National Stay at Home Week

ABC's Fall season's campaign is National Stay at Home Week, which started yesterday. This is exactly the sort of thing I find so wrong with American culture these days. I mean, Must See TV is ridiculous, but at least its hyperbole isn't hard to see. But to declare a week for people to stay home to watch your shows, while interestingly honest, is despicable. Of course, in the sudden Go Green craze that seems to be appearing everywhere (I had a meeting at work last week about how we could be more Green and whether we want to brand ourselves as such).

I may have to protest and not stay home this week, or at least not turn on my television, especially for ABC. (Thankfully, the one ABC show I'm really interested in watching this year, 'Pushing Daisies,' isn't back until October 1st.)

ABC certainly isn't the only company to encourage our bad behavior. Discover card has a commercial about how being a consumer isn't bad and how they can help with the debt you've acquired while consuming. Yes, there is something wrong with consumption: when it is outside of one's means, when it is valued more than taking care of yourself in other ways (getting good nutrition, good rest, good exercise, good learning, good social interaction).