<p>Well, I’ll echo notrichenough also. Now that our nest is empty, we’re down to four TVs (only two have TiVO, and all are on just basic cable) plus a 100" (or 110"? I forget) screen in the media room. The kids each took a TV and one or two game systems, plus their own computers. We have a Wii, two laptops and one desktop computer (not counting the no longer operating ones dh put in the garage.) Dh would like to have at least two more TVs, one in the kitchen and one in the master bathroom, as we did in a former home. </p>
<p>With our aging eyes, I can’t imagine trying to watch a movie on a 17" - 21" computer screen. We also don’t go to movie theaters, but prefer to wait until we can rent movies to watch at home. I have multiple health problems that make going out difficult, so instead we invite friends to our home.</p>
<p>As for TV and other entertainment electronics vs. books, there’s no contest. Once the kids took most of their books, and the bookcases they were in, we went from 11 bookcases to seven. Prior to our last move, I donated over 50 books we’d used while homeschooling to a school library and six boxes of books to a “Friends of the Library” book sale. There are still five boxes of the kids’ books in a closet which they have until spring to claim or they’ll be donated, too. </p>
<p>We are in no way “gazillionaires” or anything close to it. I have a relative who makes snarky comments about our house, especially the media room. He seems to forget that he’s taken a half dozen cruises and traveled to several continents. I’ve never made a critical or PA remark about the way he spends his money, and don’t understand why he feels the need to be nasty to us. I would gladly trade all of the stuff we own in return for good health (including erasure of some medical malpractice and mishaps) but aside from doing so here, anonymously, I have never whined to anyone about wishing I could trade places.</p>
<p>We have tvs in every room of the house except the formal living room and the formal dining room. We would install them in the bathrooms, except our company won’t give us the hdtv outlet for more than 8 rooms. And who says that Los Angeles is a cultural wasteland?</p>
<p>^I agree with Alwaysamom. I personally find it fun and there is really no other place I can do this (I don’t say it out loud in real life). It’s a fault to be sure, but hey I’m only human:). It helps to reinforce our own values, and let off a bit of frustration when we can collective comment on those that don’t share them with us. And frankly I DO care because I think this kind of excess is exactly why our planet is in trouble. It’s not the fault of the person with 7 TVs, but it does ‘represent’ what is wrong (and that we all help to create). Same reason I would probably negatively judge the person driving a Hummer, however unfair that might be. </p>
<p>If you read over the posts of those that are defensive about the rest of us being ‘judgmental’-- you will find they too are just as judgmental, only about the ‘other side’ of the culture war when the thread is appropriate for that. It’s just more noticeable when you feel you are the one being judged.</p>
<p>I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t have at least 3 tvs
Seriously, i find it annoying how many posts relate to people having too big a house, or too fancy a car,or having children who attend pricey schools, or how it is wasteful to have too many tvs,etc…Live your OWN life, and stop envying others, and i await the follwup who say it isn’t envy, but it usually is…once again, i will say how many posts have been started about crappy colleges and what a waste it is too attend them? I think zero…How many posts about how much a waste it is too pay 50k to attend a college? Just about daily…</p>
<p>Fwiw, we have 5 tvs,2 of which are 65" , 5 laptops,4 IPADS,1 desktop, an assortment of ipods, etc…and for the most part, all are used daily…somit is not a waste in my opinion</p>
<p>Starbright, uounare wrong about people posting comments about the ‘other side’ of the original comment and others like it</p>
<p>So why would anyone care? If someone can afford to purchase more than one TV or computer, why not? We could make the comparison to cars and other purchases, too. There isn’t a teenager or college student in our neighborhood whose car cost less than mine, but I happen to like my little car. I drive less than 200 miles per month (mostly to doctor appts.), so I don’t need anything more. I also don’t object to their more expensive vehicles. If we earn enough to afford to buy multiple dresses or suits or sets of china, am I morally obligated to restrict myself to only one of each in order to give away the “excess” money? Why is is okay to buy books, which I could borrow from the library, thus freeing up their cost to give away?</p>
<p>We’re already donating so much that our tax program red flags our charitable deductions as possible audit triggers for being far more than the norm for our income (something I’d <em>never</em> tell anyone IRL), so I don’t feel obliged to do more. Why should I be judged for spending some of the remainder of our earnings on things that provide enjoyment? Years of education and much hard work has been rewarded; something I realize doesn’t happen for everyone, but for which we certainly feel no guilt. Lots of folks have far greater incomes, too. I don’t begrudge them one bit. </p>
<p>The value judgments being made really puzzle me.</p>
<p>Wow, the OP makes me feel like I should apologize for having 5 TVs, who knows how many Xboxes or PS 3 or whatever, and 7 computers. And 4 cars - one for every person of driving age in my house. If we can afford those things and we don’t hurt anyone why would anyone care? Do I have to mention that we try to have dinner together every night, attend all of our kids’ sporting events etc.
