I recently went shopping with a friend. She went to a variety store and put several items in her basket.
At the checkout, she started conversing with the cashier. The cashier rang up most of the items but hadn’t rung up a phone card (retail value $39.99). I was wondering whether the cashier forgot to do so, because she was distracted by the conversation. I hasten to add that my friend was not purposely trying to distract the cashier.
Children’s leisure opportunities expanded across the twentieth century, but adults worried whether motion pictures, new genres of music, and television programs exerted pernicious effects upon children. There was cause for concern, as even well-meaning producers could sometimes send mixed messages.
