All the Better to Read Books

It's TV Turn-off week. I've got to say that I somewhat object to the slogan at left, only because I think TV is part of culture, and culture is part of life, and it's all worthy of intelligent, reasoned (well, usually) criticism and analysis. People who watch inordinate amounts of TV aren't dead or absent; they're extraordinarily present, in that what they like and don't like directs all kinds of things that get made and used and thought about, by TV-watchers and non-TV watchers alike. No amount of preaching to the choir is going to change that. And also I think that some TV is actually pretty interesting. Does that mean I objected when OlderKid wanted to turn off the movie we were watching last night and go upstairs and read books, though? Certainly not. (Though I was a little sad since it was the glorious Muppet Movie, shockingly (by today's standards) full of guns, violence, and a funny Steve Martin.)