Most of us realize that it is unhealthy to watch too much TV news.  Years ago, I declared my Saturdays as a news-free day.  It is important to recognize the toxicity of TV news, be it Red-tinted or Blue-tinted.  Both are toxic.  After the bitterly contentious news coverage on the elevation of America’s only available Republican lawyer to the U.S. Supreme Court, I decided an overdose of news is akin to an overdose of good wine.  It hurts!  So, I’ve taken a week-long tour of America . . . America’s TV landscape, that is.

Except for watching the business channel, CNBC, while I worked at my desk, I watched many other things.  Did you know that Americans are still watching that vampire stuff?   I understand that almost as well as I understand the Kardashians, which is not at all.  There are a surprising number of shows with Homeland Security themes, with only very pretty people to save us from . . . I don’t know, unpretty people?  We Americans still play game shows . . . who knew?  They have TV shows devoted to the coverage of Hollywood people . . . who cares.  I even watched “What Not To Wear.”  Some channel plays James Bond movies 24/7.  I watched one movie (Sicario) that made me appreciate my wholesome, white-bread life, safely insulated from the high-tech drug wars.  There are many, many channels on sports, covering sports I didn’t even know existed.  Thankfully, there was also much to see on the History Channel, the Science Channel, National Geographic, or the many other non-partisan and non-fiction channels.  The kaleidoscope of American television may be crazy, but that’s better than the insanity of partisan news.

Now bathed and refreshed, I reluctantly return to the real world of spin . . . with renewed cynicism and a new appreciation for my MUTE button.