It’s really gotten to the point where I can’t watch the news on most media outlets without smacking my forehead. Omigod, President Obama shook hands with Raul Castro! Gasp! Roll down your storm shutters and stock up on canned goods, people. It’s the end of the world as we know it!
Now, I don’t think the national IQ has taken a nosedive, but it’s getting increasingly hard to tell as more and more people get sucked in by the fear mongering, real news suppressing, hate inducing, artificial scandal producing news programs that are available to the average American.
Nowadays it takes a lot more effort, a lot more cynicism, a lot more fact checking to stay accurately informed. And yet we seem to have less time than ever to do these things. And that’s what they’re counting on. The media wants you to get your news from Facebook memes. It’s much easier to manipulate the public when they are taught to take in their information a little bit at a time with a spoonful of sugar. Once you get into that habit, then any 30 second news report is bound to sound well thought out and comprehensive even if it is coming from Fox News, even though you ought to know better.
Truth be told, I don’t care who is sleeping with whom, as long as its consensual and age appropriate. I don’t care if someone forgot to salute someone else, or who’s standing next to whom in a photograph. Can we all get a grip?
At this rate, Rush Limbaugh will soon be able to make up anything he wants while in his illegal prescription drug-induced haze and people will be repeating his talking points by nightfall.
Oh wait. That already happens.
The View from a Drawbridge 
I can’t tell if we are getting stupider or the news is just aimed at the stupidest of us…
I think we’re getting more tired and therefore more gullible.
Too much info to sort through
Easier to accept than to question and research.
That works for a lot of people