’ll be posting something on Monday.
Maybe the kids could post comments. Now THAT would be fun!
That would be interesting, to say the least.
Like you, I don’t think the kids in Indonesia have any real part in this equation. For some reason, that thought does not tug at my heart strings, maybe because I don’t see the starvation on a daily basis. If I did, I would probably have more inclination to unplug the tube. But then the whole Indonesian government would be under scrutiny by me and I’d have a ton more questions like: do they have clean water, are the adults gonna steal their food, do they have a roof over their heads, what is the government doing to help these people, do they have birth control, etc. See? It just opens a whole giant can of worms. So, we skip that part.
Give up TV? Nah. I don’t watch that much, but when I finally do, I want my cable. Network sitcoms, CSI’s, and other fare rarely draw me in, although I do love my Survivor and Amazing Race. If I’m gonna sit–it had better be good. I, too, LOVE the housewives series–those are some bally dames. I like to sit for an hour in the evening just vegging while I knit or cuddle Hobbes and I would miss it.
I wouldn’t want to lose TV, although I probably could. Internet or computer loss?? No way!!
I like your detailed analysis of the Indonesian government, Lin. It is a whole giant can of worms.
I haven’t seen any network shows in forever. I’m on cable when I do watch. I might consider dropping the computer if I had Hobbes to keep me company.
As I started reading, I thought, ‘the question is outdated. TV is easy to give up…internet though?’ So you hit the nail right on the head with your updated version.
TV has never been something that was all that important to me as an adult, and for at least 5-6 years there wasn’t even a working tv or a VCR in the house. I got the reaction from some people that they couldn’t imagine it because they relied upon the tv for information like news, weather and other updates. I always said you could get that from radio, newspapers and, of course, the internet.
Online access is actually much more important to me than tv every could be. I think it’s because it’s all our information and communication all rolled up in one. I rarely talk on the phone anymore because I chat online and email to friends. And all that before Twitter and facebook, oi vey. Giving it up would be a real sacrifice because the world has changed. Without online access you might not be able to find out simple information anymore, like a list of plumbers in your area in case of an emergency or book a flight easily.
Given that, now the question becomes very interesting indeed. I think I could do it, but it would be a real sacrifice to my way of life. I can imagine calling people and asking them if I could give them my flash drive so that they could take compositions and post them to my blog. Is that cheating? But to have 1000 people get to eat fo five years? Wow. That would be pretty awesome. Imagine it, 1000 people get to eat because I gave up something that made my life more entertaining and convenient.
Could you give up both your internet access and your cell phone?
It is interesting how pervasive the internet has become. I, too, use the internet to get phone numbers. It’s wild to me that we even receive a phone book these days. But occasionally our cable provider falls down on the job and I do need to rely on the old tools.
Definitely it would be a sacrifice for most people, I think. I have to go with no on the flash drive question. It would be deemed cheating in this scenario.
I have a cell phone and I never use it. It’s mostly for emergencies, like if I were stuck on the freeway with a car that died. Thankfully that has never happened. And usually I forget to take it with me so I would be screwed on the freeway. But since I never use it I could easily give that up.
But I really think the motivation to give up the internet would have to be something about the welfare of my husband or children. Sad, I know.
I agree, I would only but happily give up the internet for a loved one. Say if a few of my family members went to counseling or college or joined reality. Aka, got their shit together, I’d be more than willing to give up TV, internet, phone, etc.
(laughs) All it would take is getting counseling or joining reality?
For my MTV? It has to be good.
I don’t actually watch MTV anymore, but ya know what I’m saying.
Word, sister.
TV, absolutely. I will annoyingly get drawn into Amazing Race, Survivor and American Idol every season. But when the season is over, I feel like I do when the kids get out of school. THANK GOD THAT IS OVER. I prefer movies over anything TV has to offer. Ask me to give up books? No way in hell. Ask me to give up my internet? No way in hell. Ask me to give up my iPod? No way in hell. I have my priorities straight!
Yeah, books will never be given up. Evah. I have always been an avid reader, less intense now that I have kids, but still going strong even though I have kids, if that makes sense.
Agreed on music as well. But if I had to choose between music and books, I would still go with books but would weep crazily over the loss of the music.
“When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes.”
Erasmus
Not exactly true for me because I really like having my nails done, but it would take a lot of me to give up my books. Now that I’m over my college graduation, Please don’t make me read anything ever again phase. Bring on the books. There’s just something about being absorbed in the physical pages. Spellbinding. Get it? binding?? Okay, I’ll stop.
