(no subject)

[alexeye]

bah. i'm having the cable t.v. disagreement with my roommates - since i moved in (and in the past year and a half that they've lived here), we've had free cable, due to some wiring snafu. now it's out, and they want to pay for it. i really don't - first of all, i'm making very little money, and the winter is coming (holidays and heating bills), and t.v. seriously affects my studies, because i'm totally lame and can't keep myself from watching it.

however, they consider cable a necessity. i don't think i should have to pay if i'm absolutely not going to watch. but then they'll resent me because they're splitting it one way instead of two.

am i wrong? because i consider cable to be a luxury, a luxury i'd rather not indulge in anymore.

Comments

[jessypie.livejournal.com]

No advice, only commiseration - I'm in the same boat of being the one roommate out of three who actively dislikes the idea of cable while the other two would prefer it. We've gotten around it for the time being by signing up for a Netflix membership ($20/month) and watching movies instead of having cable, but we've only been living together for a couple of months now, and I don't know what I'll do if the discussion comes up again. I'd almost rather live with no TV at all although I would miss the opportunity to watch DVDs from time to time.

The worst part is that even if you're the one who really doesn't want cable, you still get sucked into it if someone else has it on. In my old place, my roommate had the TV on all the time, and as there wasn't really any other "hangout" space in the apartment, I'd end up sitting in front of the TV for hours at a time too, watching completely unmemorable programming. And then you can't really argue that you don't want to pay for part of it, because your roommate(s) know that you were sitting there in front of the TV all month, even if you never once switched it on or chose what was on the screen. Ugh.

I can understand both sides of the disagreement, and I guess you should just explain your position to them as best you can and hope that they will understand and not expect you to pay for it. But don't be so insistent about it that it makes your living situation hell. I really hope for your sake that they are sympathetic and don't start charging you for something you don't even want. :/

[alexeye.livejournal.com]

your situation sounds exactly like mine. i'm really against paying for it, and i've lived without cable for years, so i'm perfectly capable of not watching it. they totally structure their lives around the t.v., and i just don't want to live like that.

i've lived in situations before where one roommate opted out of paying for cable, and simply never watched it. that's what i'd like to do here - i just hope they go for it.