The latest Achewood strip really chimes with stuff I've been thinking about. I don't have a television any more, and consequently I've been noticing even more just how mediated important global events are. Without television it felt like the Olympics weren't real. Without television my experience of September 11th 2001 would have been utterly different. Without television I can pretend that the Republican National Convention isn't happening. And without television I imagine myself missing the next major terrorist attack altogether. (Especially since I don't really read the newspapers, and I don't visit mainstream internet news sites. It's not because I don't care about what's going on in the world, it's just because I don't trust the people who are telling me.)

The government advice in emergencies (although I haven't received my own copy of their glossy leaflet yet) is 'go in, stay in, tune in'. One of the first things we're meant to do is turn on our TVs. So, will I be at a disadvantage in a national crisis because I can't access Peter Sissons telling me to stay calm? And will there be an extreme version of my inability to join in discussions at the water cooler, because I haven't watched the world being destroyed live on television along with everyone else? I hope not.

09:19

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