the pre-tv generations archive

"What do you do," people ask, "if you don't watch television?" One of our members has five kids. "How do you manage?" people ask her "without children’s TV?" - as if humans spent 250 thousand years waiting for Barney.

Who cares about "the first iPod generation"? Chances are they'll be intolerably dull. What about the last generations of people to live in a world without television? How did they live, and what are we about to lose forever?

White Dot is compiling an archive of memories and advice from anyone who remembers life before TV. Please help us add to it!

If you grew up before TV, or know someone who did, please tell us what has changed. Details details! We want to know what people did to relax, play, think alone or gather together a gang. All the parenting and social skills that TV is taking away.

what it was like	according to
I wanted to do this! I see you already are. I'm born post TV, so don't know, but asked the lady next door recently: They used to hang out the front of the house a lot more, and walk around the neighborhood with kids. They used to know EVERYONE in a 200m radius and more.	44yo from Sydney
	anonymous from anytown
Physical Exercise with family-frisbee, volleyball, ping pong with family and friends together, tiddly winks on the kitchen table after Sunday dinner (kids ipods, MP3, cell phones, playstations..all turned off or left in another room). Swimming, running and walking everyday. Time to connect together without phones or interruptions on purpose.	anonymous from DTW via PHX
Girls learning to embroider quietly no TV, no radio, just quiet, peace. Book reading, curled up in a chair, window seat (no cell phone around, no Ipod, no TV, no Radio..just quiet time). spending time together as a family and sit down dinner each night (1 hour or more together)..no TV, no Radio on. instead family conversation-connection time.	Originally from Michigan now in West.
In reading a biography of Miguel Agustin Pro, it was said that people loved to visit the Pro household because little Miguel would write and recite poems in honor of their visits. I mentioned this to a friend, who said, "Remember they didn't have television." So, I guess it's television or poetry.	J from Illinois
	More..

before we all got boring

What games did you play? How did you relax? How did you get into trouble? What did you talk about and think about? Did real life feel different before people just watched it on TV?

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