*Tips hat at the timely Dylan Thomas line*

And yet, what do you expect? The MTV pop poop is the shining beacon on the hill, the quintessence of Modern Democracy that we're all expected to venerate at face value on this side of the pond: settle the majority's basic desires - bread and circus - so be it.

'Quality' and 'popularity' are antonyms - and besides, 'quality' is more EXPENSIVE than the alternative, while PROFIT - not enlightenment - is the God of the Awesome Media. Why bother to fetch them honey, when people are willing to eat shit?

-Kingzjester

I agree and I disagree.

I disagree more or less on principle, because he is, unfortunately, quite right.

I disagree because I don't want to succumb to the awful truth, and I still have faith in the human race.

See, quality isn't necessarily more expensive or less profitable than mediocrity.

In theory.

Give the right people the right tools, stop underestimating the unwashed masses, and the tide may be turned. There is yet time. Yes, people will eat the dish they've been served, regardless of what's in it - and if there is no honey, they'll sprinkle sugar on the brown stuff and gorge themselves - but they can taste the difference. And once they have learned that there's an alternative, they won't want to go back.

In theory.

In actuality, however, it's becoming increasingly hard to make a case for quality. The right people obviously don't possess the right tools, nor are the networks, publishers, and studios willing to take a risk on something that might not immediately pay off.

Which, when you think about it, is very, very strange, because audiences respond to quality. Time and again, when given easy access to the alternative, they will pick honey over shit. Quality smells sweeter, tastes better, and lasts longer. Quality will pay off in the end, a hundred times over.

In theory.

So while I generally agree with what Kingzjester is saying, I also disagree, because I want to believe that he's wrong. I want to believe that good taste will always prevail; that audiences will vote with their wallets and turn their backs on mediocrity; and that quality, in the end, will be victorious.  ¶ 20:59