On Wed, 23 Mar 2016 13:27:47 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

I have little doubt that such products
have turned vastly more people away from astronomy than they ever
created.

Incorrect. If one's level of interest is low to begin with, the best scope in the world won't help. If one's interest high to begin with, a poor scope will not ruin that interest.

It's so useful to have you here, the poster child for the modern,
ignorant, uneducated, conservative American. Who better to bounce
things from and test for reactions? Who better to illustrate the
magnitude of the problem?