Ego-generation embraces mediocrity; kills media

I've long postulated that the last generation, or maybe two, has been so ego-stroked by guilt-stricken absentee parents, that each kid really sees him/herself as the best of everything. That's ruined popular entertainment. When I was young, we admired those contributors to culture who had talent beyond the average person. We revelled in others' abilities to do what we couldn't. The ego-stroked generation embraces only thise "artists" who equal their own meager talents. That's why we have people like Britney Spears. Anyone who buys her CDs can sing at least as well as she can. Kids don't want to pay for someone who can outdo them. Only recently did I realize that this half-baked theory of mine has contributed to the blooming of the blogs and the death knell of true journalism, especially arts criticism. Everyone is the expert these days. And, no, the irony is not lost on me that I espouse these views in an unedited blog (a real journalist would not get away with this)!