Today I went to the hospital with Ira so I could drive him home after his colonoscopy.
Question: What’s with all the TVs in hospitals? I couldn’t find a single place to just sit and read my book in peace and quiet. In one room it was the latest horrors from Haiti. In Room 2, 3, and 4 it was a mindless game show, a reality show, and a cooking show.
Does TV viewing aid healing? Or does it just distract from pain and suffering?
I thought about trying to find the morgue for a little peace and quiet, but I wasn’t so sure there wouldn’t have been a TV in there too.
My mother was addicted to TV. She couldn’t handle real life so she lived through lives of the people she watched on TV. When real life mimicked TV, my mother’s performance in real life was stellar. But when real life strayed from the script, or a problem went on too long and she couldn’t just change channels and make it go away, she crumbled.
She joked that when she died, we should just hook her up to the cable, and she’d live forever.
As I walked around the hospital this morning, looking for a TV-free space to read, I thought someone should do a study about the healing effects of watching TV. In this proposed study, one group would be allowed to watch TV in their rooms, and the other one could only listen to music or look out the window, or read, or sleep. Then track recovery times.
Yeah, I’d like really like to see that study.
Inspiration Location 
During the last few days I have been in the hospital. Both my roommate and I had a television. In the 3 days I was there, I think I had my tv on 3 times for a grand total of 15 minutes combined. It was annoying more than anything. I did have it on Sunday night in the middle of the night after a nurse came in, rubbed my back while I cried (and then left) in pain….just because I wanted the sound of another human being. I don’t think I was awake very long but it was comforting to hear another voice even if I have no idea what they were talking about.
Michelle
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Amen on the TV’s in hospitals – and every other place as well! The barage (sp?)of sound is totally unwelcome when one has a lovely book to read, or simply wants to pass the time waiting in a quiet manner, observing others, hitting the ‘john’, etc. Come to think of it, I wonder when we’ll start seeing TVs in bathrooms…?
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I couldn’t agree more! Same thing with restaurants? WHY? Heaven forbid someone missing a minute of Wheel of Fortune. Orwell as almost right, they are watching us, but we are watching them as well.
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