Confessions of the Addicted

A little while ago, I had a long chat with a good friend over a couple beers about... stuff. You know: Life and Whatnot. And one of the things discovered was (if I'm getting the interpretation right) the existence of the "Conceptual Hobby" - one of those things that, though you might not participate in the activity, or work in that field, or own that thing, it somehow always grabs your attention or interests you.

Me, I have an inexplicable love for: The Rust Belt, brownfields/decayed urban structures, and nuclear power generation (as the only practical solution for high-power-density electricity demands without using fossil fuels). But I digress... what this is really about is her hobby - the real nuts and bolts of addiction. And if I understand her correctly, it's not just the "__ substance binding to the ___ receptor" part of understanding addiction, but rather, the whole spectrum of addiction - from addictive chemicals (alcohol, heroin, etc.) to addictive behaviors (gambling, eating, sex, etc.) and the overall general malaise.

And so I come to you, gentle reader, with a confession: I am a TV addict. I do other things that might be considered to fall into the normal realm of addictive too. (I like beer a whole lot. I LOOOOVE coffee.) But really, I've integrated these into life successfully, and they aren't an impediment to life. It's the TV that's out of control. Once I turn it on I have a really hard time turning it off. Maybe that's because I live alone - there's no one else around to break the spell of the Entrancing Glowing Box, or I don't feel self-conscious because no one can see me wasting my life watching the thing...

In my own home, I am the perpetrator and victim at the same time, but I really object to the TVs in airport lounges and bars and such. A good observation:
"Try having a conversation with somebody in the same room as a broadcasting television set and try NOT to look at the screen. The flashing colors, quick movements and attractive people commonly portrayed on TV programs are irresistibly engaging."

And another observation:
"Television can teach and amuse; it can reach aesthetic heights; it can provide much needed distraction and escape. The difficulty arises when people strongly sense that they ought not to watch as much as they do and yet find themselves strangely unable to reduce their viewing."

So the next time you're waiting in line (for tickets, the doctor's office, boarding a plane, whatever) and a TV is on in the waiting area, watch how people's attention is just sucked in. Keep and eye out for it - and then tell me that it's not scary the way that all the heads swivel on necks to watch the flashing box.