About seven years ago or maybe it's eight now I cancelled my cable. I kept my TV set and DVD player to watch documentaries borrowed from the library but I no longer watch TV or movies.
At the time my reason for canceling cable was that I was spending most of my time on the internet and when I did watch TV that time was mostly spent channel surfing and not actually watching a program. So I reasoned why spend money on something that I wasn't really using any more.
Since canceling cable I've occasionally rented a TV show from the video store just to see what everyone was talking about and I discovered something I hadn't realized before. TV shows are filled with propaganda. I was shocked at how pervasive it is. I suppose that I never realized it when I was a regular viewer because it's like background noise, one just doesn't notice it after a while.
Even though I wasn't noticing the propaganda it probably had a subliminal effect on me. Since canceling cable I've become more critical of main stream views, although other factors are probably in play as well. But I feel as if a great weight has been lifted from my mind.
I want to encourage others to give up TV as well.