Perhaps it’s my upbringing, but I’ve never been a fan of television viewing instead of conversation at dinner. Some of my friends enjoy this practice, though, so I occasionally find myself crowded along one side of a table to find our primary mealtime entertainment in whatever program happens to be on. It’s not even that I abhor television in general; I would just rather spend a meal with friends or family in conversation, discussion, storytelling, or laughter.

I wonder if certain unhealthy relationships tend to last longer because of television as a mealtime entertainer. These meals count as time spent together, but because of the limited degree of interactivity, such a couple could spend an entire dinner without sharing more than a few sentences. Thus, conflict that would otherwise arise through discussion or conversation is avoided and delayed, the continuing lack of communication building toward the ultimate demise.

This is not to say that all television viewing disrupts relationships, but I think in many cases the replacement of interaction with television viewing creates a false sense of relational stability.