Soaps have got to be the most dullest way of spending or should i say wasting time. Why don't people go out and get some lives. Surely people lead better lives than Work, telly, work telly, work telly. Blimey, I can't actually believe the amount of soap TV people actually watch. E'enders and Corrie are on nearly every bloomin night and if that's not enough they REPEAT the whole week's worth to rub it in all the more. I can't believe 18 million people actually spend their lives flickin between Eastenders, Corrie, Emmerdale, Brookside. This has got to be between a quarter to a third of the UK population. Talk about leading a futile existence. Sad! Very sad!

Yes and no. It's like easy listening music - you don't need a brain to think about it.

You could make the same argument about discussion groups, ie haven't you got any real friends or a real life?

I assume you've just said this to cause an argument and before you bother, don't bother. I won't rise to the bait - I never do!

Right behind you Rufus73......I work hard all day and to come home and watch EE or some other soap that I have taped is a mindless way or relaxing......I don't hold up any other things I might have scheduled for the evening....and on a week nites I usually don't have plans...so the ol'scenario of "get a life" is passe when it comes to hard working poeple and what they watch on a weekday night. It's entertainment for obviously millions of peole so we must be doing something right.

No, i aint tryna cause any arguments at all and the point you make about discussion groups is further fuel to my point. Why do people spend endless hours on the internet too.

I'm in work now ('working hard') and the only time i spend on the internet is during my luch hour. I certainly wouldn't waste my life on the internet too, after work! That's even sadder than vegetating infront of the telly.

The only reason I registered on this website was because i actually took to the I'm a Celebrity program and registered to make a few comments while it was on telly. I enojyed that program but i couldn't waste my life watchin endless amount of soap operas each night, my mind needs stimulation. Maybe, you guys will wake up on day and realise what have i done with my life! Have i found true purpose to life? Soap operas! tsk! .

Soaps are just a passive form of entertainment and escapism.Nothing more or less.

Hamish.

Theres a funny little device on the tv that lets you decide whether to watch soaps or not. Its called the on/off switch.
Call me sad for watching ONE soap opera once a week if you want to KevCamel, thats your right. But its my house, my tv and I`ll watch what I like thanks - I pay the bills....including internet.
If it makes you feel better by saying we`re sad for watching soap operas, I hope you`re happy. You must live in a sad little world if thats what it takes.

Hey, don't get me wrong and I apologise to anyone I offended... cos i DO like to relax in front of the telly and watch the odd program or spend a bit of time surfin the net for an hour or so... but hey, some people spend endless hours wasting away the best years of their life doin nothin' else but watch ALL the soaps and spend hours til the early morning on the internet. Now in my opinion, THAT is the sad little world you refer to. I was merely making the point that there is such thing as finding a balance... i just don't think these people have got it! I've just got back from a week in Tenerife and had a whale of a time... then i spent a weekend in London with my girlfriend... I like to see places and do things and learn stuff.... I'm happy in my lifestyle. Apart from working the odd weekend that is! Bbut yeah, there are programs I love.
Maybe, people are happy watchin soaps all their life... it's just not me. They bore me. I just think there's more to life... that's all. Pardon me for having an opinion. Don't you guys think a balance is needed after work... between Telly and leisure pursuits?

hey -Kevcamel,
you write out a nice sized check for me and i'll have a nice portion of the good life to hey!
Soaps are a part of life for some people just like people who read a newspaper each morning or who always watch the BBC 6 O'clock news - are they dull - where do you draw the line at?
Why do you assume that people that watch a soap don't do any thing else?

Good point AK luv

Not to mention the elderly who would love to have the money to go out to play bingo every night. Thing is, its a scary world out there now and a lot of people are too scared to venture out. Some people are held prisoner in their own homes because of all the crime and what do they do instead? They watch tv.

But thats ok, there are the KevCamels of the world who I`m sure would lend `em a few quid to go out so that they wouldn`t be classed as boring. He`s got money to splash around with his trips abroad an` all.

I love to watch EastEnders because it reminds me of home. At times I get homesick and EE is a lifeline for me. Plus i`ve met some pretty terrific friends because of our love of Brit soaps all acrosss the world, and we have a lot in common besides soaps too.

Off topic..........to all those in the Texas/Louisiana area I hope and pray you`ll be safe. Keeping you all in my thoughts.
Wendy xx

Hell, there's a lot more i wish i could do with my life and think i'm a lazy schmuck for not doin it, but I'm determined to not get into a rut of being a sad person with no life and comin home and watchin telly telly telly. I won't let it happen. I'm not sayin' i have this brilliant life style and you should all be like me... far from it. There's no way i'd put that omen on anybody. I've had a shite life to be honest, but I'm the type of person who will try n make the best of what I've got and am unhappy if i feel i'm not doing anything and deep down, everyone else must also think like that. I just think watchin TV all night is a dull existence.

