I stopped at 7-11 last night and the clerk was talking about this cool drinking game based on the TV show Big Bang Theory.  It seems that you watch the show and whenever a character does or says the trigger, you drink. Details can be found at http://weknowawesome.com/2012/03/17/the-big-bang-theory-drinking-game/ and other locations.   I said to him, “Well, you could do that with any show.”  He thought for a moment then replied, “Yeah, but Big Bang Theory is so cool!”

On the way out I realized that this fellow had been the recipient of a viral marketing campaign.   The main demographic of the show, men in their early twenties are in their prime binge-drinking years. If they can be convinced to take a shot every time a character says the word “sex” or some such thing well, you can sell an awful lot of booze that way.

The question that comes to my mind is:  “Does what we do every day as teachers help to inoculate the kids against that type of manipulation?  Or does it make them more susceptible?”  Alternatively:  “Does our educational system make students more observant, more aware, or not?”  At this point I’m concerned that the answer may be “not”.