ABC, CBS, FOX & NBC Have Lost More Than 77% Of Their Market Share

[Max Rockatansky]

Both of my parents would have been way better off had they divorced in 1997.  My dad filed but ultimately backed out of following through with divorce proceedings.  My dad wasn't happy, had an affair and my mom never let it go.  He eventually got caught in another affair circa 2007 and pretty much lost everything when my mom took him to court.

Also, it really didn't help that my dad also got caught using my mom's credit to fund his second life with the woman he was having an affair with.  He had also stolen my credit information in addition to my siblings. 

[kphoger]

How snoring.

You spelled 'yawn' wrong.

[Rothman]

The older I get, the more acceptable justifications for divorce I add to the list, although I'm still wary of people thinking that the grass is always greener on the other side, so to speak.

I go to church with a guy that was burned by his own divorce, moved quite severely and vocally into the "most divorce is bad" camp and has held positions of some authority in our congregation.  I've concluded that his staunch position has done more harm than good in a lot of cases.

[kphoger]

People change. Dynamics change. Spending your entire life with someone you're not happy with should not be "imposed" on anyone just because, at one time, you assumed you'd be with that person for the rest of your life.

I guess, at that point, then I have to question what's the point of making marriage vows in the first place?

Will you have this woman to be your wife?  Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health?  And, forsaking all others, will you cleave only to her, so long as you both shall live, or at least until you decide you'd be happier somewhere else?

That last added bit just makes the vow lose its punch, doesn't it?  I mean, what's the point of promising to do something for only as long as you feel like it?

To me, the vows are the whole point of the wedding.  Everything else is just accoutrements surrounding the vows.

Again, I know you don't agree...

[JayhawkCO]

A wedding to me is basically a big party where you get all your friends and family around to celebrate how much you love your partner.

[kphoger]

A wedding to me is basically a big party where you get all your friends and family around to celebrate how much you love your partner.

Who needs marriage for that?

[Max Rockatansky]

A wedding to me is basically a big party where you get all your friends and family around to celebrate how much you love your partner.

Jessica and I didn't even want to hold a wedding.  We didn't even consider it until her family decided to chip in on decorating and making food.  They wanted the party, we didn't. 

[Max Rockatansky]

Murphy Brown

Why do some people give "last name first names" to girl babies, masculine names at that?

I have always liked feminine names for girl babies and the women they grow up to be.

There's something funny about this reaction coming from a name of a show that's been off the air for nearly 30 years.

Circling back to this my brother's youngest daughter is named Charlie.  The reason she was named as such is a reference to my dad.  My brother and my sister in law had all sorts of issues conceiving.  They wanted to name one of their kids after my dad and figured that was their only opportunity (they were correct). 

FWIW Charlie is by far the most stereotypical "girl" out of all my nieces.  I don't think having a somewhat masculine name affected her in the slightest.

[JayhawkCO]

A wedding to me is basically a big party where you get all your friends and family around to celebrate how much you love your partner.

Who needs marriage for that?

I mean, it's tradition. I celebrate Christmas every year with a tree, presents, cookies, etc. but basically it's just a reason to get the family together and hang out for me. I know it's probably hard for you to empathize, being a person of faith, but I don't really need a deeper meaning for everything I do. It was fun to have a wedding; it's fun to be married; so, we did it.

Also, you want a nerdy answer to your question? How about taxes and insurance.

[bugo]

You can watch TV with a computer (or phone, if you want to watch it on a tiny screen) for free if you're willing to sail the seven seas. It isn't exactly legal, but the cable/streaming companies' overcharging for a bunch of channels you don't want isn't exactly moral.

[kphoger]

Jessica and I didn't even want to hold a wedding.  We didn't even consider it until her family decided to chip in on decorating and making food.  They wanted the party, we didn't. 

There are things I'd do differently if I could go back in time.  One of them is that the party would be a lot less formal.  I love your taco truck idea, for example.

I mean, it's tradition. I celebrate Christmas every year with a tree, presents, cookies, etc. but basically it's just a reason to get the family together and hang out for me. I know it's probably hard for you to empathize, being a person of faith, but I don't really need a deeper meaning for everything I do. It was fun to have a wedding; it's fun to be married; so, we did it.

No, I get it.  It's just that all that stuff doesn't seem to require a marriage license.

Also, you want a nerdy answer to your question? How about taxes and insurance.

Yes, if you strip away all the commitment part of marriage, then that's what's left.

Ironically, that's actually what prevented my late half-sister-in-law from getting legally married.  She developed uterine (?) cancer at a very early age, and the prognosis was not good.  They decided to get married anyway.  But, shortly before the wedding, they figured out that there was no way for her to keep her health insurance if she married him.  They didn't inform any of us in attendance until we were already in our seats and the officiant was starting the ceremony.  So, instead of attending a wedding, we found out that we were technically just attending a big party to celebrate how much they loved each other.  I'm sure they made vows, but it's not like it was legally binding.  The whole thing was both really sweet and really sad at the same time.  And I was ticked off at the system because, instead of marriage being a financial advantage, it was instead a financially insurmountable hill.  I felt like they were cheated out of a real wedding and a real marriage.

