Who’s Watching?

We are.  The Mister and I are watching the Jan. 6 hearings.  Closely. We know we’re not in the majority, but that’s okay. 

In thinking back to other hearings, we found that around 100 million viewers watched at least a portion of the Watergate hearings in 1973.  That equated to some 70% of US adults at that time.

The Clinton/Lewinsky hearings in 1999 had a steady viewership of about 80 million viewers – about 40% of US adults.

The McCarthy hearings had about the same response.

Reportedly, opening night of the current Jan 6^th Committee hearings drew some 20 million viewers, equating to 8% of adults in the US.

The second hearing, aired during the day, drew 11 million, down to about 5%.

The third and fourth Jan. 6^th hearings each drew about 9 million, or approximately 4%. We can assume that the 5th hearing’s audience was about the same.

The decline in actual viewers and percentages of those who follow important, democracy-challenging, events is truly remarkable.

In a theater-of-the absurd comparison, O. J. Simpson, in 1995, had about 150 million followers, or about 75% of our population, who tuned in nearly every day of that seven month event!

So, maybe the real question is: Who’s NOT watching the Jan. 6 hearings? And, more to the point, WHY aren’t they watching? Is it simply indifference, which is antithetical to the whole concept of democracy? Or it is something else entirely?

Finally, a postscript to all the Roe v. Wade protestors: Carry on, please. Peacefully and in force. For the moment, you are our great hope. There IS power in numbers. We have to believe that.

Cartoon sketches courtesy of fineartamerica.com and 123rf.com