"And that's not because TV could not have been truly informative, just as books are. It's because it never really tried to be, because TV programming is just there so that you will tune in for a hour, watch the ads, and then go out later and buy whatever they're selling." Little Hawk

LH, that is still an overly broad brush you are plying. I can honestly say that I have never "...gone out later and bought whatever they were selling". And I'm far from alone. I know many people who do (or not do) the same.

Granted, I am of a "certain age" but most of my friends are markedly younger than I and yet they see with clarity and act with integrity.

Incidentally, there are times I wish that I watched more television, not less. There are shows, like Charlie Rose and some documentaries that are informative and thought-provoking. I could wish that I checked more assiduously what they display on any given day.