Gossip Gone Wild

Heinlein is a genius:

“Remind me,” Jubal told her, “to write an article on the compulsive reading of news. The theme will be that most neuroses can be traced to the unhealthy habit of wallowing in the troubles of five billion strangers. Titles is ‘Gossip Unlimited’ — no, make that ‘Gossip Gone Wild.’” — Robert Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land

I read this at lunch and had to put down the book. It made me get back to the office in 1/2 an hour instead of the full hour allotted to me.

This applies to SO much of our society. Blogs, Jerry Springer, and reality TV are just the modern equivalents of going to watch executions. We like to see others suffer and suffer big.

Why?