The first truth that the media is an essential aspect of our lives I would have to agree with. Unless you are willing to literally live in a cave, isolated from civilization, there is no way to get through a day without being exposed to the media. Whether we tune it out consciously it a choice that we can make, but that would have to be an actual choice, as soon as you leave your dwelling you will be exposed to billboards, car maker logos, radio broadcasts, news, etc. before you even begin your day at work or school. That is before you even take into account any aspect of using media for entertainment by reading a book, magazine, watching television, or going to a movie.
I would also agree with the sixth truth, or principle, that activism and analysis are not always the same thing. One thing that always bothered me growing up was how I was being told that reading certain books, or playing certain games would immunize me to violence. I believe there is a clear distinction between fantasy violence presented in something such as a video game, and taking the huge psychological leap to being able to physically perform violence. I have played video games, or "murder simulators" as the activists call them, and despite all their studies that prove that I should be a high-strung time bomb ready to lay waste to my workplace or school, I tend to think I'm a pretty normal person. The times I have been confronted with violence, I have done what I consider to be the sane thing to do and gotten out of Dodge. This video clip from the show Penn & Teller: Bulls..t is from a piece they did on whether video games do blur the lines of reality for children on fantasy versus real violence. There is adult language in the clip, but if you skip ahead to the 2:25 mark for the conclusion you'll skip...some of it.
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