Well, Superheroes were invented at large in the 1930s, when people needed something to look up to in the Depression. We're in a recession, and we have similar heroes to look up to, but our heroes occupy less the fantasy world of DC or even Marvel, and more the scientific world. Master Chief, Ash Ketchum - they're the heroes of my generation. They're all human and don't rely on any plot armor to keep going. They win because they know how to do so, much like the mentality of today. Superman, Batman, and the Flash all had superpowers or augmentations, and relied on those instead of the raw knowledge they had. We know a great many more things about the world, now, and similarly, our heroes have evolved from superheroes with 2 identities, to real people who also fight for their beliefs.
As far as sucky TV, that's the price we pay for growing propaganda and mass acceptance. Why do you think Fox canceled Firefly? Hello, bunch of people thinking for themselves, fighting the oppressive government, that's the exact opposite of what Fox programs.
And, well, the Post-Echo kids (1996-1999) and Z Generation are even dumber than us Y-Gen kids, so they gotta watch dumber TV to make up for (and exacerbate) it. Even still, I miss Cartoon Network's days as a Cartoon channel. I do not like Andrew W.K. He is a -blam!-.
