Is Video Bad for Humans

My friend Scott and I were talking the other day. He usually has really interesting and insightful things to say.

He was talking about how he thinks that the emergence of video as such a common medium is bad for humanity.

His main reasons:
1) It is an easy way to manipulate people.
2) Video doesn't allow time to consider ideas as they are presented.
3) While watching video we are extremely passive physically.

I'm not sure that I agree with him. On one count, I know that a lot of people (myself included) can spend way too much time with an interesting show instead of actually doing things.... what?.... who said Battlestar Gallactica.... what? And don't get me started on people who like "Everybody loves Raymond" or whatever laugh track infested pile seems to be the popular thing on TV.

On the other hand, I've seen amazing documentaries that have "manipulated" me to think about something in a whole new way, or considering other possibilities that I hadn't before. As a science teacher, I was dying to get my hands on a Bill Nye video about electric current because there were some things that I just couldn't show them in class. And c'mon..... LOST is cool. It's just cool. How else would I make conversation with people;)

I don't know..... should we throw away to TV's?