Something very rare happened last Thursday – I went to a movie.  This was the first movie I’ve seen in theaters in over a year, and the first movie I have seen at all in 2017.  As it turned out, I highly enjoyed Spiderman, and was subsequently filled in on all the other Marvel movies that I’ve missed in the past decade.  It seems like quite the franchise; I can definitely see why it has a widespread following.  Though it was a fun film to watch, and though my friends frequently encourage me to expand my television and cinematographic viewership, it’s unlikely that I’ll end up seeing any upcoming Marvel movies, or many movies at all.

Why don’t I watch TV and movies?  It’s certainly not lack of access.  One of my roommates brought a television to our suite this summer, and I’ve had a TV in my dorm room each of the past two years.  Though neither myself nor my family subscribes to Netflix, Hulu, Google Play, or any other provider of movies and shows, I’m sure I could ask a friend to sign me in.  I even have multi-season box sets of shows that I’ve held on to for years and could watch anytime, yet I can count on one hand the number of episodes I’ve actually watched.  My family isn’t by any means opposed to watching TV; though hardly avid viewers, they rent movies regularly and often try to follow a show or two at a time.  Even so, my viewership is essentially limited to an episode or two of Jeopardy every few weeks, even during the summer when I have significantly more free time.

In the past, when people have asked me about this odd choice, I would tell them that I don’t have time.  This is somewhat true, as I can’t think of any points at all during the week where I’m sitting around doing nothing.  However, I do have friends who I know have significantly less free time than I do, and who still manage to fit in a few episodes and perhaps a movie a week.  What do I tell them when we talk about shows or the latest flicks?  In the past when I’ve tried to use the ‘free time’ excuse, they’ve called me out that this isn’t the case.  Instead, they told me, “Paul, you could certainly have free time to follow a few shows if you wanted to.  The question is whether you make it a priority.  You seem to prioritize many other things first, causing you to not have time to watch TV.”  This is very insightful advice, and I found it quite astute.  Myself and everyone else likely have the time to fit in almost anything we want to, but we choose to prioritize other things, whether it be hobbies, clubs, or other people over it.  It’s all a question of our personal utility curve, following our priorities and whatever makes us happiest.  For the most part, I have tried to stop making the excuse that I don’t have time for things, rather saying that it’s just not a priority of mine.  This has also really helped me to identify my priorities and focus on what brings me the most happiness rather than wondering why I’m missing out on other things.  I can now see throughout the week that I have various opportunities to turn on the tube, but when I need to relax I instead hop on a bike and go for a ride, sit down at my piano and lose myself in music, or challenge someone to a game of ping-pong.  Even though I’m sure there are many fantastic shows and movies out there, and would love to see them if given the chance, I’m more content with the knowledge that I don’t watch TV or movies simply because I am doing things that I love and that make me happier.

Unfortunately, when a group of interns went to trivia night at a local restaurant this week, my lack of entertainment knowledge was highly apparent.  I’m used to academic-focused knowledge competitions and even see Jeopardy as pushing the limits on pop culture knowledge.  Restaurant trivia, though, appears much more likely to ask about film presidents than real ones, and about the Oscars rather than the Nobel prizes.  After my reputation as a trivia aficionado took a solid blow, I am reconsidering my position on mass entertainment.  I certainly don’t plan on taking the time to try to watch everything, but I may be able to try to memorize the leading actors and main characters on popular shows and movies.  This strategy is a lot less fun than actually watching everything, but I think it could help me stand a fighting chance at these competitions if I made entertainment knowledge a bit more of a priority.  And someday, when I am on Jeopardy and the Final Jeopardy category is announced to be “Entertainment”, maybe I can write down my wager with confidence rather than a disappointed sigh.