I don't think you're giving people enough credit. Sure, there's the very low end of the bell curve, but they're a smaller group than the middle group where most

I don't think you're giving people enough credit. Sure, there's the very low end of the bell curve, but they're a smaller group than the middle group where most of the effort is applied. I believe that most people are in on the joke and playing along because they're bored and want entertainment. These kind of manipulators are mocked endlessly on comedy shows. Infomericals are a joke, but they work anyway.