Regarding your nails, do you know the chick (or dude) who does your manicure and do you chat throughout the process or do you sit quietly?
I hate making small talk when I get my hair cut (haven’t had my hair cut in a salon in forever — no need to) but sitting face-to-face with someone and not chatting seems rude. Do tell.
I do love disappearing into another world via books. They’re portable, they can go wherever you go and you can hop right back into the story line in a flash. Love books, but I don’t own any.
Once I’ve read the story it goes back to the library never to be read by me again.
I talk if they talk. When you become a regular, they tend to talk more but it’s sometimes difficult if the tech has a thick accent (typically Vietnamese), especially if they’re wearing the mask, which most do these days.
Now the same guy always cuts my hair, and we chat the entire time about my husband and his girlfriend, etc. I had a guy in college who always did my nails, we were good friends. If I’m keeping up with them, you go every two weeks so you get to know each other.
I also enjoy the instant story line reentrance and the portability of books. I don’t own very many because we have a used bookstore that buys your books back and you can get credit for more books or cash. It’s handy. I have a couple of faves I read every couple of years, but mostly I never read a book again either.
Man, the thought of maintaining a relationship like that is daunting to me. I’m in a weird funk right now and I can’t even imagine having to talk to my hair dresser. But, I suppose that’s a friendship, eh?
I’ve become friends with Stephen King again.
Man, I saw The Stand and had nightmares for weeks. I’m more of a crime and Southern humor.
I used to read him voraciously in high school and he did give me nightmares. But I was surprised this go around that I was fine with all of it. I just finished “Desperation” and might I say, damn him for killing off a favorite character.
Um, you know the HBO series are about to start back right? Tv’ll always be in this house. My husband wants three more flat screens to go above our current 42″ plasma. Then we would never miss a game, EVER!!! I can’t talk either, I turn it on before I make the coffee some days. I love watching television.
Would I have to pick between the two? I guess internet would have to win because it’s more than entertainment, but I’d be pissed about it.
Three more flat screens, Liz?! I did have a long period of time where I was really into television. I could tell you — any day of the week — what was on network television and what I would be watching. So I can’t talk.
I get entirely too upset when they change the TV schedule I’m accustomed to. “Why isn’t SVU on at 3? It’s supposed to be on 3!!!”
Watching sports is just a way of life in our families. My husband hates missing good plays because we were watching another game. Hard to explain.
Yeah, when they mess with the programming it’s not cool. I was really pissed off when Court TV, which is now TruTV (so stupid) stopped showing my forensic mystery shows all day on Saturday.
Now they show a few on Friday night and some after 11 pm on Sunday, I think. I’m still pissed off about that. Effers.
Right there with ya, sister.
I don’t watch TV, so this is a no-brainer. I would even be willing to give up surfing the web, except I sometimes need to do that for my job, volunteer work and to look up books in the library. Lately, I’ve not even turned on the computer at home during the weekends.
It is oddly refreshing at times to walk away from the computer, isn’t it? I’ve been doing that on weekends as well and it’s sort of liberating. I do think it has something to do with the nicer weather and the kids being out of school more often.
I do believe in order to be a more engaging writer one has to experience life more than one can sitting in front of a computer screen. But you will find me online Monday through Friday even when the kids are home for summer.
I make a confession: I’m a TV addict. My husband is worse, but thats a side point. I can, and frequently do, turn from the tube and find alternate sources of entertainment. When I was single, I was often found to put the TV on just for background noise – then I got married and have a husband that fills in that void.
I had a friend like that back in college, she enjoyed the background noise for the very same reason. I do that with music on the radio, it just fills a slight void in the house. There are times that I prefer silence, but more often than not I like to have a little sound going on.
And like you said, family — spouse and kids — will definitely take care of that silence whether you want them to (sometimes) or not (most of the time these days.)
Ah, currently enjoying the hubs in bed asleep and my coffee. The dogs are playing, but otherwise, silence and coffee. Niiiice. Yes, I realize it’s 12:30. Do you ever outgrow sleeping late, or is it child related?
Sadly, I can tell you sleeping in late is an acquired habit that doesn’t begin until the teen years. My kids go to bed late on the weekends and are up at the effing crack of dawn in the morning.
Sleeping in for them is 7:35 am, if I’m lucky. That’s why I get up at 4 am, to have some down time alone.
But it is a treat to sleep in late, I have to admit.
My sister and I always slept late, but it’s prob because we never had a bedtime. It was early if we were up to catch Saved by the Bell.
I didn’t wake up til 3pm today, but we went to bed at 6am. Not our smartest hour.
