So this is what we get when we combine a perpetual sensation of low danger, a society where all of the corners are padded, with a relentless corporate drive for profits at all cost.
We get voters that, truthfully, are stupid as shit, who vote for someone because their favorite musician said to, who vote for someone because it is popular, who pay no attention to the decisions the country has to make because why bother? It doesn't matter anyway! Nothing bad will happen if we choose a poor choice as a country, right? Government will always fix it. The rich can always pay for it. The poor will never do anything about it. Society is just a fluffy inflatable jump house -- doesn't matter how you twist and turn, doesn't matter if you land on your head or your back -- let go and just do whatever you want because there are no hard landings!
But meanwhile, corporate media is pursuing the same strategy. Doesn't matter how you think about truth or reality. Doesn't matter if you lie your ass off for profit. Doesn't matter if you knowingly schlep a bullshit story. All that matters is that you are getting eyeballs hand over fist. So let go and embrace that greed! Shove your whole head in that trough! Inhale that money as fast as you can go! Because no wolf is going to come along and eat you while you heedlessly gorge.
But eventually, you land on concrete and it hurts. Eventually, you pull your head from the trough to find a wolf has bitten off half your ass.
And then you learn.