No new epidemic at all has taken over America.
Ubiquitous cameras have ripped away the self imposed veil that Americans used to use in order to not believe what they did not want to believe.
People wanted to believe that rape and sexual abuse were rare. Certainly they wanted to believe that the perpetrators of those crimes were strangers rather than teachers, clergy, childcare workers, police, or family.
Welcome to the blue pill.
If your reference was to The Matrix, the blue pill was the one Neo was to take only if he wanted to be plugged back into the matrix and live the rest of his life as a lie, but comfortable.