Death of a Doormat

I am not one to cause a scene. I am married to one who enjoys causing scenes, and thus I avoid them like the plague. I have been known to drive away from a fast food establishment knowing that my order is wrong just because I don't want to make a fuss. Yeah, I know. It's pathetic. But something is happening to me the older I get...

Is our attention span really this shor...?

I have long believed that we are a nation destined to entertain ourselves to death. I guess maybe that notion comes from teaching Aldous Huxley's Brave New World one too many times. But, deep down, I was hoping that both Huxley and I would be proven wrong.

Well, my trip to the local gas station confirmed my suspicions. Apparently, our attention spans are so short that we cannot go three minutes without the shiny box telling us what to think and what to buy. Hey, I'm as guilty as the next person. I love me a good American Idol episode - (and between me and you, I'm personally very excited to see Bikini Girl go down in flames during Hollywood week) - but this has gone too far.

Do we really need a television at the FREAKING GAS STATION??? What's next, one in the bathroom stalls so that you can catch up on the latest news while you...catch up on the latest news? Oh wait...there is one there. http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/03/if-your-income-goes-up-will-you-watch-tv-in-the-bathroom/

Oh, Brave New World that has such people in it.