>Brainwashing. Pure brainwashing. They have all been brainwashed, and
>alienated from their true selves. They don't like Terminator IV:
>Infiltrator. They just think they do.
>
>Brad DeLong, off to see "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"
Well, I agree we have a 'revealed preference' here. But what the hell use is 'revealed preference' as far as notions go? I mean, how did the preference get there - does it represent something essential to humanity? To you? To you right now? Is the preference for seeing a movie, or for seeing this particular movie? Would you see another if the movie menu was different? Will you be glad you saw the thing?
What's wrong with the idea that our preferences can be created/manipulated? And what's wrong with the idea that, if profit is the incentive for that creation/manipulation, our interests as a[nother] society may not necessarily be advanced by said creation/manipulation? Or the idea of mass marketing creating the kind of mass mulch I talked about? Or that the decimation of our own audio-visual sector (on account of we can't match Terminators spectacle budget due to market size and the fact that Yanks have trouble with our accent and our colloquial allusions - not to mention our dependence on you lot for marketing) might not be a good thing?
They all seem worthwhile notions from here ...
Off to bed, Rob.