A majority of the populace actually is medicated into not reacting properly to stimulus in the form of anti-depressants which don't just level out the lows, as well as psychological manipulation via broadcast and cable tv. Have you ever noticed just how many FReepers and conservatives in general eschew both anti-depressants and most television? Correlation is not causation but given past covert intelligence operations experimenting upon psychological manipulation, I believe a compelling argument could be made.
Yup! The fluoride/sedated stare that I get way too often from folks... Then they tell me, “Oh, I saw it on tv!”