Newsfeed
Printer-Friendly ModeTV addiction spells trouble
February 26, 2007 —
A week ago as my friends and I sat down to watch Grey's Anatomy, I felt my arm being squeezed, and everyone around me was crying. The show's title character, Meredith Grey, was being resuscitated after an incident where she fell into water and nearly drowned. I immediately thought that there was something totally wrong with the situation. All week we couldn't wait to see what would happen to Meredith. This past Thursday - since I wasn't home at 9 p.m. when the show started - I found myself speeding to catch the newest episode. I arrived home late and my mom "couldn't believe I missed the first 20 minutes," proving my point that TV shows are way more important to us than they should be.
Grey's Anatomy is just a show, yet we find ourselves bawling our eyes out over someone who isn't really dying. We let our emotions get way too attached. We know that Meredith is not going to die. On the show she might, but in reality she is living and possibly watching the show at the same time, maybe even laughing at all the ridiculous viewers sobbing at the moment.
I'm not trying to say that when we watch a movie or TV that we shouldn't get emotionally involved, but we go overboard sometimes. When a fictional character on TV is dying, we feel inside like we're really losing someone that we love. It doesn't seem right.
Grey's Anatomy isn't the only show that I see with such an effect. There are many other television shows that I find myself and roommates scrambling home from class to watch. I'll admit, even on Sunday nights after Vanguard meetings I figure that I have approximately two hours to go study in the library before it's time to return to my apartment to catch Desperate Housewives.
We go to extremes such as planning our homework around these shows, and once they're on we turn off our cell phones, tell everyone to shut up, and glue our eyes to the TV until the hour is up. It's really pathetic if you ask me, but I'll admit I'm one of those pathetic people. Even a snow storm cutting off our satellite television wouldn't get in the way. I pulled the old rabbit ears out of my closet and didn't miss a minute of Grey's Anatomy.
As I finished watching Grey's this past Thursday, I could feel myself relax as Derek and Meredith conversed after her near-death experience. I felt a weight lift off my shoulders that had been there all week. I told myself how pathetic I am for letting it get to me and making me that upset; after all, didn't we all know that they can't kill off the title character?
Once again, I just can't get over how much television has affected our lives. It has become way too important. We need to remember that it is not reality and that we have real lives to deal with. I was proud of my roommate for choosing her Thursday night theatre class over Grey's. It can be tempting to pass up a class when you think about how addicted you are to a show you may have to miss, but you have to realize that other things are more important.