s;s Total Request Live can show a child a re-enactment of JFK's assassination,
             done by Marylin Manson, in one of the most popular videos of the week. The words of the song,
             however true and relevant they may be, are lost in the image, in closeup and slow motion. Vidoes
             by pop bands, while less violent, are no less disturbing in their objectification of humans and in their
             motion sickness inducing, rapid-fire images. They cater to a generation that already suffers from
             shortened attention spans by providing whirling sights that can be easily understood in the
             half-second they are shown. They show a world of anger, violence and cynicism. True, they often
             reflect the feelings and actions in parts of the nation, but also bring those to the sight of
             impressionable children who would not otherwise have known of it until they were much older. At
             the same time, the video-babysitter separates child from parent and makes us reluctant to ask what
             these images meant. After all, we are led to identify with the musicians and models in the videos,
             and they often assure us that our parents do not understand and cannot be trusted.
             The information we soak up through these vignettes generally point to a distinct set of
             values, at odds with those of our parents. While they ask for respect and obedience within reason,
             we learn that adults are the outsiders, the butt of jokes and objects of ridicule, probably not very
             bright either. The regular television shows that we sit down to watch, often with our parents, are
             not much better. It has become much cooler to defy and be irreverent than to listen. This is
             certainly nothing new, one need only look at the flappers of the 1920s to see that youthful rebellion
             has been around for as long as anyone still alive can remember.
             It does seem, however, that the adolescent exuberance and resistance of the Baby
             Boomer generation became something very different...