Age Appropriate

I watched what I guess was the first episode of "Accidentally on Purpose" last night. And I have watched several episodes of "Cougar Town."

I did this post on cougars some time ago. I guess that has something to do with my being interested in this subject, that is the attraction of older women for younger guys. There was this British show I used to like to watch (can't remember the name of it) that was about a younger woman and an older man. It certainly seemed a lot less creepy than either of these shows!

I liked Jenna Elfman in "Dharma & Greg" immediately, and I finally started liking "Friends" and Courtney Cox after it had been on for a long time. Oddly, I didn't take to it at first. So it's not the actresses that I don't like, its the whole way people are looking at relationships (as seen on TV).

The Jenna Elfman character, Billie, goes to a bar with some girl friends and meets this guy. They enjoy a few dances and talking and he says "I'm running out of charm but I have some more at home." She runs over to her friends and says "I've just met this younger guy who wants me to go home with him, is that empowering or desperate?" Friend says, "Is he over 18?" "Yes." "Empowering."

Upshot she gets pregnant. Tells him. He is living with friends and she ends up inviting him to live with her but they agree to "break up." He shows up at her workplace just when a guy at there is finally showing interest, and ruins it by announcing that Billie is having his baby. She is 37 years old, about him, I don't think we know yet.

This premise seems quite believable to me. Sadly.

I don't know what to say about these shows. I have certainly watched plenty of junk in my life. (I wouldn't say that it's "empowering" anyway!) I could find other things to do. Maybe TV is just a bad habit.

I listened to a program on Moody Radio about the sexual confusion of young people (something like that). She mentioned that TV used to have such different standards back in the day, then they made the married people be depicted as sleeping in separate beds (seems pretty silly).

We've come a long way, baby! So where are we now? I don't know what kind of parent I would be. Would I not want my kids to watch any of this stuff that's on TV now? Shouldn't kids be protected, even if stuff does go on out there in the world? And as for adults, how is all of this stuff affecting us (me)?

TV -- some good stuff amidst the junk

Yesterday, I heard a commentary by a lady named Betsey Newenhuyse on Prime Time America, a program on Moody Radio that does news (and has commentaries). She started by saying that she has been watching less and less TV.

I suppose that is because there is less and less TV worth watching. I've been wondering if the commercials are right that have Alec Baldwin, and some others saying that they are aliens and they are using TV to liquify our brains. Well, not literally right, of course, but still... In one of the commercials it says TV is "slowly rotting our brains" and yet we keep watching, "but this whole slowly thing is getting to be a problem". (Yeah, I just googled that, I didn't remember the exact wording, and the ads are for HULU.)

And I am wondering why I keep watching.

Betsey N. went on to say how much she enjoyed the Ken Burns thing, (documentary series),(but I'm sure she didn't say "thing") about National Parks. I watched at least some of this program on PBS, I think it was on several days, some of it I saw twice. I thought it was good too. I'm not sure it was as good as his Civil War thing, but it was pretty good. It was interesting to learn more about John Muir a name I had heard before, and some other familiar names, such as the Sierra Club, and about Teddy Roosevelt's involvement. I wish I could remember better. I think John Muir was a Christian, anyway he quoted the Bible quite a bit. I never knew that.

Not too long before that series aired another program with Robert Redford as the host aired on PBS, called Forever Wild, a program similar in theme. It was about America's designated wilderness areas, and focused on the people who fought to get certain areas so designated. These lands are undeniably beautiful, to be included they have to be untouched, nothing man-made on them, and be deemed to be worth preserving. They had some wonderful quotes by the naturalists in both programs.

At the time I watched the Forever Wild program I was trying to write an article about "local charities" and was focused on this subject of volunteering. So I was really thinking already about people who give their time to some cause they believe in. It made me appreciate the efforts even more, I think.

I have always loved nature since I was a child. I would go walking along the creek behind our house frequently, I loved it. I was in the Girl Scouts, and my group did some hiking trips. I have continued to like hiking all of my life. I don't have anyone to walk with now or I would still be going. I used to not be afraid when I was young to walk alone, but I'm not so free about it as I was then. Anyway, I really appreciate that we do have National Parks and wilderness preserves.

I want to say more about TV rotting our brains, perhaps another post.