Short attention spans - an American phenomenon or worldwide?

[HardWorkingDem]

One thing that I have noticed is the short attention span of Americans. Is this primarily an American problem or a world wide one? It's almost like while the Bushies have tallied up scandal after scandal, Americans can't keep track of them.

Are we a MTV'd nation with no hope? And am I wrong, or do other countries have a greater attention span than America?

[Duer 157099]

1. Hang on, I have to go watch The Daily Show... n/t

[Carolab]

2. It's the Illuminati trademark--controlled chaos.

Deliberately confusing people with one thing after another. Just when you have gotten your teeth into one problem, another pops up. We're kind of conditioned not to listen or to think critically or to have enough time to do so, either.

Is it a problem elsewhere? I don't know. I only live here. But it is CERTAINLY a problem here.

[mcctatas]

3. It's all about "feeding the beast" that is 24 hour cable news....

Hell, other countries have enough of an attention span to not only pay attention to the issues facing their own countries, but also the bush family follies and the situations in the world at large. I'm sorry, what was the question again?

[Spinzonner]

4. Well, in making them leaders

it seems to be an American phenomenon.

But then, of course, this benefits the real powers behind the throne.

[greyl]

5. Culture-wide.

It's not a Homo Sapiens problem, nor is it confined to the USA.

[tocqueville]

6. mmm delicate subject

I can see a big difference regarding TV. For some reason Europeans can watch a SEVERAL hours movie, documentary OR political debate without being interrupted by a commercial (the rules are more harsher here for commercials). And I don't mean an elite.

It's true that the attention is focused by the media here too on some events, depending of their magnitude. I don't think that news TV would focus on stories like Aruba or M.Jackson the way they do in the US. People would get very tired of it rapidly.

I don't think that the primary problem are the scandals in themselves. fact is that they are underrepresenred in the US media, AND AND that you don't have an organized OPPOSITION or OPPOSITIONS discussing them in a parliament.

Besides in Europe other forces of the Sheehan type would CONSTANTLY remind the political sphere of where the issues are. taking to the streets when things go wrong and politicians don't listen is very primary here. It doesn't seem to be the fact in the US.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

7. Corporate America is constantly peddling something new & improved

even when it isn't really new and improved. I don't know about the rest of the world, but American business is ever searching for a new angle to excite the masses for the new, the never-before-seen: the latest new fashion trend, the hot new sitcom, the new sex symbol, the great new car body, the latest electronic gizmo, the new best-selling biography. And the media, because of very stiff competition is constantly trying to find the latest new story of mass interest, such as the weekly missing white woman, in order to generate ad revenues from advertisers which in turn are hawking the latest new whatever. Americans love change for some reason. They change residences far more frequently than any other people on earth. Any beautiful old tree is torn down (the way the city tore down the old trees on my street for new ones that don't shed as many leaves). Any great old building is torn down in favor of a shiny 10 story glass box. America doesn't always have much respect for the old.

I don't think people in other countries are quite as caught up in this constant need for something new, where the past is instantly shucked away in favor of the next shiny new toy. Maybe I'm wrong, however, as corporations are now spreading their tentacles throughout the world.

[crispini]

8. Well, yes I think... 'scuse me, what did you say?

[Maple]

9. Serbian proverb

'What was done to my grandfather was done to me'

'Je me souviens' or 'I remember' is on every Quebec license plate. It means to remember the loss of Quebec to the English via the Treaty of Paris in 1763.

July 12 sees the commemorating of the William of Orange victory at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690...Orangemen mark this with a parade every year in Northern Ireland. And every year there is a riot.

Too much memory...at least connected to emotions...is a bad thing.

However in current western society, news events even a couple of days old are forgotten....so much information is coming at people, through TV, the web, newspapers, radio, that things get lost quickly.

I hope we eventually find some middle ground on this.

[Swamp Rat]

10. Worldwide n/t

[Maple]

11. American