Last weekend, the Super Bowl set another US Television Rating record for the third consecutive year. An estimated 111.3 million people tuned in to watch the Patriots vs. Giants game. But on January 24, only 37.75 million watched the State of the Union address. Surprisingly, this number is actually down from last year.
These statistics made me ask myself if people are apathetic about politics or if they simply prefer to watch sports because they are more entertaining.
I, for one, am easily bored by watching football games. For some reason, I can't find a way to stay interested in what's happening on the field. But when it comes to political events (i.e. speeches, debates, etc.) I am much more intrigued and can give my undivided attention to what the speaker is saying. At the same time, I realize that I am probably one of the few kids my age who prefers to watch political television programs over football. I've spoken to a couple friends about this matter and they came to a general consensus that it's not apathy that drives Americans to not watch State of the Union addresses; football is better television, plain and simple. They pointed out that even the reporters mentioned how boring those speeches are.
Clearly, Americans prefer to be entertained when they watch television instead of being lulled to sleep by our President. I am not part of that majority, but so be it. Where do you stand? Would you rather watch a State of the Union address or a Super Bowl game that didn't have your favorite team playing in it?
Clearly, Americans prefer to be entertained when they watch television instead of being lulled to sleep by our President. I am not part of that majority, but so be it. Where do you stand? Would you rather watch a State of the Union address or a Super Bowl game that didn't have your favorite team playing in it?
Dang...do I have to choose? I'd probably still go for the State of the Union address, but typically the presidential speeches don't mean anything to me - just more empty re-election campaign rhetoric from my point of view. I would suggest that people turn off the TV altogether and read a book on history or the economy. I think that a big problem in society today is that so many are uneducated, narrow-minded, and perhaps even brainwashed from all the TV, that they fail to spend time doing independent research and formulating truly unique and sincere beliefs. Until people wake up one day and realize that all of these professional sports are meaningless and irrelevant, and that the significance of the outcome is entirely superficial, I don't see any significant change coming to America any time soon.
ReplyDelete