Actually, “Philo T. Farnsworth was a talented scientist and inventor from a young age. In 1938, he unveiled a prototype of the first all-electric television…” It was not marketed or become a household item until after WWII in the 1950s.
We are missing the point, because it is too obvious. Its not about when people got T.V. but about Michael’s sense of entitlement not wanting a job or expected to pay for the things he wants. How many of us had summer jobs and what were we expected to pay for?
Happens all the time to little kids. They grab a pant leg only to find it is not their parent.