In America, we're obsessed with our diets. Diet books top the best seller lists week afer week. Adkins, Jenny Craig, Slimfast, Richard Simmons and others have made billions.
Why?
It is undisputed that what you take into your body, what you eat affects your health. Were you to say otherwise, people would think you an imbicile. And they would be right.
However, tell someone that a steady diet of sex and violence in the media affects people's mental health and the way they think about things and they'll call you a rube and a puritan and so on.
Why?
You put junk in your body and you get fat, weak and unhealthy. Put junk in your brain, same thing. You know there are two types of people. The American Idol/reality TV person and normal people. Do you have any doubt that the people on Jerry Springer's show aren't avid viewers? Do you think they're watching reality TV or, say, the History Channel?
I like mindless distraction as much as the next guy but the voyeuristic nature of dirty laundry shows like Springer and the gratuitous sex and violence are really not a good thing. I think we need to keep the airwaves clean far more than we're doing now. Put the risque shows on cable and satellite. Howard Stern was always the poster child for what's wrong with the media in this regard. Now he's safely behind the firewall of subscriber services where he should be. Adults should be allowed to see and hear that which they wish but there have to be controls to keep the free and public sphere cleaner.
Why?
It is undisputed that what you take into your body, what you eat affects your health. Were you to say otherwise, people would think you an imbicile. And they would be right.
However, tell someone that a steady diet of sex and violence in the media affects people's mental health and the way they think about things and they'll call you a rube and a puritan and so on.
Why?
You put junk in your body and you get fat, weak and unhealthy. Put junk in your brain, same thing. You know there are two types of people. The American Idol/reality TV person and normal people. Do you have any doubt that the people on Jerry Springer's show aren't avid viewers? Do you think they're watching reality TV or, say, the History Channel?
I like mindless distraction as much as the next guy but the voyeuristic nature of dirty laundry shows like Springer and the gratuitous sex and violence are really not a good thing. I think we need to keep the airwaves clean far more than we're doing now. Put the risque shows on cable and satellite. Howard Stern was always the poster child for what's wrong with the media in this regard. Now he's safely behind the firewall of subscriber services where he should be. Adults should be allowed to see and hear that which they wish but there have to be controls to keep the free and public sphere cleaner.
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