America: Dumber by the minute

It's all the media's fault; gone are the days of real journalism. Today, the editors of all the major outlets, including the Sentinel, are forced to deliver "news" that is allowed to be delivered by their superiors. If they attempt to deliver a real story that is not approved by their superiors, they will quickly be replaced by someone who would do as told without question.

Mr. Cunnigham, I'm sure you can relate to this.

It's really sad in America. I've been living here in Germany for about 5 yrs now and I'm telling you the Europeans don't give a care in the world what their celebrities does. I mean they have gay people in office you think they make a big deal about it? no but in America oh man it would be on every major news network. I pay money to watch A-rod hit home runs and do spectacular plays.Not to see what he does on his personal time. I can care less what he does as long as he performs on the field that's all that matters.

Thank you for that.

A note to Not Sure...

The media certainly is less of the "Fourth Arm of Government's Checks and Balances" it aspired to be when I was in journalism years ago. However, "we the people" are the idiots who eat it up like twinkies. The media would go bankrupt if we all started being more critical of the garbage we put in our heads...kinda like twinkies we ingest. Deliscious, but no nutrition value whatsoever.

It's not that America is getting dumber, it's that editorial boards are getting more ridiculous by the minute. If newspapers are in danger of dying out, it's not because they aren't doing a good job of copying the tabloids and the internet. It's because they've forgotten about doing the thing they do best that those other media don't do: in depth news.

What a sanctimonous piece of crap article is. Cue the violins!

Oh no, the most highly paid athlete in American Pro Sports brazenly cheats on his wife with one of the most famous pop singers in the world (along with some sleazy strippers) and we are supposed to not be interested? Get off your bleeping high horse, would you? It's newsworthy even if it appeals to the lowest common denominator of "news." And you, the champion of proper news stories, do nothing but bring more attention to this story (one you supposedly detest) by even mentioning details of the incident in your column.

So which is it? Are you above writing about this trash or do you realize the only way people will read your drivel is by including A-Rod's name in your story?

I think I know the answer. Welcome to the gutter, my hypocritical wordsmith friend.

Dan from Boston wrote:

What a sanctimonous piece of crap article is. Cue the violins!
Oh no, the most highly paid athlete in American Pro Sports brazenly cheats on his wife with one of the most famous pop singers in the world (along with some sleazy strippers) and we are supposed to not be interested? Get off your bleeping high horse, would you? It's newsworthy even if it appeals to the lowest common denominator of "news." And you, the champion of proper news stories, do nothing but bring more attention to this story (one you supposedly detest) by even mentioning details of the incident in your column.
So which is it? Are you above writing about this trash or do you realize the only way people will read your drivel is by including A-Rod's name in your story?
I think I know the answer. Welcome to the gutter, my hypocritical wordsmith friend.

Gotta love Red Sox fans...

Smartest article title I ever read.

I abslolutely believe people are getting dumber,or perhaps,what we care about is just crazy.Where i work,there are all the grocery lines mags,people,star,etc.I am still amazed that people buy those things,and even more amazed that folks care about celebs.Reality tv isn't helping either.It just seems that people want to be famous,even with no talent at all.Most of those celebs are hypocrites too.They all want their privacy until they have to hawk their wares and then you see or hear about them everyday.In the end,why do people care?

People "care" because this social and economic system reduces their lives to commodities and ideological slogans - both from the right and the left - and empties meaning out of it. Eugene Ionesco once said that suffering gave him the feeling of being alive. The lives of celebrities - especially in their suffering - gives Americans the vicarious feeling of being alive, especially when the ocean of capitalist kitsch they're swimming in can't.