The RAnts of RA

Do you watch television? Have you seen what’s on the television?

Our family decided we didn’t want to play ball with the local cable company a couple years ago. I personally think that the service they offer is worth about half what we are paying for it.

The problem is they have local consumers over a barrel, most homes, including ours, are situated such as to make satellite service impractical. It’s cable or nothing, even cell service can be sporadic here in the mountains. We had the extended basic plan, no premium channels, with two DVR’s, in order to escape the commercials — our bill kept creeping closer and closer to the $100 mark, when it reached $96.00, we packed it up.

It was actually pretty painless. We used our cable dollars to order Netflix, many television programs are available online totally free. The online news services are found a little wanting, in my opinion, but it’s a relatively new technology, I’m certain it will continue to improve.

I may be the world’s biggest prude but I have a problem with commercials that air during the middle of the afternoon, that make me feel so uncomfortable that I am forced to change the channel, on the program I happen to be watching, and send my son scampering out of the room.

Since my viewing is pretty limited; I stick mainly with news programming, the weather channel and Law and Order; I don’t have to worry too much about offensive programming. Yes, Law and Order can be a little gruesome but that’s easily avoided by not watching the opening scenes.

I find the commercials to be a horrible unwelcome assault on my senses and I don’t plan to just suck it up and deal with it. I’m shopping for a DVR this week. I don’t know how anyone manages to live without a DVR. I simply don’t understand why people put up with these offensive advertising tactics. Can’t we please just squeeze the Charmin?