This is one STUPID fucking planet. The most urgent news

story of the day: Tom-Kat's "wedding" (no marriage certificate).

I wish a fucking asteroid would hit this dirtball and put us out of our misery.

Really, who CARES?
Thankfully, I have the option of turning off the TV or switching channels when this junk comes on the news.

...has become totally ineffective. Ignore them if you want to maintain your sanity. The first step is to get rid of your television, or at least disconnect it from the media stream. Use it to watch movies if you like, but stop the flow of mindless propaganda into your living room.

.....cable and satellites are an addiction apparently...I cut 'em off over a decade ago. :hi:

on edit..posted this and killed a thread yesterday...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2742315&mesg_id=2742525

Quite the opposite-- on the rare occasions where I see a television I am utterly appalled by the programming. I think most folks can't see how blatent the dumbing down is, or how pervasive the propaganda because they are just too close to it. Quitting television is like quitting smoking-- after the fog clears you can't believe you were ever hooked on that nasty shit.

...when I lived at home in my late teens we had one of the first satellite dishes made for home use...it was the kind you had to go outside to crank it by hand to change satellites...well I could find any game being broadcast and the cameras and audio stayed going during commercial breaks...it was AWESOME to experience what's happening like you're actually there in the press box...then I moved out on my own and got cable...didn't keep it for a year...and now I mostly watch PBS if I watch anything at all...on rabbit ears! I'm still a corporate stooge though..I'm a smoker...so I'm a hypocrite in that regard! x(

Television is FAR less idiotic than it was in the seventies or eighties. Every time I hear someone say this I want to retch. As long as you ignore the sitcoms (which are pretty much universally stupid) it's not that hard to find interesting, informative, and entertaining programming.

Boston Legal: Not only funny, but often topical.

Law and Order, Shark, Justice, and Close to Home. Always interesting to get a glimpse into our legal system and how the system can be manipulated from both sides.

The CSIs. These shows REALLY irritate the police and prosecutors because now people expect PHYSICAL evidence in criminal trials. In some respects they're unrealistic, since CSIs don't really SOLVE crimes--they provide evidence to use in prosecuting the offenders--but I believe they're serving a good purpose in holding cops and prosecutors to a higher standard.

Veronica Mars. One of the best shows on television, at least according to both Stephen King AND myself.

The Ghost Whisperer. Often poignant and heart-wrenching. Certainly a hell of a lot better than I expected it would be.

Vanished. Almost a modern day X-Files, without the aliens.

Numbers. Solving crimes with mathematics. I don't know a lot about higher math, but I find a lot of the methodology here VERY intriguing. Mathematicians do some amazing things, even if they DON'T use it to solve crimes.

People who make blanket statements like this have obviously not actually WATCHED television in years.

Everything you cited is mindless entertainment, brain mush for the masses. Sorry-- I just can't regard passive dramatic entertainment as time well spent. My life isn't boring enough to spend any of it "watching." Maybe if I was bed ridden or otherwise incompacitated....

and yet still enjoying this "mindless" entertainment.

Must be a great view up on that high horse.

...which is bitched about around here ad nauseum...if you want to make a real difference...don't pay them to piss you off...spending time reading novels makes for a much stronger mind than watching the decline of western *civilization* on the idiot box. :hi:

I thought the Spike Lee movie Bamboozled was a masterpiece and should be required watching for all progressives.

http://www.bamboozledmovie.com/film/index.html

Bamboozled mixes comedy with intrepid social commentary about the way the media works. "Two of my favorite films are 'A Face in the Crowd' and 'Network' and I used both as a platform, and as inspiration. This is a piercing look into the past and future of film and television," says Lee.

as well as watch TV.

I've been writing an autopsy scene I found myself able to describe in my own words simply because I've seen so many portrayed on television from watching the CSIs.

....then you get a booby prize.

I decided I didn't want to bother responding to your post.

I obviously don't agree. Why belabor it?

....so obviously belabored?! :nopity: As mindless as the t.v. shows ..you just couldn't STOP yourself though could you...go figure?! :eyes:

which aim for selective parts of the dirtball?

The lead story on the BBC is about Iraq.

A multi-million dollar sham "wedding" and the press can't get enough. Pathetic.

my name is Katie and my husband's name is Tom, so we've been getting the TomKat comments all week. I wish they would go away already.

I'm sorry!

Nice to meet you, my name is Monica.

You really do have a choice not to watch the stupidity. We turn our tv on once a week; for 60 Minutes and I watch Cold Case. Once in a while my spouse watches 24 but rarely. If no one watched that crap, the makers of said crap might get a clue that no one gives a shit.

