The Public Thinker

[Itascapark]

Herbert strikes a chord with me with this one.

<snip>
It's a notion that appears to have gone the way of the rotary phone. Americans not only seem to be doing less serious thinking lately, they seem to have less and less tolerance for those who spend their time wrestling with important and complex matters.

If you can't say it in 30 seconds, you have to move on. God made man and the godless evolutionists are on the run. Donald Trump ("You're fired!") and Paris Hilton ("That's hot!") are cultural icons. Ignorance is in. The nation is at war and its appetite for torture may be undermining the very essence of the American character, but the public at large seems much more interested in what Martha will do when she gets out of prison and what Jacko will do if he has to go in.
<snip>

More at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/14/opinion/14herbert.html?hp

[bryant69]

1. I don't know

It is the triumph of Democracy. I mean in all ages the mass of humanity was probably ignorent and interested in what we call lowest common denomenator entertainment. Look at Bear-baiting, a very popular entertainment at the time of Shakespeare, but hardly what we would consider a high-brow entertainment.

But in capitalism you can make tons of money off of giving the people what they want.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[Az]

2. Brought to you by the 30 second sound bite

Media has attempted to reduce a politician (or any advocate) down to a 30 second sound bite. Anything that cannot be expressed in that time is discarded.

Corporations and the media do not want critical thinkers out there. Critical thinking would question advertisments. And that cannot be. So anything that boosts critical thinking is shut down. Instead they boost glamor and fear. They appeal to raw emotions. Anything that keeps the mind from thinking.