MONEY! HAHAHAHAHAHA! Gimme some! I WISH I was minted. If ony you knew. I'm as broke as the next person... but there is such things as last minute cheap flights. You don't need money to NOT watch telly all the time so it' certainly not about the good life. I'm not some toff who daddy gives one money to enjoy what one can. I live in the heart of Liverpool in a terraced road n left school at 16 to go and get a job. now i can afford a few luxuries like running a car to get around to some places and can afford a much-needed holiday once a year, from the stresses and strains that this life and this world gives you. if people wanna hide away n live in fear of man at the way the world is and just sit n mope n watch it on the telly then fair enough. i deal with my problems and the state of the world as i guess most of the UK population does. like finding hobbies and interests. keeping busy... at work, gettin stuck into exercise instead of becomin a fat lazy slob. learning things. like currently i'm learning cantonese with my girlfriend cos we want to go to Hong Kong when we're married. It's a hope and a dream and i want to achieve it. My last holiday was a year ago with my Mum n Dad n my brother for their 30th wedding anniversary. That was last November. I was skint after that cos I went halves with my brother to take them away. The best we could manage was cheap apartments in cyprus. thing is, they were made up with that and that's all that mattered. i wish i did live the good life and be able to afford the carribean for them cos hell they deserve it, but after that I had to save up the spends for 6 months for this one.
Anyway, aside from that... what the hell has money got to do with doin somethin other than sittin on yo ass and watchin shit on the telly all day and night and lettin life pass ya by and that's what my gripe is about. - Sittin on yo ass! - If you like eastenders or the odd telly program then fair enough... i do watch telly myself, but some people just sit on their ass and watch like five or six hours of telly a night or spend their lives on the internet til the early hours each night. GET A LIFE MAN! There's plenty of other pursuits people can follow. That's all I was sayin and that's all i was ever pointing out!
Surely, endless TV watching is a boring mindless pursuit! Is there no-one that agrees. Fair enough, if you like a particular soap. but to watch like five or six soaps a day. WHAT! Maybe none of you guys do watch loads of soaps and spend your spare time playing computer games or surfin the net, but there are certainly plenty of people who do. They need to look at themselves and ask what they have become. There IS purpose to this life and believe me, I haven't talked about half of what i think life is about. Soaps, ooh yeah... great purpose! I realise this is a soaps forum and people who do watch soaps all their life will support this life style and won't openly admit endless TV watchin is an unhappy lifestyle, but hopefully i've said some things that will make people think and give them a bit of enthusiasm for something other than the lazy lifestyle this world is heading... telly and internet. Wether you like what i'm saying or not and perhaps it is a tad strong, but everyone surley, all must stop and think "where is my life-heading". We all do. We just all need a littlle get up and go sometimes. As humans we will never truly be happy with what we are and what we have in life. It's natural... we all crave for something more. It's about finding purpose. I need to also.

The telly on aaaaalllllll night OK... that's purposeful
Last edited by Kevcamel : 03-10-2002 at 10:21

Kev ....have you seen the US soaps? Personally I think they`re crap, but hey whatever floats peoples boats eh.
In the US there is a soap channel here called SoapNet that shows 24 hours a day of nothing but soaps...all the US ones mind you, not one Brit or Ozzie soap among them..
We`ve got 150+ channels and I hardly watch `em. My kids like the kids tv and cartoon channels, hubby likes the various Discovery channel shows and both History Channels. Me, I like BBC-America and VH1 Classics. We`ve had our DirecTv dish almost 2 years and I still don`t know all the channel numbers!

The point I was trying to make about watching tv and as you put it "sitting on their ass and watching shite telly'" is that thats all some people can afford to do. Now that winter is almost upon us thats all some people are able to do- whether they have money or not.
Although I have to say as an ex pat living in the US, Brit telly is the best in the world for quality programmes.Even my American born hubby admits that.
Wendy

Hi Wendy,

'...we don't have satellite and I'm pleased for you, that you have the variety and choice of what to watch on TV as you do. I'm glad it's fulfilling your families needs. We only have BBC1, BBC2, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5', but aren't bothered cos it's just enough really. There's usually something on to watch if we get half an hour to sit down. I tend to watch kinda what your husband would watch. Discovery, Wildlife.. you know! But may I ask... does 'quality of life' increase with the number of channels on the TV. My point was that there is plenty of other things to do other than watch TV all winter. People should spend quality time with family (not engrossed in TV.) See friends n socialize, go ride a bike, go for a swim, learn something, read something. TV is a dull way to spend a whole winter.

I just think TV has killed family life.