Good old Cartoon Jon Stewart. He's an erudite, literate attack dog I can sic on anyone annoying, anytime, anywhere. Don't feel bad about hating Tom and Katie. I hate them, too.

Perhaps Xenu will return for them soon... and take them home.

http://www.yourmorningleibowitz.blogspot.com
Jon Stewart's Daily Show as a comic strip

:rofl: (I think that's what the Yichud is for.)

How thrilled I am that someone got the Close Encounters chuppah reference, YOU WILL NEVER, NEVER, NEVER FULLY KNOW!!!! *YESSSSS!!!!!!!*

<------ dancing around room!

:woohoo:

One of my closest friends stayed with me for the week before his marriage. I was one of the 'guards' outside the yichud (guarding their privacy) after the chupah and before the wedding feast.

Two other Jewish DU-ers and I were just talking about this a few minutes ago on another post. The lady suggested I start broadening my dating options, as I am a Jewish girl, and not finding a Jewish guy match who loves news and politics and is socially aware in a very aggressive way like I am. My dream would be to find the next Al Franken or Jon Stewart and rise alongside him, doing MY thing in American politics on the side while HE does his thing on his. We'd become this "power couple" like Bill and Hillary. Alas, many dates, I've been finding nothing. :(

So my new Jewish friend here on DU suggested I broaden my options and find a gentile guy into those things. For years I've resisted that, but maybe she was right. Then you come along knowing what a yichud is and what it's for. You guys are getting really good at this. Gosh, maybe I should date sheygetz... but then, that's when the Jewish guys'll start griping "all our women keep marrying sheygetzes".

When they've been doing it forever :eyes:
Eh, Jon Stewart? (Married to shikseh Tracey McShane?)

I've had close friends of various faiths all my life. Indeed, the close friend in whose wedding I participated had battled this himself. He'd divorced from his (shikseh) wife of many years. He'd not been observant at all most of his life. I was instrumental (e.g. supportive, respectful) in him choosing to re-examine his own faith and embracing his heritage. He used J-Date and met the (current) love of his life - a convert to reconstructionist Judaism. (Somewhat ironic.) I think I'd personally go quite a bit bonkers with four sets of dishes and two dishwashers (their kosher approach) but more power to 'em. I've been the "token goy" at Passover seder a few times - and enjoy it immensely. (No, I didn't have to go find the afikomen or burn any chametz.) My own spiritual beliefs incorporate 'mindfulness' and meditation - so, when I see these roots in other observances, I'm quite sympatico.

>> ( No, I didn't have to go find the afikomen or burn any chametz.)

LOL :thumbsup:

At last seder, we had the de rigeur afikomen hunt; of course I didn't find it; I never find it. But, I still got a necklace as a present. I got all the chametz out of my house this last Passover! I gave it to my gentile friends and threw the rest away! It's weird but I feel no more greatly Jewish than when I'm ridding the house of chametz!

You're very cool, my friend :)

:puke:

... cut the satellite. Nice monthly saving
with no satellite bill and I was quite surprised the
electric bill went down noticeably.

Got rid of the bohemoth flat screen.

Bought a 27 inch tube for $100 (I was shocked
how cheap they are now) so I can watch activist
DVDs and indie movies only. Hollywood is out too.

Basically one day I had an epiphany. Even though
I didn't watch most MSM news it struck me one day
that even with 100+ channels, there is nothing at
all worth watching.

Had about 1 week of withdrawal. Now I'm free.



edit: this was supposed to be in reply to post #2.

How about wishing for a whole bunch of little asteroids that only take out the stupid folks?

*putting on helmet, just in case*

Do you know if this rogue asteroid will hit and disrupt Tom and Kat's wedding?

edited for spelling error due to excitement...

Tom and Katie had to flee to ITALY just to get married with some vestiges of tradition!

When will you realize what you've done to our country?!

:sarcasm:

It really is stupid. Makes you wonder. Maybe some other countries have this fascination with their own celebrities too, but one doubts it is with the breathless excitement of these TV newscasters that their doings are covered.

It's impossible to ignore, too.

Never fear, at least tomorrow it will change to something else real important. Some celebrity may gain weight and we might have to wonder if she is expecting!

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

"My dreams are all dead and buried"
"Sometimes I wish the Sun would explode"
"When God calls me up to his Kingdom"
"I'll take all ya sons a bitches when I go"
"Inaudible Mumble Jumble"

-Squidbillies