Robert Zeis Daily Columnist Over the last 50 years, the television has gradually worked its way into the fabric of American life. It entertains, informs, pleases and disgusts us.
Few people are without a single TV in their home, and millions have more than one.
Many politicians and public figures are fed up with what is on those TVs now. They think the seedy situations portrayed both on factual and fictitious shows are harming people's minds, especially children. They claim that TV has caused the moral degradation of society and can be blamed for various social problems. Some even go so far as to accuse TV of causing many recent tragedies, including last month's mass shooting at a Jonesboro, Ark., middle school. The content in many of today's most popular shows gives ammunition to these critics.