You know typical lifestyle in Britain for the family is that Mum n Dad are downstairs watching Coronation St. Daughter is in her bedroom watching Coronation Street and the son is in his bedrrom playing computer games all night. A quick HI, and everyone is separated to a different part of the house. I don't even want to get started with America and the way the family spends it's time cos they have the best of everythin over there. Between computer and TV, U.S. people are spoilt for choice of games n TV channels. The average family is well off in America. People are robots and TV has made them this way because it's normal to watch it TV... after all, everyone watches TV, don't they! ... "Did you see 'such and such' a program last night?" It's the first topic of office talk, Wendy.

The family isn't close any more and TV has had a big say in this. There's nothin' more people wanna do after a hard days work than put there feet up and switch on the box aaalllll night. After all, it's escapism, it's entertainment, it's fulfilling... it's dull and boring in my opinion.

An hour or so is OK, of course but TV TV TV.... pleeaassee. Don't waste away! ...that's all I've been saying.

I always watch EastEnders, and if i know im gonna be out, ill get it recorded, watched it since about 1988, so i must be sad.......
I do actually agree that people that watch ALL the soaps must be a bit sad!
But 2 or 3 is normal, most people i know watch either EastEnders, Corrie or Neighbours!

For anyone that is interested, i watch EastEnders and occasionally Corrie...

Kevcamel - after extensive analysis of what you have written i do admire what you have put

for one you want to move to Hong Kong and learn cantonese even though Hong Kong is a former English Colony until 1997 you would rather try and learn the native launage.

I know what you mean - if we all dedicated an hour a day or more to some thing different we would all be happy.

But infact research indicates people that use these boards are more likely to be sociable etc

I'd advise you to start up some kind of local youth group if you ask me as you have the enthusiasm to make a good impact on your area.

To some extent, watching telly is great. I have to say my garden has much improved thanks to watching Ground Force for ideas. Next spring I hope to put in a water feature And theres some nice ideas on Changing Rooms too, though I`d never have bright red walls
AK (Andy) sent me some great links to British cable systems and theres a great line up on a lot of shows. Ooh I`d be in 7th Heaven if I could ever get Granada Plus.
I must admit though, my 2 sons (aged 8 and 10) watch way too much tv. When I was their age *cough* years ago I was always outside playing or up in my room reading. I still love to read now, just wish my sons had the love of books that I do.
Off topic.....AK......the Braves won last night Playoffs tied 1-1 with San Fran Giants

I'm on the internet into the early hours, don't see how you could go out at 4am, I don't watch Prime-Time TV, I'm usually out at mate's houses until at least 10 or 11, then I relax after that, I'm a total owl. But I agree about the soaps, terrible stuff for the psyche, used to watch years ago, thank god for Satellite and the choice to actually watch decent if you're gonna watch something, I too like getting something out of TV rather than it getting something out of me. The problem is the impact of TV, and small-screen entertainment in general has probably wrecked the community scene for much of the UK, leaving those of us who want a little bit more out of life , lacking.

thanks andy... a friend of mine and myself try to organise trips to the ice rink, football on a sunday, swimming sessions, walks in the countryside and we do take a gang of kids with us. it's fun. as for a youth group... i only wish i had the time really.

...by the way, when you metnioned about learning the native language of Hong Kong. Do you mean the chinese native language? because that is mandarin. or were you refering to English (because Hong Kong was under britain) because Cantonese is still going strong in Hong Kong and spoken by about 90 per cent of the people living there. It is the official language along with English. Yeah, the language is more prominent in the chinese provinces of Kwangtung and Kwangsi but it's not like we need to be fluent to go live in Hong Kong, cos you can get by with English anyway as most of the people speak English aswell and we could more than get by with the Cantonese we know now, should HOng Kong only speak Cantonese. We are just waiting to get married and save up to go there. My girlfriend went there last year and she promised to take me soon. My girlfriend's Mum was born and brought up in hong kong and she has spoken Cantonese as an alternative language so i guess this is what inspired us. Kowloon Bay fascinates me. and something about Hong Kong generally intrigues me and learning the language and the characters that the language is written in, is really interesting. It really is a lovely language to learn, especially the writing. We want to be able to read and write in Chinese eventually. Maybe we could go teach English in the schools there. That would be cool!
Last edited by Kevcamel : 07-10-2002 at 10:44

I am not a fan of soaps either mainly because of all the shouting that goes on in them though I know a lot of people enjoy watching an evening of soap. It is not for me or the family but each to their own.

well that's another issue of soaps you raise. the moral standards. apart from them bein quite boring to watch, do they really portray family life? No. they encourage immoral life styles n rebellious behaviour. Kids grow up watchin this, thinkin they can talk to people however they like but hey i don't wanna get into this aspect of soapTV too much. everyone here thinks they're fine and that it's just entertainment... but yeah i agree... people shout too much.. is it any wonder, we have an agressive society.
Last edited by Kevcamel : 07-10-2002 at 14:23