Take that darn TV set away, please

Take that darn TV set away, please

JAKARTA (JP): In traffic congested Jakarta, why would you ever
spend time visiting the house of your relatives or friends?
Chances are, you'd like to have a chat with them. Perhaps you'd
like to catch up with the latest news about their family. Or
perhaps you'd like to exchange gossip concerning your mutual
friends and acquaintances.

Too bad. In many homes I've visited in Jakarta, there's
usually a domineering third party in the living room: the TV set.
It makes its presence known loud and clear. The larger the
screen, the more expensive it must be and the more rights it
seems to have in the house. Worse, the louder it sounds, the more
reasons it has to be left on in the presence of guests.

I dropped by a friend's house one evening to see a mutual
friend who was visiting from her home town. We couldn't sit in
the living room because his children and his neighbors' children
were glued to their video games. These youngsters didn't budge
when the owner of the house instructed them to vacate their seats
for us. Nowadays, who would condemn such disobedience? So we sat
down and talked at the dining table, a part of the household that
ought to be the most private for the family.

On the past Idul Fitri, I went to a relative's house to pay
homage and wish minal aidin wal'faizin (an Arabic expression
which is a prayer that fasting has purified them and Allah
bestowed on them His heavenly reward for the month of self
denial). That was not the sole purpose of my respectful visit,
though. I also thought it was a good opportunity to find out how
he was, since I see him only once a year. But there was no
chance. The local comedy "Srimulat" was on Indosiar and the TV
set was blaring. The distraction was unconquerable. We couldn't
have a conversation together so we ended up watching Basuki and
Nunung, the group's stars, together with all his other guests and
family members.

But the TV set can also be a powerful weapon. If you don't
really like your guests, just turn on the TV, assign it the role
of a host, and disappear. Still, that's not quite a polished way
of saying "get out of my life".

Why do so many people put the TV set in the room where we
receive our guests? The problem is basically the same everywhere.
TV sets have grown bigger while our houses have become smaller.
Finding a suitable place for that huge 28 inch screen is becoming
more difficult, especially if you insist on sharing the enjoyment
of audiovisual entertainment with your housemaids and your
neighbors.

But should the TV really be in the living room? In my small
house, the 21 inch Toshiba hangs on the wall of my bedroom. It
doesn't take up much space. It does make my bedroom look more
like a hospital ward, but that doesn't worry me. At least when
the TV tax man comes, I can cordially invite him into the living
room and show him I don't own a TV set.

If you can't find a better place for your TV set than your
living room, remember that the tube should not be allowed to
govern your life. Whatever entertainment it may offer you,
remember it's not a great loss. While opportunity never knocks
twice, TV programs knock endlessly. If you miss a program because
you have guests, remember you're not really missing anything.

The next time you have guests in your living room, please turn
off the TV set, especially if you know they have had to brave
traffic jams to get to your place. Or, better still, put it away,
out of sight and out of mind. Your guests have come to see you,
not to watch TV.

-- Zatni Arbi