Dear University News Editor:

I read with great interest your opinion piece on “How Netflix is shaping American society”. I commend you for addressing a huge cultural issue shaping our society. You ended the piece by stating “there also does not seem to be a clear path to counter the possible impacts that Netflix has on us as people.” Might I suggest the unthinkable: Cut the cord? Not just cancel the Netflix account, but also the cable subscription. At that point, why even have a TV? Partially based on the arguments you provided in your piece, I did all this about three months ago. Along with the TV went the stand, cords and DVD player. An issue then became what to put in its place? After all, the TV was in the most important spot in the living room. There is now a sofa there, and all of the humans are forced to face each other, resulting in levels of conversation reminiscent of days visiting my grandparents. When people aren’t around, time is filled reading or walking around the neighborhood.

Yet, the insanity didn’t end there; the internet went next. If you think ditching Netflix and your TV is difficult, losing the internet feels like you’re in the Peace Corps. Not to dismiss the Peace Corps, but it’s a similar feeling of being totally alone. At that point, the home office becomes relatively useless, since I can’t even print this page because the printer connects via Wi-Fi (gone).

All this said, there are serious drawbacks to this social experiment. First, the sense of boredom is much higher. Second, friends and family not being able to reach me easily strains relationships. And finally, not having access to instant information (i.e., Google Maps) requires a lot more planning.

Regards, Anonymous SLU Professor