Sometimes it is better not to know, but the headline just draws one in.

“US man accused of shooting TV in rage over Bristol Palin’s ‘Dancing with the Stars’ routine”

How can one not continue reading?

MADISON, Wis. – A man apparently enraged by Bristol Palin’s “Dancing with the Stars” routine blasted his television with a shotgun, leading to an all-night standoff with police commandos, investigators said.

When I see commercial TV this is also my internal reaction, but I do not think I could act it out.  Others, well, they go the extra mile.

“Steven Cowan, 67, was arrested Tuesday morning after officers coaxed him out of his house in Vermont, a rural farming community near Madison. Cowan, who is accused of threatening his wife with the gun after destroying the television, appeared in a Madison courtroom Wednesday on a charge of second-degree reckless endangerment. His bail was set at $1,500.

Cowan’s attorney at the hearing, Jonas Bednarek, declined to comment.

Cowan’s wife, Janice Cowan, told investigators that her husband suffers from bipolar disorder and had threatened her life in the past.

According to court documents, Janice Cowan said her husband came home Monday from the bar and had a beer with dinner before they settled down to watch “Dancing with the Stars.”

When Palin, the 20-year-old daughter of tea party favourite and former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, began her routine, Cowan jumped up and began swearing, saying something like “The (expletive) politics.” His wife said he was upset that a political figure’s daughter was dancing on TV even though he felt she didn’t have talent.

Janice Cowan told investigators her husband left the living room and reappeared 20 minutes later with his shotgun, “raging” with his face bright red, and blasted the TV. She said he then pointed the gun at her and told her to go fetch his pistols, and threatened to kill himself if she brought anyone back”

Obviously, the brain-chemistry has something to do with entire situation, but is it not sad to note on what has incensed this individual?  A mere entertainment show.  I can remember times in my early TV watching days when people would become incensed about issues more solidly based in reality – healthcare, armed conflicts, politics etc.  Would this story be filed under the “oddities” section of the CBC website if this individual was incensed by the lack of universal public health care?  It seems that the media we have is divorcing us from the issues that really matter in society, atomizing us and fostering consumption and competition on the most basest of levels.  Considering the amazing potential that TV media has to foster debate and community, it is depressing to see how low it has sunk with regards to serving the needs of citizens in society.