My parents watch a lot of TV. They are at a stage where they deserve to do whatever they feel like, really, and my dad’s health does not allow him to stray away too much or too often from stationary activities. That being said, there are three televisions inside the 800-sq-ft. 3- BR apartment, so yeah, they watch a lot of TV. I have realized after having left home for the U.S. in 1993 that the most precious yet the most difficult gift I can give my parents is simply being there. As a result, I end up watching a lot of TV when I keep them company.
It is always a quick and dirty way for me to get reacquainted with the here and now in Taiwan. The social mores in vogue. I am often reminded to be proud of where I came from, followed by a sudden wave of homesickness and dread while I am… at home… because of my imminent departure. On the other hand, I am also quite frequently flabbergasted, especially by the commercials. Since ”a cultural critic / modern tribe ethnographer” was one of my answers to “What do you want to be when you grow up?”), I cannot help but have a running commentary scrolling through my mind’s eye, my mental news ticker. To be unabashedly confessional, I am fascinated and excited by the contradictions, the dichotomy, the ambiguities represented in the media messages now that I have had a chance to step outside, looking in.
Sometimes a virtual lower third is the only image superimposed on what I am seeing…
WTF MOMENT: I CAN TOTALLY WRITE A DISSERTATION ON THIS.
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(The first line of caption in the video says, “The 42nd day after breakup…”
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httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFHk6nARDcM
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p.s. This post is being written as I watch TV with my father which we have been doing for about 2 hours now…
p.p.s. The first time we saw this commercial, my father said, “@#%%$. We are a bunch of crazy people.”
p.p.p.s. Yes, this commercial is being aired at all hours, not just “after hours” which do not exist here anyway.
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