Meanwhile, In America: The Art of the Spectacle

When headlines shout louder than the fine print, who’s minding the pen?

The war in Ukraine rages on with devastating consequences. Civilian lives, cities, and sovereignty continue to be erased under Russian bombardment. But scroll through your feed today, and the trending debate might not be about global democracy—it’s Elon Musk and Donald Trump trading jabs on social media. Again.

At the same time, Congress has been quietly working on what some are calling the “Big Beautiful Bill” — an enormous piece of legislation packed with hundreds of pages of funding, policy riders, and administrative reshuffling. It’s the kind of bill most representatives admit they haven’t read in full. But they voted anyway.

So what’s the distraction? Is it two billionaires arguing in public? A foreign war? Or is it the fact that while the headlines scream, the bill is already halfway through?

Some on X (formerly Twitter) are asking whether all of this noise is strategic. Create a firestorm, drive engagement, rile the culture war—and while eyes are glued to flame wars and viral outrage, policy slides through unnoticed. It wouldn’t be the first time.

Others argue the problem isn’t distraction—it’s oversaturation. Every crisis feels urgent. Every headline demands loyalty. The brain’s bandwidth isn’t infinite. But policy is patient. It doesn’t need your attention—it just needs your inaction.

So what’s real? The war is. The bill is. The chaos, too. But not everything trending is worth your focus. And not everything boring is harmless.

It’s no longer enough to ask what’s happening? The better question is: What are we being encouraged to ignore while it does?