[Max Rockatansky]

You can watch TV with a computer (or phone, if you want to watch it on a tiny screen) for free if you're willing to sail the seven seas.

High seas piracy sounds like fun games until you find out about the scurvy.

[JayhawkCO]

You can watch TV with a computer (or phone, if you want to watch it on a tiny screen) for free if you're willing to sail the seven seas.

High seas piracy sounds like fun games until you find out about the scurvy.

That's why you drink a margarita.

[Max Rockatansky]

You can watch TV with a computer (or phone, if you want to watch it on a tiny screen) for free if you're willing to sail the seven seas.

High seas piracy sounds like fun games until you find out about the scurvy.

That's why you drink a margarita.

Turns out convincing pirates to consume anything with citrus in it is an uphill battle.

[JayhawkCO]

You can watch TV with a computer (or phone, if you want to watch it on a tiny screen) for free if you're willing to sail the seven seas.

High seas piracy sounds like fun games until you find out about the scurvy.

That's why you drink a margarita.

Turns out convincing pirates to consume anything with citrus in it is an uphill battle.

I dunno. My son this morning had some orange juice.

[kphoger]

High seas piracy sounds like fun games until you find out about the scurvy.

That's why you drink a margarita.

Turns out convincing pirates to consume anything with citrus in it is an uphill battle.

They're all about that rum.  I'm sure they'd like a nice daiquiri better.  The trick, though, will be finding ice for the shaker.

[bugo]

You can watch TV with a computer (or phone, if you want to watch it on a tiny screen) for free if you're willing to sail the seven seas.

High seas piracy sounds like fun games until you find out about the scurvy.

That's what ad blockers are for.

[mgk920]

I don't mind OTA broadcast programming being an oasis of somewhat profanity-free content. We need to have at least a few content providers airing "clean" programming. Not everything needs to be at a rated-R or PG-13 level.

I feel sorry for parents raising kids in this age. They're facing a losing battle at sheltering young children from harmful content. The TV is the least of their problems. The stuff kids can access via an Internet-connected phone, tablet or computer is a whole lot worse.

It is getting harder to 'Bubblewrap' kids these days.  Yepper, the 20th century ended over a quarter century ago.  < sigh . . . >

Mike

[kphoger]

High seas piracy sounds like fun games until you find out about the scurvy.

That's what ad blockers are for.

Ad blockers neither prevent nor cure scurvy.  For that, if you have access to a heat source, then it's recommended to occasionally eat soup made from a variety of root vegetables.  (Note that, the longer you boil them, the less effective this will be.  Roasting would be even better.)  Otherwise, citrus is your friend.

[Beltway]

Circling back to this my brother's youngest daughter is named Charlie.  The reason she was named as such is a reference to my dad.  My brother and my sister in law had all sorts of issues conceiving.  They wanted to name one of their kids after my dad and figured that was their only opportunity (they were correct). 
FWIW Charlie is by far the most stereotypical "girl" out of all my nieces.  I don't think having a somewhat masculine name affected her in the slightest.

"Charlie" with ‑ie is historically a diminutive, not a gender marker. It began as a pet form of Charles for boys and only later migrated to girls as a nickname for Charlotte or Charlene. The fact that it reads feminine today is just cultural drift, not something inherent in the spelling.

I know a Samantha who is a woman but commonly goes by Sam. She is totally feminine.

[wxfree]

One of the new Star Trek shows has a female Michael (not Mikal or something like that).  That's new to me, but it isn't unheard of.  I've seen a couple of other female Michaels since then, now that I watch for them.  One is Michael Learned, who played a dying old lady on Scrubs.

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0495229/

[kphoger]

I know a Samantha who is a woman but commonly goes by Sam. She is totally feminine.

I think the only people I know who go by Sam are women named Samantha.  I'm not sure I know a single man named Samuel.

[JayhawkCO]

I know a Samantha who is a woman but commonly goes by Sam. She is totally feminine.

I think the only people I know who go by Sam are women named Samantha.  I'm not sure I know a single man named Samuel.

Just looked at the contacts of my phone. I have 5 Sams - 2 male, 2 female, 1 non-binary. Literally split 50/50.

[Beltway]

I know a Samantha who is a woman but commonly goes by Sam. She is totally feminine.

I think the only people I know who go by Sam are women named Samantha.  I'm not sure I know a single man named Samuel.

I knew one in high school age.

[kphoger]

As many LoTR nerds as I know, I'm surprised none of them has named a kid Samwise...