Let's face it, the blame for both Ann Coulter and Paris Hilton's meteoric rise in our culture is you and me. We can continue lamenting about the ongoing media blitz lavished on their every move and utterance, but we are the ones feeding this unrelenting appetite.
The outrageous, hot, button-pushing conservative pundit and pretty heiress train wreck seem irresistible on a very basic, instinctual level. These stories distract us from what's really important by appealing to our reptilian brain -- it's oldest and most primitive part. At this level, behavior is instinctive, responses are automatic and territory is acquired by force.
Unless we stop watching, reading and commenting on them, the media will continue to bring us Ms. Hate and Ms. Vacuous to boost their ratings. And, here I am adding to the fray... if you want readers, you need to write about what's sexy and juicy. We are in a brave new age of user-generated and directed content.
Should the media be more parental and shield us from these things? You need to eat your peas and carrots (Lehrer News Hour) before your cavity causing dessert (CNN, FOX, MSNBC, etc.)! As we know, the news business has become an entertainment business to compete for ratings in a very competitive field; so how can we expect the mainstream news media to wean us off the fluff and pointless drama?
When there were only three networks, a couple national papers and very few radio stations, then we could hold the networks more accountable. These past media monopolies had more direct editorial control about what they were offering us. But now -- with over 500 cable channels, literally millions of Internet news and commentary sources and new delivery technologies consistently being developed -- the responsibility for what filters to the top of the media pyramid lies more with the viewer.
With real time ratings systems, instant Internet page statistics and other evaluation tools, the media can immediately judge "what's hot and what's not." Two million hits on the Paris Hilton "out of jail" story? Let's do a follow up! Five hits on the Darfur analysis, dump it.
Do we have the self-control to tune out and instead focus on deeper, more complex stories on important issues? What we fixate on grows larger and more powerful. It's up to you and me to vote with our attention!