What sort of person doesn’t watch television or surf the worldwide web? They would be so out-of-touch, so backward, so ignorant, so connected – a real loser, right?
Maybe not. According to the UK Daily Mail, Pope Francis hasn’t watched television since making a promise to the Virgin Mary in 1990 – and has never used the internet. Despite all this media deprivation, the Holy Father leads and Roman Catholic Church and would seem to be having considerable impact on the world.
He must be paying attention to other things.
Unlike the Pope, I do watch television (especially the Chicago Black Hawks games) and my work demands daily use of the internet. But as shocking as this may sound, Pope Francis and I have both never seen some television shows I hear discussed all the time on the radio. (I know, how old-fashioned can you get? – I like to listen to the radio – mostly AM talk.)
Mad Men, The Good Wife, Walking Dead, Keeping up with the Kardashians, Breaking Bad or The Sopranos.
Pope Francis has never seen these programs – and neither have I. I have not given up television entirely, but at least I’m selective. (Go Hawks!)
