It must be a Presidential election year because otherwisenormal people are debating arcane provisions of the federal tax law and some seem to actually be enjoying it.
Such "hidden" hearing loss, not evident in the audiogram (a test that measures hearing sensitivity), is also apparent in human listeners who experience persistent tinnitus, but otherwisenormal sensitivity.
The first Bioshock came close to touching on broader themes as well, though the end result was not much more than Ayn Rand sesame seeds on the bun of an otherwise totally normal burger.