It has been 20 years since I unsubscribed my cable television. Truth: If I still subscribed I would probably be a couch potato like so many of you. I love documentaries on history, science, nature, technology... and on and on. The "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan is an all-time favorite. I love movies - all kinds, and particularly romantic comedies, science fiction, historical fiction, and movies based on true stories. I am an avid Equal Rights (activist) and global science news junkie. I like and have enjoyed many television shows such as Star Trek, Cheers, Seinfeld, All In The Family (did I just date myself?), Futurama, The Simpsons, and a few others.
So what keeps me from subscribing to my local cable company? There are two sustaining reasons: For one, the information and entertainment value does not justify the health risk; yes health risk. According to a research report (JAMA, 2011) by Frank Hu and Andres Grontved , for every two hours of TV viewing, the risk of type 2 diabetes increased 20 percent. The risk of cardiovascular disease rose 15 percent and the risk of early death rose 13 percent. Of course the health factor is about sedentary behavior and not the television itself.
So I could easily argue that my rigorous fitness routine would nullify, or at least offset the harmful effects of sedentary time in front of the television, and the argument would be valid. However, the critical term in the previous sentence is 'time'.
I already spend eight to ten hours daily in sitting in front of a computer, working, writing, and surfing the Internet. If I were to incorporate or replace some of that time with watching television there would be little time left over for living. And by 'living' I mean seeing the world in person; participating instead of watching. Life is too short as it is to spend any more time looking at pictures of it. I would rather be in the picture.
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