Parents who don’t allow television watching in their homes think TV is filled with evil magic, according to Wake Forest University professor Marina Krcmar. This makes sense if you’ve turned on VH1 during the last five years at all, then become hypnotized by Rock of Love or I Love New York. Apparently though, these parents also think that not watching television boosts their mojo.

Wake Forest University reports:

“Living without the Screen” is an in-depth study of American families and individuals who choose not to watch television. It will be published Aug. 28 by Routledge. 

Krcmar wanted to find out why some people permanently turn off the TV, while the average American watches three hours of television each day.

“Non-viewers perceive television to have power,” Krcmar said. “They believe it can steal time, can affect consumer behavior and can influence how autonomous children are.”

… They all believed themselves to be unusual and generally liked being different.

Not watching television was part of their family identity. Krcmar found the non-viewers were more engaged with family and friends than their TV viewing counterparts.

Many who did not watch TV rejected the entire television industry as immoral or unethical. By rejecting the industry, they felt they gained power in their homes, Krcmar said. 

The real magic of television seems to be warding off these power-hungry fascist parents from the normal segment of the population.