Quoad vos vereor nos

This is going to sound a bit conspiracy theory-ish, but I'm okay with that...

So you ever wonder if the dumbing down, hypnotization, lowest-commen-denominator style of entertainment that is offered to children-- definitely since I used to be one, and probably before that-- is deliberate?

The power of creation and destruction comes from our imaginations, and our imagination is at its most fertile when we are younger, when we don't understand the laws of science and math, don't recognize the repetition of history, and have no real concept of law and order beyond that which gets us disciplined.
Mass entertainment, specifically television, somehow manages to keep us docile, keep our brains turned off, keep us from asking too many questions. Essentially, it puts locks and bars around our imaginations, guiding and limiting the way in which we use them.

I wonder if those grown-ups who dictate policy and attempt to manipulate the direction in which society flows feared so much the power of destruction in our imaginations that they were willing to sacrifice the power of creation in them as well.
If blinders and binders aren't fettered on our children, it stands to reason (at least a little bit) that we'd have more artists and appreciators of art. More scientists and a willingness for innovation and experimentation.

More than just a digital connection to the world, and perhaps therefore more of a feeling of responsibility for it.