What do you think? Does the quality of what's on offer reflect the culture as it is now, or does it manipulate it?

Yes I certainly do think so. The separation is just that they're not the SAME thing, that's all.

Advertising and modern culture are inextricably linked don't you think? Advertisers manipulate popular culture to increase sales and create trends. So, I don't really see a separation between the two.

Rupert Murdoch’s Twentieth Century Fox corporation has admitted to plantingpolitical brainwashing withinits globally popular TV shows and indeedboasts that it is proud of the fact.
A corporate video currently being showcased on another part of Murdoch’s media empire, MySpace.com, showsFox executives and stars of its universally recognized shows bragging about howthey use the platform of hit shows that are broadcast globally toimplant messages about the supposed threat of global warming.
This is not the first time Fox have been enthusiastic in propagandizing for the establishment. In 2003, Rupert Murdoch himself admitted that the corporation had “tried” to help the Bush administration sell the war in Iraq.
The text accompanying the video states, “In 2006, News Corp. embarked upon a company wide initiative to reduce the size of its carbonfootprint.”
The means by which this “initiative” was carried out is then made clear by a plethora of clips from Fox’s most popular shows – the Simpsons, King of the Hill, Family Guy, Prison Break – whichare all loaded with messages about global warming and the need to do something about it.
“What could we do on a practical level to start making a difference,” asks oneexecutive before another answers, “The biggest thing we’ve done is inserting messages about the environment into some of our content.”
In other words, Fox has embarked on a deliberate campaign, which could only have beendone with the coordination of the script writers of eachprogram, to force people to accept the pseudo-science of global warming by brainwashing them into accepting it as areality. This has beenachieved by weavingin messages about climate change and having popular characters in the TV shows embrace specific tenants of the global warming manifesto.

Ironically, last night Nova (one of the few really intelligent shows on TV) had a special on what happened with hurricane Sandy. It wasn't stated specifically, but much of the focus was on the incredible number of people who were warned, but stayed in the storm, near the coast, and sometimes died. Many had no provisions. Even in this world of mass instant communications, they didn't listen.

That is because in the past, with hurricane Irene, they were also warned and Irene did not reach them. They did not believe the warnings.

And your point is?

When the government lies to the people over and over and they terrorize them with stories of terrorists that don't exist, eventually people stop listening to them.

Just like the boy who cried wolf.

When I was a child we were told that in the event of a nuclear attack we were to hid under our desks. That's laughable.

Then when threats of dirty bombs were being spread about we were told to buy duck tape for the windows.

Its no wonder no one listens to the government for crap sake.

So now, that finally they predicted something accurately they are driving home the message: DO WHAT YOUR GOVERNMENT TELLS YOU OR ELSE.

Give me a break.

You don't think there is any difference between the Administration and the National Weather Service? The path of the hurricane was actually predicted first by the European Weather Service.