‘Idol’ Outdraws Inauguration

Early numbers for the inauguration of Barack Obama are impressive but, perhaps surprisingly, could come in below those for Ronald Reagan ‘s first term in 1981. Preliminary Nielsen estimates show that 29.2% of U.S. households were watching the presidential inauguration — easily the largest in decades but below the 37.4 household rating for Reagan. … In primetime, Fox’s “American Idol” scored the biggest numbers Tuesday, as people seemed to tire of inaugural coverage/ Variety . More here .

Question: What does this say about our country — that a weekly showing “American Idol” can trump a historic inauguration?