Well, "at all costs" is a bit extreme, but speaking solely for myself, I only have a certain number of hours in the day, and would rather spend them in the presence of art (musical, visual, literary, etc.) that is that is serious and thought-provoking, and that has deep and lasting beauty, than on cheap and cheesy pop music or television.

I try to limit the amount of junk food I eat; likewise I want to limit the amount of junk culture I consume. The reason is simple--junk culture, like junk food, tends to crowd out what is good.