Television is blamed for so much of what is wrong with society. I am not an apologist for the entertainment industry. I don't think that everything it presents is worthwhile, and I believe most people spend way too much time being entertained. Personally, I think that television has done more to destroy social life than any other single factor. However, it seems we only hear about the harm it causes. Since television isn't about to disappear, we need to recognize its beneficial sides.

I strongly believe that television deserves major credit for reducing racism. Racism has been on a steady decline in recent decades and I think that television has had more to do with this than the combined efforts of legislators, school programs, and tolerance organizations.

How does racism get reduced? The best way is by contact between groups. When we get to know each other as human beings, the stereotypes disappear and we become more tolerant and compassionate towards each other. Unfortunately, most people tend to limit their close relationships to those of their own groups. Television brings people of all backgrounds right into our living rooms. We love entertainment because it is great fun to suspend reality while vicariously living through the characters' experiences. Watching a good movie or show can be a more effective learning tool than the best lectures, which is why more people eagerly pay to attend movies and plays than to attend lectures.

Last week, when I was flying, I got to see the movie, Remember the Titans, starring Denzel Washington as a Black high school football coach. It is hard to imagine any lecture doing a better job of teaching racial tolerance than this film. Anyone who watches a movie like this and doesn't give up his/her racist attitudes is seriously disturbed. And Remember the Titans is not unusual. Many movies and shows will have a similar effect.

I recommend Remember the Titans for a couple of additional reasons. One, I was impressed how the protagonist refuses to let anyone treat him or the Black students as victims in any way, practicing what I have been writing about in these newsletters on anti-Semitism. Two, there is a great locker room scene that illustrates what I teach about humor. One kid insults another kid's mother. That kid starts getting mad. A third kid throws out a mother insult. Before long, they are all insulting each others' mothers and laughing their heads off.

Three cheers for Hollywood.