The American Attention Span

I could say many, many things about the attention span of the American public and what we decide to pay attention to, what we call "news." But some hack writer got O.J. Simpson to do interviews to create a book and to do a television interview. The premise, O.J. tells the public how he would have killed his wife and her boyfriend, IF he had actually done it.

This is the shit people want to hear about. It pisses me off and blows my mind at the same time.

But what really gets my goat is when news agencies that are supposed to be serious news outlets cover this crap. Flipping channels last night I came to CNN and Anderson Cooper had a panel of people sitting in a studio discussing the O.J. show.

That is not reality. Reality is a war in Iraq. Reality is nuclear proliferation in Iran and North Korea. Reality is 46.6 million Americans without health insurance. Reality is the offshoring of good American jobs. Reality is the profits of a booming economy going to the super rich while 95% of the public gets poorer and poorer. Reality is the booming debt of the American public and the loss of wealth as the housing bubble collapses.

If people want to escape reality they can watch Desperate Housewives or what ever slop they can find on the 400 cable channels. Serious news agencies should leave this kind of crap for the E! Network.

(This tirade is over. For now.)