There are many judgmental people of CC.</p>
<p>Njmom, sounds like your family life is just like mine…we have dinner as a family just about every night(obviously college D is only at table when on break)…</p>
<p>We have two TVs. One in our family room and one in the room with my husband’s treadmill. He walk/runs an hour a day for his heart and relies on the TV to keep him entertained while running, so we’ll always have one in there. We have a desktop that we need to keep as it is a PC and he needs a PC to connect to his server at work. We have two Apple laptops, one very old and very slow that DS uses and which will be replaced when he goes to college and mine, which doubles as the computer I use for work, and we have a game system, possibly two (one may have left the house with an older kid). We also have a Kindle. We probably own a couple of thousand books or close to it. That’s why we need the kindle. We’re out of space! When DS2 is home, there is an extra laptop in the house. I don’t really think it’s the number of these things that is important. I’d rather see a family with more TVs where there is balance in activities, than a family with one TV that is blasting 24/7 and where the kids just sit and stare at a screen all day.</p>
<p>Count me as a curmudgeon too. That much TV-related stuff is mind numbing, wasteful, and the reason why the US (and overall the rich) often inspire such animosity. </p>
<p>In our family of 4 there are 2 TVs. We’re considering getting rid of one of them. </p>
<p>That said, I watch A LOT of movies. Arty, international, blockbusters, chick flicks - anything so long as it’s intelligent and well made. But I’m starting to rethink the hours spent in front of the TV screen. It’s beginning to feel like a colossal waste of time and brain cells that could be put to better use elsewhere…</p>
<p>I’m the dinosaur here - we only have 1 TV and that’s the most we’ve ever had! Not meant to be a value judgement, I’ve just never been crazy about the sound of TV and don’t want to hear it on in the background. </p>
<p>That being said, I’d like to add a small one in the kitchen to keep me company if I’m cooking alone. With most of the kids away, I’m usually doing food prep alone and aside from the dogs staring at me hopefully, it can get lonely. Also, I can’t seem to keep up with all the Stewart/Colbert shows I’ve set to record.</p>
<p>Last night, we finally (after hours!) got our new TV to hook up to Amazon Prime. Did you know that any movie you’ve ever bought from Amazon will come up for free on your TV with this service? Oh, they are trying to take over the world! I will think twice about buying a DVD at Costco now. Hmmm, the kids might start fighting over who gets to watch a free episode of “Spartacus, blood and sand” or some other lovely offering on our one lonely TV… what will I do about that?</p>
<p>We have five TVS, one BIG screen, two moderate size TVs, and two old school box TVs in the office and my little sister’s room. She’s two. My mother and I both have laptops and iphones, and we have a blu-ray player and xbox in the living room. I feel like that is not too extreme, considering how spread out they are.</p>
<p>No, Starbright is correct. I’ve experienced being judged by the other side firsthand as a 17 year old freshman in the mid-'90s when I got into a heated argument with an aunt and her family over my refusal to bring a TV to college. </p>
<p>They felt having a TV in my dorm is “essential” whereas I felt in a college dorm environment…it was a frivolous luxury which took up precious dorm space. </p>
<p>Especially when I still held what even then seemed to be an old-fashioned idea that the first…and MAIN priority of a college student is academics/education. Otherwise, what’s the point of going off to college? Moreover, even in my rurally located Midwest LAC…there were many more engaging things for me to do once the main priority was taken care of…part-time work, ECs, walking around town, musical performances, hanging out with friends having discussions on history, politics into the wee hours of the morning, etc.</p>
My comment, “Why so many TVs?” wasn’t meant to be a judgement call. I wrote that b/c our kids and my DH don’t use the TV to watch television. DH uses his iPad, and our kids use their computer. Yes, we do have a large TV to watch movies and such, but we watch far more movies and reruns (through hulu) than anything on TV.</p>
<p>My BIL, on the other hand, had a TV going in every single room. Kitchen, utility room, living room, family room, every bedroom (x4), basement. Well, that was before cable box changeovert and before his divorce. He has since moved out.</p>
<p>Two TVs (both connected to the same Tivo), two kindles (one old and one Fire), two iPads, two iPhones, no gaming devices, three wireless links, three computers. One fruit bowl.</p>
<p>I am not posting what we as a family own because I did a quick tally and it was a very big number and grew by four since Christmas. However, as I was searching for a screen protector for one of MY new devices, I found a bracket to hold an iPad or similar device on your refrigerator!</p>
<p>I don’t think it is unreasonable to ask, “What if everybody [did this]?” Fill in what you want inside the brackets. For example, “were kind to others”, “smoked”, “bought a Hummer”, “had six TVs and five Xboxes”, and so forth. If the answer is clear and negative, I think it is reasonable not to do the activity in question. Not sure about the 6 TVs/5 Xboxen thing, though. Depends if they are always on. :)</p>
<p>3 TVS (2 on DVR and the 3rd hooked up to DVD player), 3 personal laptops, 1 work laptop and 2 towers. We also have a Wii. We also have 2 Kindle Fires and 4 regular Kindles.</p>
