What is the real opiate of the people?

I was watching Rachel Maddow and she said that she doesn't watch television and never has. So I took her lead and canceled my cable.

Television is the opiate of the people (or the soma of our time):

• Television: Opiate of the People

• Does TV Help Make Americans Passive and Accepting of Authority?

The other soma of our times is consumerism (and we can fight that too by not buying stuff we don't need):

• Consumerism: The People’s New Opium

• Consumerism is the opiate of the people

WTF is the matter with this country?

US Muslim placed on no-fly list is unable to see his ailing mother