TeeVee for Beginners, Friday Period Two

[chosehumanity]

"Today, we're going to be talking about people," Mitchell said, once they'd all filled into the classroom. Anyone paying attention may have noticed the large table full of bags upon bags of crisps off to the side of the room. "People watching television, to be precise." You know, in case they'd thought he was going to talk about something a little less savoury. "Academics call television the 'electronic hearth', because where families used to gather before the fireplace, they started to gather in front of the television instead. It grew very very quickly from being a novelty to being in every household, in every family."

He gestured at the television. "Others call it being couch potatoes," he said, wryly. "People who spend too much time in front of the television. They have a little food, have a little drink, and let the programmes flow on past. Wasting their lives away, never looking for some meaning in life, never bothering to find out who they really are, what the world's really like." He smiled once. "The truth, as it generally is, lies somewhere in the middle. Television nowadays is a unifier, it brings people together, but it also sets them apart."

He wandered over to the table, patting it with his hands. "Now for the fun part," he said, "Snacks are a vital part of the modern television experience. Sometimes, it's entire meals, pizza and Chinese food." Mitchell was a great appreciator of the art. "But at this hour, that may be pushing it. Crisps," he picked up a bag and waved it around, "Are excellent television chow. I want you all to pick what looks like it may taste good, and if you're not sure, ask your fellow classmates about it." He set the bag down. "Today is all about people. About audiences, which we all are when we're watching the television. So go on, make yourself comfortable. Be an audience, meet people, see what the social contexts are all about."

He took a seat on his own couch. "Have fun. That's what television's all about."

Comments

Sign In

[chosehumanity]

Couch potatoingly.

Re: Sign In

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah Lance

Listen to the Lecture

[chosehumanity]

Make notes, pass notes, admire Mitchell's knowledge of couches and snacks.

Re: Listen to the Lecture

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah blinked at the teacher. And remembered Yakko's standard greeting, but managed not to say it out loud. This being her first TeeVee class, she was utterly charmed to have her own mini-couch. Yay!

Re: Listen to the Lecture

[wantstodirect]

Tony was paying close attention to the teacher.

Was there a lecture?

Re: Listen to the Lecture

[bad-nose-job.livejournal.com]

Penelope paid attention, just as she always did, even jotting down a few notes.

Re: Listen to the Lecture

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

Alex was a fan of any class that let him eat and be lazy at the same time. He could deal with a boarding school if the classes were like this.

Re: Listen to the Lecture

[fabulous-secret.livejournal.com]

Adora took notes, unsure just what a crisp was, but excited to learn!

Re: Listen to the Lecture

[bitten_notshy]

Jack had no idea what a crisp was, but he was used to passing much of his time in this world in a state of mild befuddlement. He was too happy today to care, anyhow. He had a couch, he had people to admire, he could listen and learn.

Find Your Audience Position

[chosehumanity]

Stick to your own couch, lie down, move to someone else's, take a bag from the moddable selection of snacks...

Re: Find Your Audience Position

[future_sandworm]

Leto picked up a bag of some kind of snacks and leaned back on his own couch. The whole situation felt quite unfamiliar, but he made an effort not to let that show.

Re: Find Your Audience Position

[thatsamilkshake]

Francine would have thought the resemblance to her own family even more disturbing if she could understand half of what the actors were saying. And if the chips she'd picked up weren't prawn flavored. Seriously, prawn?

No, seriously, what the heck was a prawn?

Re: Find Your Audience Position

[bad-nose-job.livejournal.com]

Sitting back on her couch, she opened her bag of crisps and nibbled on a plain chip while glancing around at everyone else.

Re: Find Your Audience Position

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

Alex was a sprawler by nature so he found a position on his stomach, one arm propped under his head and the chips on the floor in front of him. Once he was comfortable, he went about watching television.

Re: Find Your Audience Position

[fabulous-secret.livejournal.com]

Never having had crisps before, she selected a bag of bacon and ketchup flavored ones and sat down on the edge of a sofa to sniff at them.

Re: Find Your Audience Position

[bitten_notshy]

Jack selected a bag of chips labeled as barbecue flavored, and nibbled off one corner of one hesitantly after he had found a couch to curl up on.

Before long, the bag was gone, and Jack was wondering how many bags one was expected to eat.

Re: Find Your Audience Position

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Ranch chips, nom nom nom, and pretty professor, nom nom nom.

Yay Fridays!

The Television

[chosehumanity]

"This is the Noble Family," Mitchell introduced, and promptly got distracted by the television himself as he shot it a quick grin. "Ah. This series was really big back home for a while, and it chronicles the television watching habits of our time."

Or, you know, was a series about professional British couch potatoes, discussing their lives over the TV. Watch the Christmas Special, snack, or comment to others on the going-ons, or anything in between.

Re: The Television

[future_sandworm]

Leto watched the show, the frown on his face deepening. He must be missing something. "I fail to see the entertainment value."

Re: The Television

[bad-nose-job.livejournal.com]

Watching the show, Penelope wasn't sure she liked it. Nor was she sure she liked Little David's mother.

Re: The Television

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Yah!" Dinah jumped at the very end, when Cryptkeeper Grandma sat up and demanded to know who was in the Naughty Chair. Then started giggling.

Talk to the TAs

[chosehumanity]

They probably have their own ideas on couch potatoes.

Re: Talk to the TAs

[wantstodirect]

This could maybe be Tony's favorite class ever.

Talk to Mitchell

[chosehumanity]

Who's snacking idly and enjoying himself.

Re: Talk to Mitchell

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Professor Mitchell?" Dinah bounced up at the end of class, and smiled big. "I'm Dinah Lance. Tony said he told you I couldn't be here last week. Is there anything I need to do to make it up?"

Possibly watch videos in your office with you?

OOC

[chosehumanity]

Who has to drive an hour and a half to Germany. Blargh.

Re: OOC

[morpherboy.livejournal.com]

Ten hour train ride up the coast. ^.^