I suppose there's such a high emphsis on getting grades and cramming in knowledge for exams now that many people have lost a sense of seeing the bigger picture. We live in a society that is so competitive that sometimes people's priorities become all mixed up. I'm doing my GCSEs (big exam at the end of the secondary school here in the UK) right now and the pressure is really very high, and I guess that as there isn't a test on current affairs, people try to push it to the back of their minds. (After these GCSEs, which I'm in the second year of, there will be another two years of examination for A and AS levels - just thinking about it makes the mind boggle!)

EDIT: On the other hand, people do seem to have enough time to dig up the dirt on celebrities etc...