TV's Everywhere

I've noticed lately that more and more public and private venues are
installing large, flat-screen TVs. They are always on, tuned to CNN
or Fox News, or some sports channel. I'm not sure if this is the
same in other parts of the world, but it seems most Americans
tolerate or perhaps even want this, or why else would businesses
install them?

I notice people staring at them while they eat or stand in line
(even banks are now installing them). Between that and their 'smart'
phones, they seem distant and subdued. Conversation is
non-existent. I'm reminded of Bradbury's classic 'Fahrenheit 451',
which Bradbury himself said later in life was misconstrued to be
about state censorship.

"He says the culprit in Fahrenheit 451 is not the state -- it is the
people. Unlike Orwell's 1984, in which the government uses
television screens to indoctrinate citizens, Bradbury envisioned
television as an opiate." [0]

[0] http://www.laweekly.com/2007-05-31/news/ray-bradbury-fahrenheit-451-misinterpreted/