I have the same gut reaction, but as counterpoint, I know some people that grew up with parents that really restricted viewing- not 'no tv at all', but close enough.
Later, the parents conceded that the media blackout backfired, as their kid couldn't relate to a lot of the things their peers were talking about- even if it is 'pointless bullshit'. They weren't like a social pariah or anything, but to this day, they feel uncomfortable in those conversations where you recall tv/movies growing up.
Not really defending tv, but there's probably a good middle ground that lets the kid still participate in their culture.
I suspect Hulu+, Netflix, Amazon' and similar will help. With some configuration it should be possible to control what your kids have access to, while still giving them broad access to media their generation is interested in. Compared to the option from 10+ years ago, which was pretty much all TV or no TV and maybe access to a video rental store and theaters for movies.
My parents had a 'restricted viewing' policy in the sense that a) we only had OTA TV, not cable or satellite; b) there were other things I was supposed to be doing almost all the time and c) we were too poor to go to the movies or rent movies.
I will freely admit that I don't get a lot of references to shows people watched growing up. But honestly, this is such a tiny thing I really doubt it's worth mentioning. If it comes up, you smile, nod, and move on.
I would certainly say I'm better for it - I spent time outdoors actually learning and doing things or reading instead. And sure, I read a lot of relative trash, but even the trash of the day contained references to real things that warranted looking up or learning. And I also ended up reading a lot of literature and nonfiction.
Later, the parents conceded that the media blackout backfired, as their kid couldn't relate to a lot of the things their peers were talking about- even if it is 'pointless bullshit'. They weren't like a social pariah or anything, but to this day, they feel uncomfortable in those conversations where you recall tv/movies growing up.
Not really defending tv, but there's probably a good middle ground that lets the kid still participate in their culture.