bruiser_boy

I felt awful this afternoon due to sleep problems, gloomy weather, and stress, and suddenly felt myself overcome by the need to quietly unwind and study in a familiar environment. With that in mind, I ducked into the Den at Bates College, and ordered a cup of tea.
When I was in high school, I used to at least three to six hours a week in the Den, drinking coffee and goofing off with my friends. It was kind of my sanctuary back then.
They had installed a plasma screen TV up against one of the walls since the last time I was in there. I felt violated. Someone was watching ESPN or some other sports news show with the volume up way too loud. Music I can drown out, but the inane chatter of semiliterate former athletes passionately discussing batting averages and acting appalled by steroid use was hard to ignore. After sipping my tea for a little while longer, I realized that this makes up for my friends' insistence back in the day of playing They Might Be Giants and The Rocky Horror soundtrack incessantly whenever we were in there. Still, while I enjoy occasionally watching TV at home, I really hate the notion of televisions in public, and especially in places like coffee shops that are generally considered meeting places of the intelligentsia. First of all, in any social area, there will never be consensus on what to watch, and what is entertainment gold to some, maybe be utter shit to others. Furthermore, if an establishment is designated as a place to relax, study and hold discussions, wouldnt a TV seem out of place?
Maybe Im just getting crotchety in my mid twenties.