GL & Boycotting

With Guiding Light's cancellation, I've seen numerous people state they will either give up CBS and/or P&G products. From the outside perspective this may look somewhat daft, but as someone who has done this it really may not be. When it comes to P&G products, I started boycotting them in the mid-90s.

I was disgusted by what was going on with Another World, As the World Turns and Guiding Light in 1996. The shows all were upsetting to me. On some level, it felt
good to pass P&G items in the store and not buy them. That said I do buy some P&G products now as the anger decreased over the years.

What is kind of funny is with GL's cancellation; I am not going to boycott CBS or P&G. I won't necessarily add any new CBS shows to my TiVo, but I will peruse their fall schedule. Perhaps part of why I won't boycott it is due to the fact, my frustration is not unidirectional. I don't solely blame CBS for the cancellation. The fact I watch some reality shows, some sports and David Letterman a couple of times a month doesn't change anything.

That said, in the past, I've given up a station due to a cancellation. When the channel now called Syfy canceled Farscape, a year into a two-year contract extension, I was livid. Since then, outside of watching the final episodes of Farscape and the wrap-up mini-series, I've intentionally avoided them. I've maybe watched maybe 20 hours of programming on that station since Farscape ended. Skipping Star Trek reruns, Roswell reruns, reruns of shows I would have wanted to watch on any other channel, Stargate and many more. The cult of Battlestar Galactica flew right by me too. It has been over five years now, and I have no interest in watching that channel.

At this point, it isn't anger, disgust or the principle that is keeping me from Syfy, but the worry that I may start liking another show on the station and they
will pull it before there is a satisfying conclusion. I never stopped watching any of their related stations like NBC or USA either.

Getting back to Guiding Light, I can understand if someone no longer watches CBS as if anytime they saw the eye logo the first thing that came to mind was FUCBS. That isn't a great way to enjoy television. This is sort of how I feel when it comes to older material. I used to love watching episodes of Guiding Light from years back, but no longer am able to do so. I see characters I miss, actors I miss, and stories I miss. Then I wonder where and why it all went wrong. I can't enjoy what was because I still hurt due to what was lost. Watching recent episodes usually doesn't affect me in this manner, but once the show goes off the air, I don't know how long it will take for me to look back without some sadness.

Everyone needs to do what they must. If boycotting makes things easier, carry on and know others have been in your place, but if you choose to continue watching CBS, stations related to it, and using P&G products, that's fine too. There is no right way to be a fan.