Princeton Times

Opinion

Discussion

August 24, 2012

When times get tough, we turn on comfort TV

By MATT CHRISTIAN Princeton Times

PRINCETON — It's no secret that my generation is going to have one of the toughest lives of any in U.S. history.

One of my favorite professors in college once told our entire class that we would be the first generation in American history to have less than our parents. He said that it was a combination of the lack of ambition of many of us and the fact that someone is eventually going to have to pay back the massive debt that no one talks about.

Already, it's not been an easy life for us. Quite simply, the recession impacted my generation because many of us who were looking for jobs could not find any. Indeed, the rate of unemployment is higher in people aged 18-30 than any other age-related demographic.

This is a combination of a glut of workers that are my dad's age that are struggling to make up the money that they lost in the crash of 2008 and the fact that our medical technology is allowing them to live longer. They don't retire, so, we're stuck waiting behind the people who are waiting behind the people who won't retire.

It's why I think a network dedicated to the shows we all watched in our youth would work. When people are stressed, they seek to escape to something simpler than their current situation. What better way to help this generation escape, than helping us to return to our childhood?

In some ways, the major television networks have already done this. TeenNick shows a block of programming every night beginning at midnight (not exactly brilliant because we have to get up to go to work) that includes All That, Kenan and Kel, and the Rugrats. Boomerang now shows things like Dexter's Laboratory, and Cow and Chicken, quite regularly.

The problem is that these networks are dedicated to other things. TeenNick shows stuff that's well, awful during the day, and Boomerang varies between The Jetsons and some of the more recent Batman series.

Given our economic predicament, a greater number of us are going to be seeking to return to a simpler time, making this network a sure fire success. I've even taken the liberty of looking up some of my favorite programs that would fit on the network.

They are: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers, A Pup Named Scooby Doo, Are You Afraid of the Dark? (it still terrifies me), Doug, Rugrats (only the ones before Dill and Kimi came along), Rocko's Modern Life, Pokemon, Ren and Stimpy, and Beavis and Butthead.

I know that I am missing some shows, feel free to email me and I'll add them to the list.

Anyway, I first got this idea while I was watching a movie on Friday night. One of the commercials that was constantly playing was advertising the first season of Power Rangers. And I started to think about and couldn't sleep because I had the brilliant idea of this network.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go look up some of those shows' themes on YouTube.

Matt Christian is a Princeton Times reporter. Contact him at mchristian@ptonline.net.

Text Only
Opinion
AP Video
Jennifer Love Hewitt's Fit Bod 30-Day Technology Challenge 30-Day Sex Challenge 30-Day Walking Challenge How One Recording Artist Lost 250 Pounds Papa Joe's 99 Cent Stores Diet Health Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet 30-Day Vegan Challenge Misconceptions and Pitfalls of Vegan Diet 30-Day Vegan Challenge: The Results Women's Colon Health Kid gets his haircut to help people with cancer Deborah Norville Teaches Rachael Ray & Regis Philbin to Sew Regis' Most Hilarious Moments with Rachael Ray Deborah Norville's "Inside Edition" Anniversary 3 Beauty Secrets for Summer Asleep at the Wheel ... and You Don't Even Know It! Lucy Liu's "Elementary"-Inspired Skills Best Pre and Post-Workout Foods The Best Breakfast Foods
Letters to Editor

Multimedia