"Broadcasters of this great nation... You have the power to turn this country away from cynicism. You have the power to turn this nation away from the hatred and the divisive dialog that has rendered such a corrosive effect on our body politic. You can lift us up into a more enlightened age."—actor Tim Robbins, in his keynote address to the National Association of Broadcasters. Don't be modest Tim, actors are pretty big heroes too! But wait, there's even more ridiculousness from this meeting of the mutual admiration society:

"I'm here to tell you that we don't need to look at the car crash. We don't need to live off of the pain and humiliation of the unfortunate. We don't need to celebrate our pornographic obsession with celebrity culture. We are better than that...Only with your courage, and your vision, can we begin to imagine a world of broadcasting where the general consensus of those with real power say 'enough is enough.'... Now is the time to admit and recognize that we aren't just businessmen, but the guardians of the human spirit."

Full audio here, via Ad Age.

Send an email to Hamilton Nolan, the author of this post, at Hamilton@gawker.com.