I still haven’t forgotten about my list of things to blog about here – reflecting on things I saw on our trip to the US and how life there compares to our existence here. I can’t believe it’s been over two months since we went on our trip – time sure does fly when you’re busy! I am also very tired lately, and no matter how much sleep I’m getting, I just feel more tired. Going to see the doctor about this soon.
Anyway, back to my list, today I’ll address that topic that is said to be so central to American culture: TV.
Growing up in Israel, we were always told that “in America” people have numerous TV channels, and in color too! They were also supposed to have commercials, which we envied greatly (we only had these in the cinema and you never wanted to miss out on those, so you came early to the shows). You see, back then, in the 1970′s in Israel, we only had one channel, in black and white. As kids, our show times were very limited, and even for grownups, the screen would go dark at around midnight, right after “the daily Bible quote”.
Today, in Israel, we have our own multitude of channels broadcasting 24/7, along with a variety of foreign TV channels delivered via satellite or cable TV. Still, a child of the 1970′s I was looking forward to seeing the famous American TV with its hundreds of channels (in color!). What do you know, we even have our own commercials!
I have to say, it was a bit of a disappointment. We had a TV in our room in every hotel, but I don’t think I ever saw more than 50 channels anywhere. I am guessing cable TV may have more? Unlike in the UK, where I can always find something interesting to watch (even though there are only a handful of channels available), in America it was pretty boring. Here’s what you can find on American TV:
1. Political talk shows – while they do mention Israel quite a bit, the angle is always American and the rest of it is… well, American :p In other words, a curious tourist can watch it for a few minutes and move on. Oh, we did catch a speech by Obama and he really is cute.
2. Commercials – these come in cold, right in the middle of programs. Over here, they warn you and tell you something like “a couple of commercials and we’re back”. In the US, you could be watching some movie where the plot would suddenly take a very very weird turn and some character would try to talk you into buying something. It would usually take me a while to figure we were actually out for commercials.
3. Reality shows – while I normally love those, there’s no point watching an episode of Survivor where you’re not familiar with the entire season. Skip on to the next channel.
4. Commercials – again.
5. Soap Operas – like reality shows, only boring. So, no can watch here.
6. Discovery channel – we have that at home, so not very exciting. For some reason, the shows I caught on the American version were all about some supernatural phenomenon.
7. Of course, more commercials!
We also checked the children’s channels. We were relying on those for baby sitting services in the hotel room, but were hugely disappointed. All we had was the Disney channel (lots of non-animated soap operas for kids – boring), and the cartoon network channel, which I don’t really consider as being suitable for kids. Some of the shows there are PG or worse.
We have several children’s channels here that are so much better, much more educational, fun for the kids and lo and behold – with zero commercials. I couldn’t believe how many commercials they put on kids channels – amazing. It reached the point where my kids would complain! They actually came to a decision after a couple of days that they would not buy anything that was shown on a TV commercial (except for MacDonald’s food – because you have to eat something).
And just so you don’t think I’m being unfairly pro-Israeli here… I absolutely LOVED the TV we had in the UK. Great channels for kids, fewer commercials, if at all, and the world’s most fascinating documentaries. The Brits can do a show about a day in the life of the dung beetle’s larvae and keep me glued to the screen – they just are that good at story telling.
Sorry if this sounds too critical. I really was not impressed with American TV. Now, let me turn on the telly here and snooze for a while…
on May 31st, 2009 at 3:13 am
I completely agree with you. I got rid of my TV in America because it was just loaded with a ton of commercials and bad programs.
In Israel, you feel closer to the culture when you watch some shows, since it’s much more casual and intimate. In America, it can turn you off sometimes to know that 10 million+ people with completely different lives and backgrounds are watching with you. It’s just not the same when it doesn’t feel like you’re a part of a ‘tribe’.
on Jun 1st, 2009 at 10:43 am
Interesting point. I wonder if TV in Israel is still the traditional tribal bonfire it used to be when I was growing up. There is a wide selection of channels today and high ratings are usually in the 20% range – not really “everyone watching”.
We don’t actually have any cables of satellite TV here at home. We just don’t watch enough TV to justify the cost. What I do watch is some of the reality shows, and I get that online, the very next day (legal and free). The kids watch “Hop” (the kiddie channel) over at their grandparents’ place, but that’s about it, really.