I think it's because American's don't have much faith in thier politicians, who are so busy scurrying to cater to every popular whim they don't have the capacity to come up with truly creative solutions to existing problems.
Problem is, the American populous has grown so accustomed to getting what it wants it has no need to be bothered by politics. Why fight the good fight when, as Linkster pointed out, we can wash all our worries away by watching American Idol instead? We don't even know what the issues are, we're so busy argueing about what we THINK the issues might be!
Broadcast media serves the same purpose. People watch what they want, and arm themselves with comfortable information so they can make all the justifications they need for all the stupid shit they're not bothering to think about.
But why should I care? As long as they don't take my porno away from me, I'm gettin what I want.
