To address the specific topic of forced TV viewing:

As a person who has made a decision to not watch TV, I have a real problem with televisions in public places. To me, television is a drug, just like alcohol or tobacco. The only real difference is that you don't have to ingest TV into your bloodstream. It goes straight from the box to the brain.

I do not smoke or drink. Restaurants provide me with a non-smoking area, and bars serve me non-alcoholic beverages. I also do not watch TV, but in many restaurants it is impossible to find a seat from which a television cannot be seen or heard. I have asked to be reseated to a TV-less area only to be told that such an area did not exist. A couple of times I have walked out and gone someplace else to eat, but it's a real pain-in-the-ass to have to do so. I shouldn't have to change my eating plans because I don't want the encroachment of television while I am trying to enjoy a meal for which I will be paying good money. Non-smokers have the right to not have their lungs polluted in restaurants. I think non-viewers should have the right to not have their minds polluted.

Bruce