Luxury or Necessity?

[Tabby432]

Some facts from todays Philadelphia Inquirer:

U.S. households with cable or satellite TV: 84.7 million.
U.S. wireless-telephone subscribers: 97 million.
U.S. adults with Internet access: 104 million.

With predictions of the downturn of the economy on the horizon do you consider these items luxuries or necessities?
What would be the one you couldn't live without?

 

[DarlingBri]

Internet!

I don't own a television anyway, and I could theoretically live without my mobile phone, although I wouldn't want to test that theory.

 

[Sateema Lunasi]

I do not own a TV and have not had one for years, so i already do without that. I could do without my cell phone because I rarely use it anyway, but internet I could not do without because I run my business from there.

Also, my fiancee works from a virtual office. His work is based in Moscow Russia and he works through the internet all the way from Seattle.

 

[Ally C]

Some food for thought ...

... and not a direct answer. The new information age and all of the technological improvements we see ought to enable a better lifestyle, one would think. For example, there is no immutable law that says that the working week ought to be 40 hours, with unfeasible amounts of overtime in order to achieve a decent lifestyle. The items you refer to are 'luxury' items in a sense. Life can be far from 'luxurious', and I just wish that the pursuit of wealth could be determined in a more healthy way. I don't think it's outwith our abilities to shape the world in a way which allows for a better balance to be struck.

 

[Starfish]

I could live quite well, and have without any of them, as long as I can still get electricity to aerate my fish tanks, so my expensive ass fish don't die! AAAAAAHHHHGGGGG!

Umm...on second thought,the net!

 

[Bob Peale]

Hmmm

Don't think I'd be inclined to give up any of it...

For me, cable and internet access are one in the same (I've got a cable modem). Without cable, we have no reception, so cable means no TV, and considering that television and reading are the cheapest forms of entertainment, the cable going bye-bye would be a bad thing.

The cel phone I need as long as I have a job. It is my primary means of communication during the work day.

 

[Cheyenne]

Considering you are asking a bunch of addicted porn site people, you will probably get "Internet" as the answer from most of us. Including me. I waste my money on cable TV every month because I rarely watch it. I could do without my cell phone if I had to- it would just be much less efficient for me. But the Internet, losing access would drive me crazy.

 

[Wizard]

Nope Nope and Nope......I need them all..............

 

[brazenblaze]

Another vote for the Internet. I tossed my cell phone away the day I left recruiting, and I'm not a big fan of the TV. The kids would probably drive me nuts without the Cartoon Network, but I'd be willing to take that risk.

 

[CelestialBody]

 

[R Nitelight]

I lived 37 years without a computer.
Now I wonder how.
Internet. Definitely internet.