Oh, the television

EMC Editorial - Lately I've noted with interest the number of people around my own age who are choosing to give up their televisions - or at least their cable or satellite, which now that everything's digital basically means that the TV itself can be used only for the purpose of Netflix or DVD viewing. I'm not sure if it's simply a coincidence that a sizable number of my friends and acquaintances are making this decision, or if it's more of a wide-spread generational trend that I personally can't get behind.

It's not that I don't spend a great deal of my spare time enjoying non-television-related activities like reading, listening to music, exercising and visiting with family and friends. It's just that sometimes all I feel like doing is veging in front of an episode of Storage Wars, Toddlers and Tiaras or whatever happens to be on the Food Network. And I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't watch The Daily Show and Colbert every night in bed before drifting off to sleep.

Then there are all the high-profile events that are televised, like various sports playoffs/championships and, at this time of year, guilty pleasures like the Oscars and the Golden Globes. I am an unapologetic lover of Hollywood's awards season. Yes, I recognize that to many all it means is a bunch of over-inflated egos parading around in ridiculously expensive clothing congratulating one another for being passably good at something that doesn't really matter to the world anyway. But I personally can't get enough of all the dresses, gossip and cattiness. (Did you SEE the look on Elton's face when Madonna won the Globe for best song? And speaking of Madonna: her ARMS - yuck!)

Yet I wonder, in this age of rampant hipsterdom and the subsequent lameness of anything that has not been widely recognized as "indie", does my enjoyment of these things render me hopelessly out of touch and un-cool?

Lately, even my beloved awards shows have made me question my level of commitment to the trends of my generation. For instance, I had not even heard of any of the TV shows nominated in the drama category for this year's Golden Globes (American Horror Story, Boardwalk Empire, Boss, Game of Thrones, Homeland...anyone...?) Maybe you need to subscribe to Netflix to know what these things are.

The movie categories were a little better, but I had still seen only a very small percentage of them. And the one that cleaned up - and is supposed to once again do very well at the Oscars - The Artist, was completely unfamiliar to me. I realize that this probably has a lot to do with the fact that many movies are not released to theatres in Kingston. Furthermore, I live with a man who thinks it's a waste of time and money to go to any movie where the main character is a woman. Or anything that has below 80 per cent "fresh" ratings from the top critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Or anything that's playing at the Screening Room unless it's some depressing documentary about how there's an 85 per cent chance humanity won't survive the next two centuries.

Maybe I'm just getting old and have neither the time nor the inclination to try and keep up with the latest trends - especially if they involve getting rid of your TV. I suppose everyone has that moment where they wake up one day and realize it's time to stop apologizing for their personal preferences. Perhaps this is mine. So what if I enjoy an hour or two of semi-trashy TV every night, or if I no longer have the energy to argue with my husband about his refusal to give the vast majority of new movies a chance?

For the foreseeable future, I'll remain in my out-of-touch, decidedly non-hipster bubble of cooking shows and the same DVDs over and over for seven years and counting because they're the only ones Steve and I can agree on. And that's okay.