Read the following excerpt:

Is the TV industry's manipulation of our minds and emotions a danger to us? This issue has been around for a long time but has been intensifying in recent years. Those who believe the "manipulation" is dangerous point to the following devices and their purported effects:

• • Biased news programs give us one side of every story and thereby deny us the breadth and depth of information necessary to carry out our duties as citizens.
  • Confrontational talk shows, populated by guests with polar opposite views and no interest in any perspective but their own, extol anger and rudeness rather than respectful, reasoned discussion.
  • Laugh tracks and applause tracks in comedy shows induce us to laugh at what is not funny and thereby prevent our sense of humor from developing beyond the level of junior high school.
  • The artificial pace and excitement of dramatic programswith their constant shifts among several plot lines, gratuitous sexual encounters, explosions, car chases, and other sensory appealsmake us disappointed with the natural pace of daily life.
  • The multiplication of scenes of violence in crime showsgraphic depiction of a violent crime and close-ups of the victim at the scene, in the laboratory, in the villain's mental flashbacks, and so onerode our natural and healthy sense of horror and revulsion.
  • The number, noise level, and artificial excitement of commercials force us to be distracted and thereby shrink our attention span.
  • The emotional appeals of commercialsthis product will make you happy, healthy, successful, lovedtempt us to want what we don't need and buy what we can't afford.

Those who disagree with these claims argue that all the devices other than those related to commercials make television more interesting and entertaining and that the devices used in commercials are unavoidable because the sponsors pay for the programming and have a right to present their products to good advantage. They also claim that viewers can distinguish between TV and real life.

Post: Be sure to identify two opposing points. Then assess the strengths and weaknesses of each. If you find that one view is more insightful than the others but that they all make some valid points, construct a view of your own that combines the insights from all views and explain why that view is the most reasonable of all.