Tuned in

I’ve never understood the allure of having a television in an office. Sure, it shows news and all that jazz, but I’ve always found it to be too distracting.

Maybe since I don’t normally watch TV I have this strange hypersensitivity to the thing, but I can’t not watch TV if it’s on. As soon as that high-pitched screen whine powers up, my mind goes numb, my eyes glaze over, and I start drooling.

Since my public affairs shop is so small, I’m with the S1 Personnel Office. Our office doesn’t have a working phone, a working stapler, or enough desks, but by God we have a 27-inch dual-voltage television with a satellite decoder.

And any veterans out there will feel my pain when I talk about having to watch the Armed Forces Network all day.

Not that it’s terrible – normally they show normal programming from the states, especially news, which they just feed on over. It’s the advertisements that get ya.

The military has broadcasters and creative-types (of which I am supposedly a member) that sit around and wait for their respective commanders to share what messages they want the people to hear. We call them “command messages.” You know, that whole “loose lips sink ships” sort of thing. But these helpful tidbits also drift into combating the ever-present specter for service members of substance abuse, financial woes, domestic violence, and emotional distress.

Commercials on AFN are a mix of straight propaganda and PSAs to urge military personnel to seek help if they have these problems.

Problem is, it’s so damn depressing. Every other commercial tells me I’m a depressed, drunk wife-beater with a gambling problem, and that I need help. By the time the news comes back on, chiming in with more real-life woes, I’m ready to jump off a damn bridge.

Luckily I’m not inside everyday to have to hear how screwed up I am. Bring on the heat!

P.S. more photos and posts on the way. I've been culling a list during the interim.

###