In this fifth installment of the Carnival Of Distractions series, I elaborate on some of the points made earlier. The thesis throughout the series has been quite simple:

We Americans chronically concern themselves with the kinds of (inconsequential) things that a responsible citizen would never pay attention to. Consequently, we have become a citizenry bereft of erudition.

Here in America, there is a widespread hyper-awareness of the irrelevant on a daily basis: Was Barack Obama really born in Honolulu? What drugs was Michael Jackson using leading up to his death? Did Lindsay Lohan get arrested again? Who’s getting custody of Charlie Sheen’s children? What did each congressman do with his penis last night? What’s in fashion right now? Who will win the ballgame tonight? And, for the love of god, who is that celebrity sleeping with?
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