NorthC said:

I think everybody needs to reread the OP's question. It was: "This is what passes for entertainment?" "It was not: "This is what passes for music?" Sure, we all agree that Britney relies on gimmicks rather than musicianship, but is it entertainment? Yes, it is. [Edited 6/7/15 0:35am]

I do not see my simple observation as being particularly controversial and I used Britney's performance as the latest example that was brought to my attention recently, but the overall observation isn't limited to her.

Anyhoo, here is an explanation of the question in the thread title from wikipedia....

A Rhetorical Question is a figure of speech in the form of a question that is asked in order to make a point rather than to elicit an answer.^[1] Though classically stated as a proper question, such a rhetorical device may be posed declaratively by implying a question, and therefore may not always require a question mark when written. Though a rhetorical question does not require a direct answer, in many cases it may be intended to start a discussion or at least draw an acknowledgement that the listener understands the intended message.

midnightmover said:

I don't think babynoz is saying that gimmicks and spectacle are a new thing, just that they have become more and more common and are basically masks to disguise the emptiness of the "artists". This breed just doesn't have anything else to offer.

Thank you.

babynoz said: