3B
Magazine Editor:
Ian DIllingham
Deputy Editor:
Natalie Gadbois
Design Editor:
Jake Wellins
Photo Editor:
Luna Anna Archey
Creative Director
Cheryll Victuelles
Editor in Chief:
Jennifer Calfas
Managing Editor:
Lev Facher
Copy Editors:
Hannah Bates
Laura Schinagle
Emma Sutherland
THE statement
“I’ve never had a community like (New Life) in my life,
where people invest in your so much and care about your
feelings. I would be walking to class, having a hard day and
people would say, ‘Can I just pray for you right now?’ ”
–LSA junior Gabe Baugher
VIEW MORE AT MICHIGANDAILY.COM
When Netflix comes to India
O
n a typical summer day,
I’m presented with a lot
of
choices.
Too
many,
it seems. I can keep watching
“Hannibal”, which I’ve already
decided is amazing and the most
visually unique thing I’ve seen on
TV, but which I can’t seem to keep
watching. I could start a new show
— maybe “Orphan Black”? I’ve
wanted to see that for a while. Or
I could get around to finishing that
Jonathan Franzen novel that I’ve
sworn to all my friends is so good.
Actually, maybe I should just go to
the gym.
This pisses me off.
Netflix and the rise of instant
entertainment
have
decimated
any sense of commitment when
it comes to pastimes. When you
pop in a DVD — or a VCR, for
that matter — you’ve essentially
declared yourself to this movie.
You now have a quite compelling
obligation to finish this, no matter
the quality. I can’t tell you how
many movies are gathering dust at
the end of my “Continue Watching”
section on Netflix.
And, to my surprise, it became
more difficult to sit down and tear
through a good book this summer.
I can vividly remember when
reading came as easily to me as
watching a rerun of “The Office”
does today. Two summers ago, I
re-read the entire Harry Potter
series in one week. This summer,
I’ve finished my fair share of books,
but it felt like I had to work for it. It
was something I had to conceive of,
plan out, and execute rather than
simply lying on the sofa and doing
it.
On one hand, having this many
TV shows, movies, books, music,
and more at my fingertips is a
luxury. But I do wish it were more
simple. When I visited India this
year, I was reminded of one aspect
of the culture, of a place I had
visited countless times before, of
people I’d loved and who’d loved
me back since before I was born:
simplicity.
My cousins all wake up in the
morning, eat breakfast, and go to
school. They come back, they eat
something, and then go out and
play for hours. Dinner, and then
homework, and then bedtime. On
the weekends, they spend time
with their families— go out to a
movie, do some shopping, help in
the kitchen. These are their lives.
For
years,
I
had
always
looked down on my cousins,
condescending and patronizing,
internally lamenting their lack of
driver’s licenses and freedom. This
year, I felt something different. I
realized I was instead jealous —
and I was an asshole.
They never fret about whether
or not their friends are hanging out
without them, or worry about how
many likes their profile picture
will get. No one really works out,
because
people
would
rather
eat their mother’s home-cooked
food and feel satisfied than eat a
kale salad and feel crappy. If they
don’t do their homework, they’re
scolded, but more playfully, in a
way that, in the end, they know
it’s all part of life and sometimes
you’d rather spend time with your
friends than do work.
Compare that to academic life
where I grew up, where a failed test
or assignment came with the side
effects of crippling worry, reduced
college aspirations, and panicked
attempts to regain your standing
among your peers. Their choices
aren’t “Hannibal”, the gym, or
“Freedom” by Jonathan Franzen,
but rather food, friends, and family.
When I asked my cousin what
he watches on TV one day, he said,
“Just whatever comes on. I think
Netflix will be big in India soon,
hopefully.”
I
thought
to
myself,
just
as
condescendingly,
just
as
patronizingly, just as selfishly, I
hope not.
B Y N A B E E L C H O L L A M PAT
LUNA ANNA ARCHEY/DAILY
CONNOR BADE/DAILY
THOUGHT BUBBLE
VISUAL STATEMENT
Wednesday, September 9, 2015 // The Statement
LIFE ON THE LAKE