Sports, Video Games, TV Shows

[Julian]

Not only are most of the kids in my school incredibly superficial, but their discussions are limited to sports, video games, and TV shows. I understand that someone could have fun doing all of these, but why be so obsessed? I watch TV, but I don't use last week's episode of South Park to strike up a conversation. Either they're using it as a crutch, or they don't want to think. Do you think this is due to a lack of confidence? I'm trying to figure it out myself. I've never understood it.

Edited November 20, 2007 by Julian

[CmdrBretz]

I am an avid college sports fan, especially the Ohio State Buckeyes. I love Video Games, especially any in the Halo series of FPS. I have my TiVO programmed for Dexter on Sundays, Heroes on Monday, House and Boston Legal on Tuesday, and South Park on Wednesday. I find value in all of them.

Define what would be an obsession? I engage one of my coworkers in conversation concerning Boston Legal quite often. With me often referring to myself as 'Denny Crane'. It is both fun and lighthearted. What is wrong with discussing South Park? Why do you care?

What sort of crutch are you referring to? Don't make assumptions you have no reasons to make. Many people have different tastes and find different aspects of the same show mentally stimulating. Not everyone is evading reality by choosing to watch a TV program as some form of escapism. I can appreciate the intellect and ability of the writers and actors to put forth an excellent performance of either drama or humor and often times a mixture of both. While I engage my coworkers in the philosophical intricacies of reality, often it is rather enjoyable to share a moment with a coworker discussing the timing of a well crafted joke.

[D'kian]

I watch TV, but I don't use last week's episode of South Park to strike up a conversation.

Some shows, particularly cop shows and lawyer melodramas, tend to pose interesting ethical questions. Often they are not resolved satisfactorily (ie, they're resolved altruistically), therefore I sometimes post the dillema as a hypothetical to boards much like this one. I talk it over with friends, too. And 90% of all Monday's conversations involve the previous day's NFL activities. (The Steelers lost to the Jets? The NY Jets?)

Then there are shows, very rarely, which are truly episodic. That is, they tell a very long story one episode at a time, like a really big novel writ large on screen. Regardless of theme, such shows involve more intellectual effort to follow than regular shows. The better ones raise interesting issues and conflicts, too. Discussing them is every bit the same as discussing a novel.

And videogames these days are very elaborate and very involved. I don't play them much, but do talk about The Sims and Rollercoaster Tyccon from time to time.