Article February 1, 1988 Issue

Ever feel chained to the television?

With the average American household watching seven hours of TV a day, it might be well to ask some hard questions of our TV watching. Are we in control, or is the TV?

Thomas C. Asher

I Missed the first three installments of a television miniseries I had made plans to see, but finally was able to watch the fourth program. The series had been highly touted by the local newspaper and concerned a period of history that particularly interests me.

But after an hour or so of watching the program, I felt rather empty. It occurred to me that I had seen very little history. What I had seen was a number of attractive men and women, in historical costumes, pursuing various extramarital relationships.

Yet I felt strangely glued to my chair. I was hoping the program would get better. But then I asked myself, "Is this really how you want to spend your evening—waiting for a television program 'possibly' to get better?" My answer was a definite "no." But there was still resistance to turning off the television.

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