Unless you do not have a television, you are influenced by it. At your age, you have never known a time of no television, when books and radio and getting out and communicating with friends and neighbors was the norm. unfortunately, it is such a part of "today" that even if you isolated yourself, you cannot excape the influence it has on those around you. TV, and now the internet, are means of spreading information, as well as a great deal of mis-information and pure fantasy, this "information" is now shared between more people than ever, faster than ever. We learn by watching others, and by presenting the next generation with what presently passes for "entertainment", we are teaching them the things we dont want them to do. Ever watch Jackass? 10 or 15 yrs ago, that kind of stuff was pretty much unheard of, today it's accepted, imitators have popped up, SteveO's a millionaire and a hero to youth, people have been known to destroy their cars and houses in rigged attempts to be on "America's Funniest videos" seeking the same fame. I guess back in my day, the rough equivalent would be Evel Kneivel, and although he is one of my "hero's", there were two messages..look what we can do with a bike, now we have freestyle big air competitions, and the other messaage was Hey! I can get rich and famous by doing things that folks "with common sense" would never attempt. While WE may not be that stupid yet, we are teaching the next generation that it is at least somewhat normal behaviour. People are fond of ragging on the public school system, but the problem isn't the education system, it is poor parenting. Most parents think they are making sure their kids are getting an education by trying to live in the right place getting close to good schools, providing for all those things kids need, but very few parents actually teach their kids how to learn. All the teachers in the world can't teach someone who doesn't want to learn, and most kids see school as a great place to get away from home. Some parents do inspire in their kids a desire to learn, some kids learn this for themselves early and seem to do well in school in spite of poor curriculums and "liberal/gay agenda" teachers. Most kids don't, and like most kids for generations, just do what they need to get out, and are considered by the public at large, to be educated. But, learning never stops, and the most widely available source of "information" is TV. We are seeing the results of what we have taught our youth for a few generations now. Do your own research...go find some old folks (80+) and ask them what they like and dislike about TV, then do the same with 50-60 yr old folks, then 30s-40..and so on, you'll probably find the older a person is, the less entertainment value they get from a TV, and the more critical they'll be of the kind of programming that is available and the increasing youth at which it directed.
Sorry Mick, I didn't think much of that diatribe when I read it 4 or 5 yrs ago...
Pretty much made me think, yeah, people are stupid, always have been, always will be..myself included...
