It will be interesting to see if America's economic distress will lead to a shift in who we collectively idolize. The glib, the loud-mouthed, the always ironic, the simplistic, and the fast-talking media darlings are getting drilled lately. For years we've allowed ourselves to view everything as entertainment. Everything is supposed to be fun, whether it's the 5 o'clock news or political debate or the latest Brittney Spears hijinks.
Watching people verbally lacerate each other on talk shows is fun! Hearing a talking head rail on about the Left or the Right is fun! Reading hysterical blog rants is fun!
All that fun turned us into a nation incapable of taking anything seriously, incapable of separating entertainment from reality. The philosophy that "all publicity is good publicity" has run amok. The idea that "nobody really cares what the truth is; they just want to see a good argument" has left us bereft of real debating skills.
Personally I'd give up some fun in return for more seriousness, more attention to the details, and more real debate, particularly from the mainstream media. If there was ever a time for seriousness, this is it.
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