I thought the section of the Gothic plot was very interesting.  WE all do have monsters inside, but I find the analysis of the media the most compelling.  What sells the news is the perverse, scary, and disastrous.  I believe, in a way, we enjoy watching world events because we know it is not happening right here.  We can experience pain without actually experience it.  We see it, acknowledge it, maybe even sympathize, but at the end of the day, we are okay.  Satan could use this to distract us from world disasters.  By overwhelming the senses we become desensitized.