The latest hoo-ha to hit the media is the fact the Sunday Herald newspaper, based in Scotland, has published the name of the 'Premier League footballer' who it is alleged took out a privacy injunction - a so-called 'super injunction' - against the users of Twitter to avoid details of an alleged affair being published. Perhaps I'm just getting old but it saddens me greatly when the people of this country get themselves in a frenzy over the private lives of so-called celebrities. It seems to me the moral standards of the British public have seldom been lower.
Frankly, I couldn't give a Jonathan Ross about who does what to who and who with. There are serious issues around the world that need to be addressed but are seldom reported in the UK press.
It is estimated that 925 million people suffer from hunger. In 2008, nearly 9 million children died before they reached their fifth birthday. One third of these deaths are due directly or indirectly to hunger and malnutrition. Children who survive early childhood malnutrition suffer irreversible harm—including poor physical growth, compromised immune function, and impaired cognitive ability. Around the world, 178 million children under 5 are stunted, low height for age. Of all stunted children, 90 percent live in just 36 countries, most of them in sub-Saharan Africa and South and Central Asia.
Then there is oppression. Think Zimbabwe, Libya, Tunisia and Egypt. Oppressive nations do not care about human rights and freedom and the recent protests in Tunisia and Egypt showed that the people of these nations are tired of puppet regimes imposed on them by oppressors.
There are atrocities and people dying from starvation around the world. Not that this gets much of a mention in the UK press, particularly the tabloid press who feed the celebrity cravings of the masses. The media in this country - and this includes television - has dumbed down to such an extent that ignorance is king. Tragedy is happening every minute of every day around the globe but as long as some D list nonentity is photographed coming out of Tescos or is lined up for some tedious mind-numbing 'reality' show then that's what really sells newspapers.
Surely this can't be right?
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4 comments:
A great post that sums up the celebrity obsessed UK. People do not care about starving millions, but they do care about celebs private lives.
Excellent blog entry Mike!!
What you have written is very sad and very true Mike.
I think many people have enough real, personal problems in their day to day life and can't always handle hard news about staving children etc.
Celebrity gossip never makes them feel bad.
Peg xxxxx
Yes its true alright mainly because we either cannot face the real issues or we just don't care. The press in the UK is something else entirely and you can blame that bloody Australian Rupert Murdoch for most of it too given he owns News of the World etc. I read online news but never buy a magazine or paper anymore. The real news is hidden somewhere to make it more palatable. Maybe the world is such a dark place and people need some light relief or there are too many reality television shows on and its become a national sport. To see celebrities bought down a peg or two makes others feel better about their own lives. We would need a psychologist to work through the issues I think.
Personally I have never understood why people kicking a wee round ball get paid millions and become celebrities and scientists finding a cure for diseases get paid nothing. The world sure is an unsavory place at times.
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