For my blog post today about Nixon: Ruin and Recovery, 1973-1990, I'll highlight something that Stephen Ambrose says on page 378, about television.
"A
major difference between Nixon's generation and the baby boomers was
television...The baby boomers spent more time watching television than
they did in school, or in family activities, or in church, or at play,
or studying, or doing anything else...Much can be said about the effects
of television, obviously, but it cannot be said that it produced an
enlightened and educated citizenry. It did produce greed, and
disenchantment with politics, and cynicism, while reinforcing the sense
of self at the expense of community."
I wonder how that can be, when the 1960's had excellent shows such as Bonanza and the Andy Griffith Show, which teach good values.