You had me at "…brings pretzel salads to pot lucks."

Mr. Hassenger…

How come I get no praise for MY efforts???
http://www.amazon.com/Fifty…

As bizarrely interesting as the show was, even more bizarre is the author's bizarre slam of the medium: "the variety show was once such a ubiquitous fixture of the entertainment world that audiences were socialized to see it as natural when it was anything but". yeah…BUT…that's true of ANY out-of-date art form. …

…and here I was thinking I was just gonna sell some books!

You should share links to the reading you've done. That might be more compelling.

True. But there's nothing wrong with a society engaged in moral discussion about what may or may not be healthy in the long term. Plus, I'm not sure I agree with your statements that "nothing…indicates a societal problem linking violence and sexuality". And I don't think reasoned, academic, behavioral research is…

Well said.

You wanna talk about boning??? How bout— "The Death Star slipped silently through space as Darth Vader stood stoically by the port window peering out at the blackness of the galaxy.

I resent the Fifty Shades crack. Nonetheless, it does remind me how first Britney, then Kim K, and now Kanye have all said, proudly, that they don't read. Sigh…mebbe I *am* part of the problem. I apologize, kids.