Assignment 5- Thomas Ueland

I probably watch way too much TV. As I am writing this, the TV is in the background and the more I think about it, the more it has become a routine; I do much of my homework in front of the TV. Most of the time I watch sporting events, but I also keep up with shows like Breaking Bad, Tosh.0, and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. It provides a constant flow of entertainment as something that I can rely on if I want to laugh, get scared, etc, and also helps me wind down after a work-filled, exhausting school day. I think TV is an excellent source of entertainment, but often people (myself included) abuse it. It can be used for good, like to catch a presidential address or find the weather, but it can also be a medium for procrastination and about the lowest level of productivity one can have. I can’t bring myself to say that it is an insane use of time, perhaps because I watch so much and I don’t want to think that I am spending my days in an ‘insane’ way, but it is definitely a mindless way to pass the time. Lastly, to address the final prompt, the fact that the Emmy’s get more coverage than the Nobel Prizes’ speaks wonders (atrocities) about our society. At least for the USA, it certainly feels like more emphasis is being placed on entertainment than actual academic advancements. Professional sports leagues are multi-billion dollar businesses, and you can become a millionaire by being good at putting a ball through a hoop. I’m not here to offer a solution, but rather just another complainer of the wavering morals in today’s society.