Televised Revolution

When we think of television, the first thing that may pop into our brains are sleazy "reality" television full of cat fights, shopping, and booze, or of deep south shows about ducks, guns, and wrangling alligators.
Television is this, of course, but it's a lot more than that too. Television has the power to change lives, minds, and societies.
Take Star Trek for example. Not the new, flashy, JJ Abrams Star Trek, but the old one with really bad graphics. Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry created something beyond a television show in the late 60s; he created material that was revolutionary. Utilizing the excuse of Science Fiction, he shot down the Imperialistic, Racist, Sexist, Capitalist establishment that, perhaps without knowledge, was publishing his work. I remember one episode in particular; the episode titled "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" features two duo-chromatic aliens, Lokai and Bele. At first glance they appear almost identical, but it becomes clear that Bele's people have subjugated and enslaved Lokai's for hundreds of years. The reason? Lokai is white on the right side and black on the left side, Bele is white on the left side and black on the right. The blatant ridiculousness of inequality based on skin color cannot be ignored in this context; nor in the real world. How could they justify themselves after having their own hypocrisy shown so obviously to them?
I think that episode--and the show in general--is one of the main reasons I decided to become a social activist. I see things every day that I can't accept, things I can't live with. So I try to speak out, to share my point of view, to bring awareness and understanding to the issues of the world. The future Star Trek offers us is possible; but not if we can't achieve equality. That's what TV taught me.