In today's news of the wacky, weird, and just plain dumb, we have the story of Steve Misiura.
It seems Steve, of Brixton, South London, wanted to break a world record. So he chose to break the record for non-stop number of hours of tv watched. He sat in front of the tube for 84 hours (I hope with a few potty breaks, but don't want to ask for details), and watched every episode of the show "Friends". By around hour 80, he was having hallucinations and showing other signs of illness and breakdown.
Three and a half straight days of television. I cannot imagine much beyond professional torture that would be more painful. I long ago developed my "Theory of TV"* and quit watching. That's right, I have never seen an episode of "Friends", "Seinfeld", "The Simpsons", or any other "must see" show. I prefer to worship God as I understand Him and not have an "Idol". I do not care who survived or what big brother saw, and while I know they lose weight and get in shape over the course of the show and I admire them for it, I think the "Biggest Loser" is the person who gets more out of a screen than out of life, knows more about a make believe character than about the real character of the people around them.
So, if I break a world record, maybe it will be for being the person most ignorant of current television events. I know we are supposed to be familiar with our culture and knowledgeable about different aspects of our world, so we can be intelligent and educated citizens. I equate that with a more in depth knowledge of our history and great literature, not our pop culture.
When some history books have more about Marilyn Monroe than George Washington, I worry.
Thus my most boring blog will remain boringly uninterested in such minutea.
*My warped and weird "Theory of TV", which can also be applied to any type of art, pop culture, music, books, or magazines:
TV is something you put in your mind the way you put things in your mouth to eat. In either case you can put in good, healthy, nutritious items, or junk, or garbage, or even poisons or medicines (I consider reading the news to keep up to be like taking vitamins or medicines, if that makes sense, some things I would rather not know but I really should). I don't eat out of the trash can, I don't eat junk food, I take only the vitamins and medicines I truly need, I stay totally away from poison. Why, if I won't put that stuff in my body, which will only last for this world, would I put in in my brain, my soul, my spirit, which will last into the next?
Today is:
Battle Flag Day, Iowa
Chemistry Set Volcano Day
Edinburg Militarty Tattoo begins
Feast of San Lorenzo, Spain
Independence Day, Ecuador
Lazy Day
Middle Children's Day
National S'mores Day
Smithsonian Day
South Carolina Peanut Party
St. Lawrence of Rome's Day
St. Oswald of Northumbria's Day
Tan Hill Fair, Wiltshire, England
Birthdays Today:
Jimmy Dean, 1928
Eddie Fisher, 1928
Rhonda Fleming, 1923
George Crockett, 1909
Henri Nestle', 1890
Herbert Hoover, 1874
Today in History:
Nineveh is destroyed and Sinsharishkun, King of the Assyrian Empire is killed, BC 612
Temple at Jerusalem is burned, 70
Ferdinand Magellan sets out with 5 ships to circumnavigate the globe, 1519
Word of the US Declaration of Independence reaches London, 1776
Mozart completes "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik", 1787
Missouri becomes the 24th US State, 1821
Friendly Fill-Ins Week 443
9 hours ago
Great analogy!
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm like you--so much of what's on seems not only dumb, but poisonous.
Oh, a kindred spirit! I confess, I have watched quite a few episodes of Seinfeld, but only since it went into syndication (the Rancher watches it) but I have no clue who survived what, and I agree with you about the biggest loser being the one on the couch, watching it!
ReplyDeleteWhen I watch TV, I watch the news, a few nature programs, some history programs... rarely ever watch anything else.
And why did it take me so long to figure out you were blogging???? Sheesh.