Wednesday, February 22, 2006

My War on TV




Another one that suggests a more fully realized comic to me.
I inked this one in and used color in honor of it filling up my sketchbook. Time to start another, I guess.

I don't want to lead anyone on here. It should probably be mentioned that the reason we downgraded our cable was financially motivated rather than what may be implied in the comic. Full disclosure, and all that...

The science is also pretty much completely made up.

3 comments:

Tymmi said...

Well, from what i understand the cortizol is a stress- reaction, which would fit here given my listed triggers. But I think it produces a numbing effect (rather than a straight "pleasure" response) which, while nice at first, is not quite as addicting as a dopaminic reaction.

You would not begrudge a man his fake science, would you?

Tymmi said...

Well Pearce deals more in the developing brain. I don't think TV is really stunting my growth or development all that much (any more).

But I do concede your point. The fight-or-flight is a stress reaction. From what I understand the cortizol works to calm your nerves (so to speak) during the reaction. The TV programming is a stressor but the cortizol kicks in to compensate and, at first, the result is to become more relaxed. The amount keeps building, however, as you continue to watch TV as there is no release as would come naturally with the fight-or-flight instinct (except I hear Elvis Presly shot his TV once. Maybe that was fight-or-fight.) And that' swhere the neural pathways get messed up too.

I'm not too concerned about the health risks when I watch TV of my own volition (I'm at least partially aware of some of the theories and yet I continue to choose to watch it - and my concerns about Sophie's exposure are a different story); It's the fact that I can't seem to help but watch if the TV is turned on in my presence.

I really do think TV addiction is some sort of real problem and I just made a silly little comic to kind of jokingly explain it.

These sketchbook comics are sort of on-the-fly kind of things but I think I'll do a little more research if I try to pull something like this again.

Anonymous said...

I'm rooting for you to one day cut the cord completely. I do not miss TV one bit. My wife, however, probably does, though not as much as she feared, I think.

When did I see you last, maybe September? Feels like it. You should come over soon and we'll watch video games on the TV.

Sly, eh?

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