Probably not. Not everyone needs to be an expert in every conceivable topic. I think society would be better if people had at least a basic understanding of current events so it weren't so easy to mislead the general public.

Science never misleads... /s

I guess my primary complaint is that the author assumes the ignorant masses can learn nothing useful from "Friends". Plenty of academians have had epiphanies during a break from studying/working.

Anyone who claims to know the single event that brought down Rome is a fool.

I mean, I don't care if people watch a show I don't like for fun. My issue is mostly people being grossly misinformed about things they could easily learn (questions like: Does foreign aid constitute half of US spending? Is there a consensus about global warming? Did Saddam Hussein actually turn out to have weapons of mass destruction, and was he involved in 9/11? It's stunning how many people, when polled, give the wrong answers to these questions).