Hi all, thanks for the responses. 
I was really glad to see everybody's thoughts on the media, and experiences with the people around you. That's what I was hoping for, so we could get a compilation of many people's ideas on the matter from everybody's unique perspective, which maybe can help inspire everybody reading this. There's so much good stuff that's been written, so I'll just address stuff that really jumped out at me:
StarCat wrote:Just about any hollywood film made is pure trash anymore with the same old repeating themes we have seen too many times. Images of violence and killing mostly. Why?
Why do people want to see this kind of thing ? Why is it ok to sanction this kind of so called entertainment?
Back when I used to watch TV and consume media in greater amounts I never noticed the violence or was affected by it. I was numb to it all. Now it's a whole different story. This may sound corny to some, but recently we were watching a movie "The Messenger," about Joan of Arc, and there's this one nasty scene in it, which we had no idea about, and which I won't mention here cause I just don't feel like it, and that really messed me up. It STILL messes me up just thinking about it. For days afterwards I was very upset at having viewed that scene, mad that I didn't know it was coming up, and so didn't have the chance to skip past it. I know it's not real, but it doesn't matter. Watching an imitation of nasty depravity DOES have an almost equally bad effect as the real thing, if you've gotten to the point where I and others are finding ourselves. For others it probably doesn't affect them and they breeze right past it. Actually I still can't entirely pinpoint what it was about that scene that effected me so negatively. Think it was the fact that the scene in question was given a light hearted feel. It's like the film maker had a sense of humor about it. ugh. Anyway.
Risen wrote:Seems to me, its more a matter of what links one clicks on and what sites one goes to. Shielding ones self from the world doesnt necessarily make it go away, obviously. Plus there are some truths to be gained from many links.
To clarify..........for me, this isn't about sticking my head in the sand and hoping something will go away, or that I need to be shielded from the world, it's that I can see how it's all a repetitive program that never ends. On and on and on. It's become a broken record, only, a broken record that just gets progressively worse, and worse, and worse. How much more do I need to see? I know it exists...but I realize that it's not changing anytime soon. Let others partake in it if they so choose. I'm going to go wander off in a different direction. ! We have this mistaken assumption in society that we "must be informed!" And I'm not saying this is you, but this is the general attitude, that we "need" to have some connection to what's going on..........no matter how negative, how irrelevent...how repetitive.
Do we though? Do we really? Does it make us better people when we watch the news? Read the papers? Click on various internet news sites? Even selectively? In most instances, no.
It's to the point where I don't even want to read the headlines on the main news sites while trying to weed through them to get to better stuff. I've been doing that for months, and even that bothers me now, just seeing what the stories are about without actually reading them. Seeing the type of stuff they're putting out there. *They're peddling a version of reality that they want us to accept. And I no longer want to.*
I'll still go to websites pertaining to specific research, definitely, but I'm just done with headlines, news, and frivolous entertainment stuff, even selectively. Selectively isn't even cutting it anymore. I don't want to hear "their" ideas and beliefs anymorek in any form. They're not mine.
Imagine if millions did that! Everybody, turning their backs on them, becoming educated and aware of what's really going on....and then DOING something about it!
That's my other big beef, while I'm at it.................everybody read read reading the news, even the alternative news sites, becoming "informed".........but not ACTING on that knowledge. Not putting it to use. What's the point of becoming informed if we don't DO anything??
I particularly loved all these ideas, which are related:
Kingsrook99 wrote:Isn't it silly (insiduous, actually) how you can make a pointed effort to ignore all this tripe, and it still manages to make it's way to your attention?
sinaptix wrote:The funniest part about this, is people will stop me from working, to tell me about TV commercials. Stop what you're doing, stop thinking, drop everything let me regurgitate my programming on to you. People call me on the phone to tell me about the TV I'm missing. It's weird, like you're not allowed to say no thanks I'm not interested, people come out of the woodwork to say no, come with me I have to show you this.
