Is T.V. worth it?

Since moving away to college, I haven't had a T.V. While this was hard at first, it has become progressively easier (except during the US Open). I still love watching DVD movies on my laptop, but I think most TV is useless.

From an educational perspective, think about the war in Iraq. After all the news on Iraq, how much does the average American know about Iraq, Saddam Hussein, and the people that live there? Most people don't know much beyond that Saddam is a crazy, evil dictator of a country in the Middle East and that he may have been somehow how connected to 9/11 and therefore needed to be overthrown. Use yourself as an example. In the end, What do you actually know about Iraq? Do you have enough information to make an informed decision about whether what our country did was right? Let's say you've seen 50 hours of T.V. coverage. In that amount of time, you could have read 10 books on the subject and been an expert.

From an entertainment/relaxing perspective, I think the TV is pretty good. It is easy, passive, and there is usually something on that is at least somewhat interesting. At the same time, why not find ways to be entertained AND grow as an individual?

A great book I would recommend on the topic is Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman, a NYU professor.