Typical smarmy Economist stuff. The couch potatoes buy the products that support the Economist readership who, in turn, look down their City noses at the untermenschen.
Where does Coronation Street fit into all of this?? arthur -----Original Message----- From: Keith Hudson [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Friday, December 13, 2002 9:42 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: A life of fissure Here's the first paragraph from an item by Martin Vander Weyer in "The World in 2003" -- a booklet of mild futurology that's published by the Economist every year: <<<< A LIFE OF LEISURE In one important aspect of their lives -- how they spend their spare time in 2003 -- Britons will divide, depressingly, into two quite separate categories. There will be those who use their leisure actively and intelligently. For them there will be a wider range of choice than ever before: but they will form only one third of the population. The rest, perhaps some 30 million people, will do next to nothing with their time other than shop and watch television. These two "activities" have reached such saturation levels that for many Britons, little changes from year to year: they remain obsessive consumers and incorrigible couch potatoes. Two-thirds of adults will not go out to sports or cultural events as a matter of habit, and will read less than a dozen book during the years; their children will spend ten hours watching the box for every one with a book, and the whole family will be gripped by gossip about the "reality" TV shows which will be gripped by gossip about the "reality" TV shows which will top the ratings. >>>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------- Keith Hudson,6 Upper Camden Place, Bath BA1 5HX, England Tel:01225 312622/444881; Fax:01225 447727; E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ________________________________________________________________________
