Paid to talk

The problem with TV is the requirement to constantly be saying
something. Dead air is the greatest fear of TV. There always must
be something on, some noise, something to see. Listening to the
stream of morning talk shows, I realize that most of the time there
is nothing to say, but the hosts, guests, anchors are paid to talk.
Non-stop. They have to. So, no matter how unnecessary, they talk.

A woman tells how she lost hundreds of pounds through small changes
in diet and lifestyle. Rosie, being paid to host the show, has to
add her two cents: "Yes! If you can only walk twenty steps, walk
twenty steps." Gee. Thanks for that great piece of wisdom and for
interrupting an unusually honest first hand account of human
struggle. Fine, you say, turn off the TV.

However, I believe this constant expectation for talk seeps into our
daily conversations and interactions. It is rare to be with another
person and not have to talk. My students begin to itch when asked to
read silently. A friend I traveled with in Belize told me she knew
she could travel with me because we can be together without
talking. I also value my carpooling partner, someone who is ok with
quiet drives on some days. Silence can say more about a
relationship than speaking, like sleeping and waking up in your
lover's arms is worth a thousand words.

When is national turn off your TV day? Does it exist? Shouldn't
it? But who would advertise it?