[NewRomeTacitus]

I respect that but, in order to advance on a personal basis, we have to acknowledge advancing technologies and it's power over the publics' perception of itself. You are admirable for deflecting the mostly-wasteful influence of television but are inversely lamed by fellow citizens flinging references to it and finding you as alien as captured enemies not knowing anything about the World Series during WWII.

Don't feel I'm criticizing you for something I'm not subject to: the recent trend in television (on the major networks) are trashy and cheap soap-operatic "reality" series that put common people lusting for fame through humiliating hoops and travails for high ratings with low overhead. I can't watch that LCD garbage. It's a BAD THING.

Inversely, that trend has made me appreciate the traditional fiction writers getting their messages across more than ever. From the old Twilight Zone to todays' few remaining slots for shows where creative thinking is allowed with a decent budget (most financed through non-traditional means), quality stories are still available for viewers who scan their options diligently.

But I'm still adamant that rap equals crap.

[durasell]

I do watch some TV, mostly flipping through the channels. However, over recent years I become convinced that TV has turned from benign into something destructive.

This stems from the fact that many children simply do not know how to watch TV. They don't understand the purpose of the medium or how it operates. That is to say, they accept what they see at face value.