I recently took an online quiz which made conclusions on whether one "had a life" based on the number of movies one had seen from a given list. More movies was bad. According to this quiz I do not have a life. The underlying assumption of this quiz was that television is the devil, and we should all read more books, have more adventures, experience life, etc. I agree with the latter two, but I feel it is elitist and wrong to judge people by their choice of entertainment. Intellectuals frequently scorn those who don't read for pleasure, hypocritically really. This is the same elitism expressed toward bookworms in grade school by the Captains of the Football Team. In defense of myself from both camps, and in the hopes of bridging the gaps between communities, here is a list of some television programs and books. If you like one, try the other.
Pulp Fiction (or Tarantino in general) - Try David Foster Wallace, if you have lots of time Infinite Jest, of for a shorter stint Oblivion.
Lost - Try Yann Martell's The Life of Pi .
Life is Beautiful - This is probably the most heartbreaking and funny film I have ever seen. Michael Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay will also make you laugh and cry - out loud
Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations - Try Bill Bryson, my favorite is A Walk in the Woods, but you can basically pick your favorite travel destination from Bryson's collection.
Good Eats - I recently read Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemna which was excellent. I hear his In Defense of Food is also great.
I skipped some obvious authors here, If you like ER then read Michael Crichton, similarly Law and Order or the Pelican Brief read John Grisham.
Now I don't advocate spending all your free time reading or watching TV, but if you are elitist about one, please consider my list as a way to try the other. I don't claim either form of entertainment will help you "get a life". For that you need a motorcycle.
2 comments:
That was a truly awesome post. Now I don't feel bad about my lack of desire to read... oh wait, am I now elitist about not reading?? Damn it.
I agree with Blythe. Awesome post. I care less for some of the TV programs, but the list makes me want to read the books and see how they compare with what I know about the TV program.
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