"American" irritating

I don't get American Idol. Oh, it's available on my television, but I just don't get it. What's the big deal, really? (And I will get on my television/reality show soapbox here.) Reality television is a farce that should be taken off the air. Now, before you guys get all, "That's censorship! Just don't watch it;" I don't watch it. I banned reality shows from my television agenda a few years ago, and feel like my life is better for it. The idea that this show should be removed entirely is a blissful fantasy, not a campaign platform.
So what's the issue? It's more along the lines of how this one show has completely and utterly taken over the consciousness of America, and how it seems as though the country stops working when it's on. If every person who voted for an Idol contestant took that money and donated it to a worthy cause instead, we'd be able to shoe, clothe and shelter every citizen. If people took the same zeal they feel for who their "favorite" is and focused it on something else, say math or science, we may not be lagging behind so many countries in those subjects. If every one of them watched Alias, that brilliant show would still be on the air.
But nnnnoooooo. These "singers" are on the cover of every magazine. They're featured in nightly newscasts. They're loved, revered and treated like the end-all, be-all of American entertainment. It's wrong that a Gong Show rip-off should so consume the American psyche!
RESIST THE IDOL! FIGHT IT!! DON'T LET IT POSSESS YOU!! OPPOSE THE IDOL!!