Your sleeping schedule blows my mind. It’s not dark until 9 these days. Do you have blackout curtains? I knew a guy who put aluminum foil on his windows when he worked 3rd shift.
Oh, wait. I just remembered the sunrise/set schedule being entirely different in Chicago. Is it the same there?
You are correct that it’s still light out when I go to bed. I think the sun sets around 8:50-ish right now. According to weather dot com sunset is at 8:59 tonight.
I do have dark blue curtains but it just casts a bluish glow in the room. I wouldn’t say they are room darkening by any stretch of the imagination.
I guess it’s just what you get used to. If we were friends in real life we’d never see each other, would we? Thank God for the internet :)
It seems our hours only overlap if I’m up into the morning hours on the weekends. We would have to do lunch.
Man that’s a tight window, Liz. But I think we could make it happen :)
TV: no problem, in fact I quite like the idea of having a reason to never watch it again, the kids getting fed is just a bonus. But the internet… can I have the internet in B&W?!
I had to laugh at your last question because it actually crossed my mind as well. I’ll take it in black and white. But no, can’t do black and white internet, unfortunately.
Yes. I’ll give up all TV. For no reason at all.
I can say this because I no longer watch it, anyway. Ummmm… unless you count baseball games at Ruby’s house, but that’s because it’s the only way I can see her during baseball season (and, yes, baseball is growing on me -just like crossword puzzles did). Other than baseball with The Landlady, I don’t think I’d be missing much.
The INTERNET?! Are you NUTS?! Not even for 5 minutes. Nope.
Really, you can get into sports on TV? I cannot. I can’t do it. I don’t like baseball in person and less on TV. It seems so drab to me, like why even bother. Not to slam Ruby’s interest (and now yours) in televised sports, but it’s not doing it for me.
Yeah, I figured no one would willingly give up the internet, me included.
Try watching a game on the internet because you’re getting the wrong game. Now that really sucks.
I think you have to grow up watching baseball, and I normally do something else (magazine, add 14 comments to this thread, cook, etc.) while watching the middle innings. Born and bred on Atlanta Braves, nothing will change my allegiance, ever. It’s real and it’s deep. That’s why you watch it on TV, you really care about the outcome.
I think you’re right. I have very vague memories of my dad watching sports, mostly hockey and football. And I still hate sports — live or on television.
Now of course I’m going to assume every time you leave a comment that there’s a baseball game on. Or that an angel gets its wings.
A baseball game is on again. There’s 162 games in the regular season, so it’s very likely I am watching one.
It’s sounding like square Peg Guy and I have a few things in common :) I don’t watch TV unless someone I visit is. I sometimes watch episodes on DVD marathon style though of certain shows.
The internet would be a little tougher. However, if we could change that to read “teach and enable 1000 children to be self sufficient, motivated, happy and productive members of society that can feed themselves and care for their loved ones” I would give up the internet and maybe even movies for that.
As long as I get to keep my beer.
I don’t see nearly as much value in ‘just’ providing for them since they would still be helpless to fend for themselves. Its not that they shouldn’t get support, I just don’t feel a real emotional pull from sending food or money by itself. If I thought I could make an incredible lasting difference I could give up my internet.
That’s an interesting take, Tim and a hell of a lot more humanitarian than I am. I still wouldn’t give up the internet even if it taught these kids important life lessons.
I’m just being honest with myself, but it is inspiring to see your altruism.
That’s deep, man.
*applause*
No.
I don’t know these kids from Indonesia. Even if they were American kids, I wouldn’t do it.
If it were a group of children I knew (and liked/loved) sure. But not for strangers.
I’m not that giving.
I love your forthright answers, Angelika.
I’m with Angelika. I gave pennies all my grammar school life for the Mission children to not go hungry, and so my contribution to the avoidance of world hunger is done. Did my part, got my quota. With me, TV is a hit or miss thing, but when I want to see it, I WANT. TO. SEE. IT. And of course, you’ll take my Internet when you pry my cold, dead hands off it.
Way to go Elle. Own it baby.
Yeah, I didn’t expect anyone to give up the internet for a faceless person/persons. No matter what the circumstances were. It’s too ingrained in day-to-day life.
I’m with you. I’d give up TV but not the computer. It’s far too ingrained in my every day life (not that that’s a good thing…) for me to give up willingly.
After writing that I did wonder if I could actually give it up. If absolutely forced to, I know I could but I would miss it terribly. As you said, I’m not so sure that’s a good thing to be so attached, but it’s where I’m at.