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That is where you and I disagree. I don't think the verb "watch" has any such inherent implication. Our society has given that meaning to the word in very recent times. Rather than dismiss my point, I think the modification of the meaning has proven it.

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It may not be a modification. Did people even say "watch a baseball game" before television? Surely no one said "listen to a baseball game" before radio. What you've demonstrated is that "watch" in some contexts implies watching on a television. That's not the same as demonstrating the "addictive, yet passive" nature of television. It does demonstrate its pervasiveness, though.

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