{"id":1231,"date":"2011-09-05T07:00:33","date_gmt":"2011-09-05T14:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.raisingjane.org\/journal\/?p=1231"},"modified":"2011-09-05T07:00:33","modified_gmt":"2011-09-05T14:00:33","slug":"organic-couch-potatoes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.raisingjane.org\/journal\/1231","title":{"rendered":"Organic Couch Potatoes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\t\t\t\tThere\u2019s something pretty simple I didn\u2019t have until this year\u2014something that you probably take for granted.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1235\" title=\"gift_for_gab-tv-040301MJF009\" src=\"http:\/\/www.raisingjane.org\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/gift_for_gab-tv-040301MJF009.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"244\" height=\"360\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>A television.<\/p>\n<p>Can you imagine your world without one? Seeing as I didn\u2019t even have an indoor toilet until last year, I figured a TV was rock bottom on my list of priorities. I caved at the beginning of this year (okay\u2014my husband Nick MADE me cave), and since then I\u2019ve been making up for lost time.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m lovin\u2019 the way TV is connecting me to more information, more laughs, a broader world-view, and a network of educated opinions that I\u2019d otherwise go without.<\/p>\n<p>But making up for lost time doesn\u2019t mean wasting it. I\u2019ve long been a proponent of keeping television in its place, and that hasn\u2019t changed.<\/p>\n<p>Well, not too much.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m learning that keeping it in its place means two things: not watching too much, and watching the right kind.<\/p>\n<p>The type of TV I watch is just as important as how much. I\u2019ve decided to pay attention to the way different programming makes me feel.<\/p>\n<p>I steer clear of news stations with incendiary pundits who seek to incite conflict or anger (you know the ones). Instead, I seek out the channels that present facts and events in a broader context and alert me to international events outside my immediate sphere. Then there are certain kinds of reality shows that profit from the shame of others. Sadly, these programs are all too common, and they wouldn\u2019t be if we voted with our remotes. I don\u2019t want to feed into a culture that\u2019s riveted by self-destructive and amused by the unfortunate or misguided.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m willing to bet that, deep down, you already know how to differentiate between \u201corganic\u201d television and \u201cjunk\u201d TV. But just in case your senses have been dulled by the tube\u2019s consistent glow, take my simple quiz (that I devised for moi).<\/p>\n<p>Answering \u201cyes\u201d to the following questions indicates bad TV:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Do I enjoy seeing this program because the dysfunctional characters make me feel better about my own life?<\/li>\n<li>Does this program make me feel angry about the state of the world?<\/li>\n<li>Does this show make me feel pessimistic about human nature and my fellow man?<\/li>\n<li>Does this station only offer me bad news?<\/li>\n<li>Do I feel irritable or powerless after watching this?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Even one yes is a red flag. It\u2019s an enormous, wildly waving, fire-engine red flag accompanied by blaring horns. The programming at hand isn\u2019t good for you. It doesn\u2019t feed your soul, it doesn\u2019t educate you in a constructive way, and it is a profound waste of time and energy.<\/p>\n<p>But answering \u201cyes\u201d to the following questions indicates keeper TV:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Does this show inspire me to do some good for myself or others?<\/li>\n<li>Does this program give me a sense of hope or wonder about other people?<\/li>\n<li>Do I feel refreshed, empowered, or upbeat after watching this?<\/li>\n<li>Does this show expose me to new opinions and viewpoints\u2014has it made me think?<\/li>\n<li>Does this show make me laugh\u2014without making me bitter at the same time?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Yes to my keeper TV questions is a sign of \u201corganic\u201d television. It uses my time well and leaves me better off than I was beforehand.<\/p>\n<p>And I\u2019ve told myself I mustn\u2019t forget the very best TV viewing option: OFF.\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There\u2019s something pretty simple I didn\u2019t have until this year\u2014something that you probably take for granted. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.raisingjane.org\/journal\/1231\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[545,549,862,871],"class_list":["post-1231","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gift_for_gab","tag-maryjane","tag-maryjanes-gift-for-gab","tag-t-v","tag-television"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.raisingjane.org\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1231","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.raisingjane.org\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.raisingjane.org\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.raisingjane.org\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.raisingjane.org\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1231"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.raisingjane.org\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1231\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.raisingjane.org\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1231"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.raisingjane.org\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1231"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.raisingjane.org\/journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1231"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}