Cult of stupidity - Doomsday Edition

I know I've touched on this multiple times, but it seems more pervasive in the rush to declare for the 2012 elections.  With Jersey Shore, Jerseylicious, Real Housewives of ____, etc. there seems to be an ever increasing emphasis on superficiality and conformity in order to sell product.  I would take this into the political arena as well in that individuals are being "sold" a political ideology as a product.  It's the same marketing strategies employed for both media and product marketing.  "Watch show X because it has the raciest, sexiest whatever that will hold your attention for at least 20 min."  Unfortunately we are being cajoled into a mind numbing state of ADD where soundbites are all we have time to digest.  Thinking is becoming a luxury the majority of folks cannot afford because they political and corporate elite are feeding them a steady diet of things which they must consume in order to be popular.  However, this consumption requires increasing their workloads so that they have even less time to enjoy their lives, let alone THINK about the cycle in which they are hopelessly trapped.  I suspect that this is a hallmark of the decline of ALL major civilizations.  When the general population is no longer participatory then there will very quickly come a day when the majority, irrespective of their collective stupidity and cattle mentality, will stop for a quick breath and realize their predicament.  It is in the nature of human beings to question their existence, especially when stretched to their limits.  Time and again this has lead to revolutions, most recently in the middle east where political ideologies are being overthrown because the populace is tired of being told HOW to live their lives.  I would argue that things really aren't all THAT different here in the U.S.  The issue here is that we have a more commercialized identity with more toys and distractions to keep us from the truth around us.  Unfortunately this will ultimately lead to a more precipitous and hazardous fall.  In short, the crash is coming despite what the Federal Reserve, Congress, and the White House are saying.  It may not happen in my lifetime, but we are in a spiral that is constantly ratcheting up and there will be a release.  My greatest fear is that it will be in my lifetime.  Of course, for those who are aware of the situation, it might just be one hell of a show.  For the majority, it will be beyond their comprehension and I think that the recent rise in doomsday predictions is a subconscious expression of the collective knowledge that we cannot continue in our current path.  A rise in doomsday predictions have frequently presaged major social and financial upheavals.  Collectively we may act as sheeple, but on a base level we can feel the impending explosion.