--- Wojtek Sokolowski <sokol@jhu.edu> wrote:
"People who are not exposed to television tend to have a better 
understanding of society than those who are."

That's an outrageous slur! You seem to think that we can best 
understand society if we are outside it - an approach effectively 
criticised by Hegel back in 1808. TV is central to culture today - it's 
hard to see how you can seriously engage with society without watching 
it. The refusniks who condemn from afar understand less than they 
think. 

Anyway, back to The Sopranos. One of the things that I particularly 
like, and hasn't been mentioned yet, is how well it captures the world 
of work. (I acknowledge that I write from the perspective of a banker, 
here). The storyline where Chris gets 'made' is really about young 
professionals climbing the career ladder - the lawyer making partner. 
And the Ralphie falling out with Tony after killing his girlfriend is 
a great take on the sales/governance conflict in organisations. So much 
of it makes so much sense from inside a big organisation - it's the 
best thing since Machiavelli.

--James