Can Expats Live Without T.V.? Should You? 
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Reuters/NYTimes.com just ran a story about some of the television-free options available to U.S. expats who want to watch their T.V. shows from home. While there are more options available to expats other than the ones covered in article, it does a decent job of evaluating some of the hardware and services that can get the job done.

What was more interesting to me is that the article was filed under the artsbeat section of the Times. It got me to thinking about whether or not T.V. is actually art. The article mentions "American Idol," of which I've never watched a single episode, and one of the many reasons is that it seems to be more about the business of music and show biz personalities than music. I've written on ExpatExchange.com a lot about how every person needs to figure out for themselves what will help them settle in abroad, and if that means channeling some of the banal comforts from our American culture, than so be it.

What I'm most curious about though is how many Americans abroad decide to forgo American television, or television altogether, and how easy or hard is it to make that decision? I'm not advocating it one way or another, but it seems relevant given the research that has established the impact television habits can have on individuals. How does it impact the expat experience?

Posted: Fri, 25 Sep 2009