The bleached-butthole effect —
1. when a shocking, extreme and uncommon subject seems to be more prevalent and relevant than in actuality and receives disproportionate attention in public discourse, to the expense of normal but often critically important subjects
2. when some butthead exploits the bleached-butthole effect for profit,
distracting our
collective attention away from more relevant and
important things, just so butthead and co. can make a buck
3. when the fourth estate promotes this drama, as they're in the business of keeping our attention, and distractions and theatrics are an effective means of doing so