Lakme wrote:When I'm in an airport and CNN is blasting from every nook and cranny, I find myself "running for cover" and trying to escape! It's almost impossibe to do.
treehugger wrote:have a friend who, even though I told her I dont watch the tv (especially things like Oprah) she insists on telling me the show she watched from beginning to end. Aaargh! She's like a walking TV.
NaturalMystic wrote:It seems though, like a little bit of media is poping up when in not at home. Either at work (radio) or getting groceries! That is the worst, while waiting in line to pay they have to bombard every lineup with fake plastic magazins promoting sex and consumerism.....
I still don't care!
But I 'know' about it.. and that is the sad part! LoL
You guys are so right about how one can't fully FULLY escape it....it still manages to creep in, someway, somehow. The trick is to try to tune it out. My coworkers like to sit around catching up on the latest celeb gossip, who's doing what, to whom, and rehashing TV show plots. I mean, alright, I'd click on the entertainment fluff blogs to read and kill time when I'm bored...but I'm not going to like, TALK about these celebs lives, you know?? There's different LEVELS you see, for how far one takes the madness! 
And sitting around talking about it with all my coworkers and analyzing it all is just going WAY too far, okay?? haha So...gotta tune that stuff out. And at the grocery store check stand when you have all those mags staring at you like what NM just mentioned.....look away! Wow! Great ceiling up there! Wow, cool shoes she's got! Wow, so many varieties of Altoids!
So, what to do then regarding the people who still want to "regurgitate their programming" to you as Sinaptix put it. (btw I loved that whole, "Come with me....I have to show you this....stop what you're doing, stop everything, stop thinking....") I don't really have to deal with this myself too often, being that I have no family to contend with and otherwise interact with very few people. But what I have experienced on quite a few occasions are those who are like, "Did you see ______ last night?" Automatically assuming/expecting "Yes" as the answer, never even fathoming that not only did I NOT watch that program, but guess what.....I don't even own a TV. So when I say no, I didn't see it, they start to launch into the big smiling re-hashing of all their favorite parts and highlights, and I'll just stare at them, and start slowly shaking my head back and forth, quizzically, then interrupt their excited plot recounting with a "I don't own a TV."
The respnose is usually some sort of stammering, then comes the clarifying and reclarifying of what was just said. It's like it's incomprehensible. Almost like I told them "Hi. I can fly." haha Kind of like:
limukala wrote:I had had to spend ten minutes convincing the person at the cable company that I really just wanted cable internet, and had no desire for any kind of TV service. Then when the cable people arrived, she had signed us up for internet along with the most basic cable package. I guess she assumed that by "NO TV" I meant minimal tv, cause it was just completely out of the realm of possibility that somebody might NEVER watch the tell-lievision.
If we put our heads together I'm sure we could all come up with clever ways to navigate through situations where people want us - EXPECT us - to stop what we're doing, and go with them.....come, come listen to me regurgitate my programming.... I've found that explaining that I don't even own a TV....then listening to them with an annoyed look while they insist on talking to me about TV usually does the trick. "Yeah. That's great. Thanks for sharing." 
Or, maybe just do the blank "I'm barely tolerating you" look, for those who don't dig negatively-tinged conversations. Something. There has to be a way.
And in doing that, we could be doing them a service too. Planting seeds. Bringing to their attention that there are other ways to be. You don't HAVE to sit there for hours every night watching TV.
treehugger wrote:Id rather sit and listen to the sounds outside, thats my entertainment lately, and it never disappoints me.
Me too! I even record it with my hand held tape recorder. We have so many birds in the woods surrounding our apartment, lots of natural audio going on. It's great!
Anyway thanks to everybody who's posted so far, if I didn't quote something don't take it personally....too much good stuff to quote.
"Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting "Holy shit ... what a ride!" - Anonymous
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"I get by with a little help from my (higher density) friends."
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