Reply #63: I agree with everything you said but

[marions ghost]

I think we should blame the sellers of swill, not the pigs at the end of the trough.

Frank Zappa who I think was a genius, still was not mainstream.

About the only thing I've seen that can compete with TV's ability to mesmerize the mainstream is an evangelical Christian pep rally. (And those can certainly backfire).

People need something to connect them, to reassure them, to distract them. These are deep psychological needs exploited by TV. Until we can provide an alternative, don't expect large numbers of people to kill their TVs and go sit on a rock watching the sunset instead.