"Jenna's butt dance":30 "Reid's pledge to fight to preserve filibuster":10

[paineinthearse]

I have nothing against sex (the world would be a much better place if more rethugs tried it once in a while) and think I know the answer to this phenomenon, but I'd like to hear others' thoughts on why the sensationalist posts draw so much more attention than those that deserve serious contemplation. These two posts hit POLITICS about the same time.

The "butt" post has draws 3x the responses than the Reid pledge ("Senate Democrats are going to fight them every step of the way"). There is one encouraging aspect, the Reid post has received 4 "greatest" nominations.

We saw this phenomenon with the gazillion TS posts, then the Falwell death watch then the pope death watch. Due to the flood of sensationalist posts, many more-newsworthy and of deeper significance sank into the archives.

Sensationalist "topic du jour" posts draw energy that could otherwise be used for organizing locally or nationally. Participate in them if you must, but also try to participate in topics of deeper significance.

[ixion]

1. ooooooo something shiny

is the way I think it goes. It's the same reason people rubber neck at car wrecks.

[leftofthedial]

2. maybe Reid needs to advertise his 36DD's

[paineinthearse]

3. I see your point

Jenna doing the doggie dance is yet another well-planned and executed KKKarl Rove distraction!!!

Brilliant!

[paineinthearse]

4. 6PM: Jenna's butt:43, Reid's fight: 16

[daleo]

5. What's all this about Jenna's butt, then?

Oh...and that other thing you mentioned.

[kerrygoddess]

6. There's no accounting for good taste or common sense?

"Sensationalist "topic du jour" posts draw energy that could otherwise be used for organizing locally or nationally. Participate in them if you must, but also try to participate in topics of deeper significance."

Good points... it's sad to see energy wasted when we need all we can get!