PeevePile • A Pet Peeve Archive » The moral superiority shown by non-TV watchers.

The moral superiority shown by non-TV watchers.

You think you better than me just because you go hiking while I watch the Flava o' Love? Well, you're not. You go right ahead reading your Proust. I'm gonna settle in here, flipping between The Real Housewives of Orange County and Hogan Knows Best.

— vagina jones from aberdeen, washington | Television | 4.13.2009 | Comments (13)

Guilty as charged.

— Amber

Hahaha..yeah this is actually true when it comes to certain individuals. There's almost always something very snobbish or 'superior'(in a negative sense) about ppl who somehow boast about "doing all the cool stuff" i.e. reading complicated litterature or go hiking, etc..rather than watching the popular or semi-popular shows on the Telly!

— s.ph.s.

I only watch two or three shows a week however when I ask some non-tv viewers if they like LOST for instance they by pass my question and immediately announce: "I don't own a tv!" or "I don't watch tv!" I think it is rude that they get all defensive when you ask if they watch something~ it is like they must defend their own honor from being assaulted by a question about tv.

— Raze

we do not think we are better than you, only happier. tv sucks the soul out of your brain.

— Stu

Lies Stu! ALL LIES! I'm watching TV right now. Couldn't be happier.

— Ajay

Agree, agree, agree. I don't trust anyone who doesn't (or won't admit to) watching television.

— jmc posted 4/13/2009

It's just another form of snobbery. Usually exhibited by people with some kind of inferiority complex. Most of these too-cool-for-school types are some of the most uninformed people I meet.

— Raj posted 4/13/2009

No TV also means that they don't have any of the shared cultural references the rest of us have. As far as TV sucking out the "soul," do they also fear having their pictures taken?

— Acacia posted 4/13/2009

I always wonder about the people who "don't own a TV" and yet watch shows on DVD or online. Personally, I do that, but that's because I can't afford a TV and cable, not because I'm somehow better than anyone

— kayk posted 4/16/2009

Agreed on the annoying TVless set but there are those of use who actually don't own TVs, actually don't feel superior about it, and actually do lots of fun things instead. We don't need your projection of self loathing cleverly sublimated into snobbery. Everyone's fat too, that doesn't make it cool.

— posted 4/20/2009

above was my post. i claim it! but i forgot to put my name.

— rebecca posted 4/20/2009

Hey Rebecca, Everyone's fat what? Also, you 'do lots of fun things instead'? So tv watchers are incapable of doing fun things? And "everyone" is not fat. I'm not fat. But I watch tv, so I suppose I don't 'do fun things' either. Every person who watches tv is not a fat slob who is glued to the sofa shoving fast food in their mouths. Don't generalize so much. It's small minded and ignorant. You won't admit it, but your statement reeks of snobbery and Holier Than Thou.

— Allistair posted 7/30/2009

I always catch my boss in a lie on this! He claims to never watch tv, yet will join in conversations about how terrible the Joan Rivers roast was... Also, how do you not OWN a friggin tv?? You realize movies can be watched on those things too, right? Good movies at that. Serious art films, documentaries, classic movies... this is a huge chunk of my "tv" watching: movies. I'll never feel inferior for having seen Shoah in it's 9.5 hour entirety. It's like reading War & Peace. In this way, I look down on non-tv people.

— ellen posted 8/12/2009

When people make you take your shoes off before entering their house/apartment. » I guess it makes more sense in the winter/spring, when people have on shoes that have been in mud, snow, slush, etc. It does make the place easier to clean, but it is annoying to me (as the guest) because now MY socks are covered in hair/skin cells/general place filthiness. So the peeve goes both ways. – KimK 3/21

Constant belly-rubbing by pregnant ladies » When you're used to being SKINNY, and all of a sudden you have this HUGE belly.... it's kind of hard to keep your hands away from it. Not to mention, I seem to hit my belly against things (since I'm not used to having it) and keeping my hands there, reminds me to pay attention to it. – Jami 3/20

When people make you take your shoes off before entering their house/apartment. » i think for me it's just family/cultural practice. my dad's from guam, and that whole side of the family doesn't think twice before taking off shoes at the door. – whothegoods 3/17

I hate it when people stick their Bluetooth headsets in their ears and walk around when they're not using them. It just looks really, really stupid. » They startle me in public too, when they suddenly start talking LOUDLY to themselves...while they are alone...in the middle of the supermarket. I think "crazy, or Bluetooth?" – Ami 3/17

I hate it when people stick their Bluetooth headsets in their ears and walk around when they're not using them. It just looks really, really stupid. » I call that look "business douche". 50% human, 50% robot, 100% asshole. – Brandi 3/16

When people make you take your shoes off before entering their house/apartment. » I have to side with the poster on this one. I think if you have guests over, you should just deal. It's not an every day thing. – jmc 3/15

02.11.10

Send in your mobile phone pet peeves for the week of February 15th! Perhaps the simplest and most common generator of peeves, the mobile phone prods and pricks us in all places, public and private. With skull phones just around the corner, it’s likely these peeves will soon become irrelevant—so let’s spray them across the galaxy while we still can.

01.18.10

For the next week or so, the pictures for peeves will be of Peeve Pile’s national spokesperson, Rob Grace, and his special person, Shana, enacting various peeves. Please feel free to make such pictures yourself. Just include a link to them when submitting a peeve.

01.02.10

Hello. I’ve added a voting feature, so you can vote as you assume that you would – just click on a one-to-five star rating (it will tell you your vote has been recorded); five indicating that you completely agree with, or find the peeve amusing, one meaning the opposite.

Once a bunch of ratings are in, I’ll add a worst, and best rated area to the right column.