TV is a wasteland and the sanctimonious pledge breaks that PBS-affiliated stations like to run repeat the point endlessly to push the idea that their product is much better and worthy of support -- with donations as well as tax dollars. Compelling the unwashed to support "good causes" is, of course, the hat trick of the elites.
Tonight, on PBS' "History Detectives," the high-minded reached for Roger Rabbit to evoke the idea the we no longer use streetcars because of corporate conspiracies.
This is dumb (and weird) and has been shot down many times, first by economic historian George Hilton, (in 1976!) and many times since then.
It seems that the high-minded can be astonishingly closed-minded when venting their hatred for the automobile and its many fans. But cars are not just the staple of NASCAR-nation; BMWs and Volvos (and SUVs) and other fine cars can be found in the parking lots of better wine stores and organic food stores everywhere.