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From Our Readers: TV? What TV?

Our piece about a Supreme Court's decision to dismiss fines against ABC and Fox, led to comments from households that have greatly reduced their television intake. Of course, most acknowledged the obvious — they're still on the internet (hardly a space known for its sterling regulation of decency), and did we detect a little of one-up-manship?

"Susan Lewis" wrote:

"... I have literally eliminated TV in my house. No cable, no dish, no FIOS, no converter box. I have one set, and a DVD player. Period."

"Douglas P" replied:

"I'll go you one better. I don't even have a 'TV' or a 'DVD Player.' My last television broke about 7 years ago and I've never replaced it. About the same time I gave away my DVD player. I do occasionally watch DVD's on my iMac which has a screen bigger and higher resolution than the one in my house as a kid.

"But mostly I've substituted my addiction to television and movies with the methadone addiction to the internet. At least I've quit caffeine."

"Gabriele Belden," however, is still on the two hour plan:

"I have reduced my TV time to about two hours a night because I cannot abide the crude language and am adverse to ducking behind my couch to avoid flying bullets and/or blood! I stick to the music channels and read instead. Do watch PBS though. But usually only the nature and Masterpiece Mystery shows. I could write a segment of anyone's news. It's the same every day."

(Marissa Alioto is an intern with NPR's Social Media Desk.)

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Marissa Alioto
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