Watching political debates: once a civic duty, now a guilty pleasure

Wasn't there once a sense of duty mixed in with the titillation of watching a presidential debate? Now, it feels like the Jerry Springer Show.

I allowed myself the pornographic pleasure of watching the New Hampshire show yesterday. I sat there looking over my reading glasses, The New York Times in my lap, feeling waves of cheap superiority, easy sniggering at fish in a barrel and self-deluded efforts at maganimity. (Jon Huntsman believes politicians should put country before party! Rick Santorum says he'd still love a son who was gay!)

It was the first Republican debate I'd watched in its entirety, and it'll be the last.

Not because these candidates are unworthy of my attention. Anybody who has a Chinese ambasaddor's chance of becoming president of my country deserves my ear.

I just don't like the way I feel after watching an episode of this particular reality show.

I don't like the way I feel at all.

Comments

[Dimitri]

Great post. I watched the debate yesterday as well and shared some of those feelings. I've become a bit of a debate junkie this election season. I have even gone so far as to record them or hunt them down on the internet after missing them. It's politics for the reality tv generation.

[David Murray]

And Dimitri, are you finding any more intellectual, spiritual or social sustenance watching this than watching, say, New Jersey Housewives or Pawn Stars? If not, why choose this charade over the others?