Watching a little TV...

I work with a couple of guys who control the television channel that we watch. This job moved to Rahway a little over a year ago, and one of my main concerns was the evident choice of television programming-  because literally everyone seemed to keep it locked onto FOX News, a channel that I find a farce.

Of course, things have changed greatly. It is a rare day when any of these guys watch FOX News, although it is interesting to note what they do tend to watch, and how it reflects on their personalities.

They all have begun to watch movies, which is a good thing. Sometimes, I might even put my book down, or get off the computer (from which I have been writing the bulk of these blogs, by the way), or will open my tired eyes a little wider and start paying attention.

A couple of them have taken to watching certain programs or sitcoms, and this reveals something about them. Some stick to what are clearly designed to be for adults, meaning that they have relatively mature tastes, at least. One or two of them however, seem to like programming that, although it can be funny, seems almost geared towards a less mature audience (and no, I am not even talking about FOX News – although, I might as well be!). These are television shows that, frankly, cater to the lowest common denominator. Not surprisingly, the guys on the shift who watch these shows (such as Adult Swim,  Robot Chicken, 1,000 Ways to Die, and Manswers) are pretty damn cokcy and sure of themselves. I have heard them talk about politics, and they are the types of guys who "know" things, if you understand my meaning.  There really is no reason to discuss anything with them, u less you merely want to be informed. Make sure you do not dare disagree with them, for that matter! Heaven forbid! They have a monopoly on truth and wisdom on all issues, drawing on their vast pool of a worldly knowledge and a wealth of ignorance.

Now, I really should not make fun. We all believe what we want to believe, and all have our prejudices, after all, right? I guess what bothers me, though, is when people are absolutely certain, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that they are right, and that no other viewpoints count but their own.  How can you discuss anything with such people?

Yes, these guys watch some programming that, at least to me, seems geared towards the "inner child", to a more youthful mental version of the American adult – particularly males. These are the video game obsessed types, the ones who do not challenge themselves more than watching such programming and obsessing about it. When you fill your life with watching cartoons on television and playing cartoons with video games, is it any wonder that you would find them believing that FOX News passes for intellectual, "serious" programming?

But I digress. Apologies, I have indeed gotten off topic.

Now, some of the guys there, they watch quite a bit of sports. American football is very popular, as is basketball. Baseball was on every now and then, although not all of the guys enjoyed this. Nobody seemed to really care for hockey, soccer, or any other sports, though. So be it. I can only take so much sports – although I will take that over FOX any day!

Some of the programs that they watch can be addictive. I started watching "Entourage" in this way at this job, as well as "Rescue Me". Another one that can be funny often times (and annoying, admittedly, at other times) is "Curgb Your Enthusiasm", which is, like "Seinfeld", a show about nothing. True, I am still not all that acclimated with all of these, but they can be rather entertaining and even addictive, given enough times. Once you not only begin to recognize the characters, but you start to "know" them, know their personalities and character traits, to know the inside joke, if you will, on them, then perhaps you are treading uncomfortably close to becoming a TV addict. That is not something I signed up for upon coming to Rahway.

One of these guys I work with from Rahway has the reputation, apparently earned, of being rather a racist. He thinks everyone will be easily offended, and whenever there is a love scene on a movie or program that he is watching and a woman will walk in the room, he will quickly change the channel, and justify it later on as it being inappropriate for when female eyes, apparently nervous about getting slapped with sexual harassment. He is one of those guys, apparently, who feels that if people knew what he was really thinking, he probably would get in trouble a lot, with racist and sexist views. He seems particularly vocal about his political leanings, for that matter, although I have tried to make a point of steering clear of any and all political discussions and debates in this workplace. This is FOX News country, after all!

My favorite, though, remains the movies, generally speaking. If it is a movie that I am interested in, it can be distracting, or even help me get through a shift. Even if I do not get captivated by it, it might be a nice distraction when I turn away from the computer, for example, whether I am done, taking a break, or perhaps trying to find some sort of inspiration, at which times I might look at the television without really "seeing" it at all, if you know what I mean.

I could swear, also, that sometimes, they seem almost to pick the programming in order to please me. No big deal, since I am not all that interested in watching more television than I usually do. Just interesting that they do it, is all.  I was never sure exactly why they do it.

When they do switch it back to the news, it is also not systematically FOX, thank goodness. They have graduated to NBC, or Channel 11, or even sometimes CNN – which has been viewed by conservative as part of the "liberal media". As for me, please let it be anything but FOX!