I think it's too simple to just blame the media for this phenomenon. What is needed is not less media, but more nuance in the discourse; an ability to weigh the

I think it's too simple to just blame the media for this phenomenon. What is needed is not less media, but more nuance in the discourse; an ability to weigh the importance and relevance of some prior digression against the present person. It is possible, although perhaps uncommon, for people to change, even in major ways. But as one commenter noted, many people today seem to believe in a constancy of time and personality; that the core self is always the same and never changes, and therefore some action taken 20 years ago should carry the same weight as if it were done today. That belief is what is really underlying the current culture of outrage.