Numb and number

You can only watch so much C-SPAN. You can only read so much of the Wall Street Journal with your morning coffee. And while this last one may seem to run contrary to every other column I’ve written, sometimes you can only take so much politics. \n Every so often I come down with a case of apathy and for a short stint become “politically challenged.” Normally, I do my best to press on regardless, in lagging spirits and blatant denial. However, this time it seems impossible to ignore.\n For someone who usually supplements an existence by savoring and scrutinizing every available word of public affairs – from State of the Union addresses to Supreme Court opinions – I currently feel the pain (or rather the remarkable numbness) of the ever-increasing apathetic, disinterested and blissfully ignorant majority.\n I acknowledged my problem Sunday morning as I flipped through local news, CNN, C-SPAN and even Fox news – normally my go-to station for laughs and low brow entertainment. I found myself watching “What Perez Says” on VH1, a look at the Video Music Awards with the self proclaimed “Queen of all media,” Internet blogger and go-to guy for gossip, Perez Hilton. More importantly, it was a rerun, and though I was uninterested the first time, I found myself watching it again. (Please note that I didn’t know the VMAs existed until I saw a blurb on my CNN.com news feed about Kid Rock fighting Tommy Lee.) \n I couldn’t change the channel. Even with 100-some other stations, my other options seemed too bleak; this was mindless and easy. I couldn’t even bring myself to fake interest in legislative procedure, current events or world affairs.\n Suddenly, it made sense: the low voter turnout rates, the reason 11 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds can’t find the U.S. on a map, the justification for how a majority of people (at least the second time) voted for President Bush. Not caring is just so much easier. Don’t think I’ve pinpointed the disconnect – had I been able to do so I would have actually turned the TV off – I’m even more confused than before. My state of contented disinterest certainly wasn’t from a lack of trying. \n Southern California’s burning, OJ Simpson’s breaking into hotel rooms and the field of presidential hopefuls campaigning the hell out of their rivals only continues to grow (mudslinging all the way). Meanwhile, I am content to watch a rerun of an VH1 program that actually has little to do with music. \n Maybe we were destined to lose interest and burn out. How long can we expect ourselves to focus knowing that, despite a new version of the iPod appearing every 10 seconds, governmental struggles, global warming and the gay marriage debate will all still be there to deal with tomorrow?\n And speaking of tomorrow, I hope there is another rerun of the Perez Hilton action so you can get in on some of that yourself. After all, there are only so many pointless columns to read about political apathy.