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I understand that the man is trying to make a dramatic point. I think it also marks a saddening trend in American culture. We no longer see books as necessary to our lives, as things we love, as material things that are precious to us, as things to carry with us and collect. The printed word has ceased to be a symbol of how much leisure time a person has, and we have deemed it disposable.
Personally, I find that trend fairly repugnant, and am quite proud to say I have a personal library numbered in the several hundreds. I have amassed my collection of the printed word through many means, typically though I have prowled used bookstores, book exchanges, and Friends of the Library sales.
Though I did grow up in a house with as many TVs as people, we still had more books than most people I know. In the end, it's about balance. You can still watch TV and be a reader. Some people find no reason to pursue reading as an interest or escape, which is unfortunate, and one of the reasons I want to teach English. We have to make readers of people when they're young, or else we'll never make readers of them at all.
People can appreciate the written word without being absolute bibliophiles. There are still many of us out there, though, that are collecting books by the hundreds. Eventually, I am going to need a room just for my books.
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If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau
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