It's true that Americans are much more inclined to just waste away with their "colliseums" but I think a lot of the Chinese are guilty of this as well. 

Wha'ts bad is Chinese media can't even do it with the finesse of Hollywood. At least Hollywood makes subtle hints and gestures when they want you to think one way or another. It took decades for Hollywood to degrade/evolve into what it is now with Jersey Shore and sh1t. China is pretty much starting at that point and I shudder to think where it can drop to.

I wanna shoot myself sometimes listening to some of the topics of the variety shows. I think its a global phenomenon where the young people are so fcking self entitled and materialistic. Standard format for a Chinese show =  getting A-F list celebrities to talk about their personal lives and actually getting audiences to care about sh1t like that. It's disgusting.

But as a political tool I guess its pretty effective. Why worry about who's heading your nation and what policies they're making when your entire goal in life to get that fancy LV bag, drive a BMW, and own a house.  And why worry about the war when in your head all you know is which actor is married to who and when they're having a baby.

It works anywhere in the world.