Well? When was it? The rise of the Internet? When there was so many media outlets that every last sentence uttered was scrutinised and examined? Maybe it was when people started taking the piss out off those who had fallen on hard times? Maybe it was when everyone became so desensitised by this mass media that they began to become over-sensitive and also, so concerned by being viewed in a good light, that anything deemed, even vaguely politically incorrect, is now taboo.
I'm sure you know the reason for me asking this question. RossBrand-Gate (I hate how every even moderate scandal is branded as some variety of "-Gate" but anyway...)is the topic on the front of every free newspaper and the subject of all those famous water cooler conversations that I've heard so much about. Can I just be the the first, actually that's probably doing a dis-service to most right-minded individuals but, half -sane person to say, since when the fuck did the comic conversations of 2 public figures become so 'front-page'?
Actually, my real point is why the fuck have 18,000 people got their knickers in so much of a twist that they felt the need to ring up the BBC complaints department, and at this point I'd like to point out, that, purely for research purposes, I rang said line; it took 7 minutes to get through to an operator! So why the fuck(and I apologise for my language, but I'm that exasperated...) would people take such umbrage to two entertainers when, around us, the world is falling apart?
I don't want to be one of those people who always says bullshit like '......yeah but what about the elephants in Africa (to paraphrase one Blue Peter presenter)" but given the current climate, given that our current Government has just used £37,000,000,000 of your money to, well make up for the mistakes of others, are we so concerned about what, frankly, two idiots said on a Saturday night radio show, a skit I'd like to point out that, at the time of broadcast, only drew in 2 complaints, and it was only after the media ho-ha that number grew, what we should allow it to dominate our front pages?
Even if we were enjoying the most fruitful of economic prosperity, basking in the glow of a demi-god-esque leader, with great hair, and wicked taste in music, why the fuck should the cover of a large percentage of newspapers be dedicated to this non-story? I've listened to the tapes, and I'll admit they're slightly low-brow, and maybe I can see how they'd offend but, shouldn't we really be asking ourselves why exactly we care?
From the moment this 'story' came about on Monday morning, (I can say I saw Russell Brand on Sunday night, and he didn't seem particularly arse'd) you could tell that it was only going to lead to silence, outrage, silence, official apologies, silence, suspensions, silence, sackings, silence, MY BOOZE HELL-esque cover story's, and, at this point I'd like to get odds on; either Virgin Media announcing The Russel Brand/Jonathon Ross Prime Time Hour, with the first guest being either of the two, or a massive climb down by the Beeb, and Russell/Ross returning triumphantly, apologising but still exercising the line that it was a joke, perhaps one that went too far, but a joke nonetheless, and the world continuing to turn.
Anyway I may be rambling, I just think, and this is something that's been getting on my tits for ages but, for a media outlet to reach, say, 4 million people a day, it should feel a slight responsibility to, if not educate its readers, then to at least present them with news that will at least stimulate them.
Fuckin' hell, a blogger that wants to stop the dumbing down of the press. Now that's a story.
David normally writes about music here.
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