Already one of the more baffling news stories this week is the Berwick busker who has shot to infamy playing his ukulele during David Cameron's walkabout in the town, singing 'f*** off back to Eton!'
Obviously, this is an unnecessarily rude and personal attack on any politician, as anyone but a less-than-halfwit can see. But it also makes very little sense. Eton is the school David Cameron went to; this chap is telling the Prime Minister – who is almost fifty years old – to go back to school. Why? It is a vapid, meaningless slur against the Prime Minister, singling out one of least important things about him – something over which he almost certainly had no control himself (how many children choose for themselves which school to go to, independent of their parents' influence?).
Why the Daily Mirror (amongst others) feels the need to give the inane babblings of this busking buffoon the oxygen of publicity is completely beyond me. Aren't there any actual news stories they could be reporting?
Showing posts with label news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label news. Show all posts
Tuesday, 14 April 2015
Wednesday, 12 November 2014
Comment on this
Do you write comments on newspaper articles online? You shouldn't.
I very rarely get comments on my Blog posts – and for that, I am very grateful. The problem with online comments is that no one is listening, and everyone is talking; it is a world where people scream their opinions into the abyss with an obstinate certainty they would never display in real life – there is no persuading anyone of an alternate point-of-view because everyone's positions are already so entrenched, and ad hominem is the default approach for making any point.
No one can ever 'win' one of these arguments (read: shouting matches). I don't think anybody is even trying to. There are plenty of comments on this critique of Russell Brand's latest book by Michael Moynihan, most of which are pretty hostile – and yet there are precious few attempts logically to refute the arguments the author makes, and instead the commenters' points are almost all "you're jealous of him!" or "you're just a stooge of 'the establishment' anyway!"
I've lost count (OK, I was never really keeping count) of the number of times I've read an excellent article, followed by a bunch of moronic comments from people with no interest at all in debating the issues raised in the piece with an open mind.
So, let's all try to restrain ourselves, and stop posting comments – the world will be a happier, nicer place for it.
I very rarely get comments on my Blog posts – and for that, I am very grateful. The problem with online comments is that no one is listening, and everyone is talking; it is a world where people scream their opinions into the abyss with an obstinate certainty they would never display in real life – there is no persuading anyone of an alternate point-of-view because everyone's positions are already so entrenched, and ad hominem is the default approach for making any point.
No one can ever 'win' one of these arguments (read: shouting matches). I don't think anybody is even trying to. There are plenty of comments on this critique of Russell Brand's latest book by Michael Moynihan, most of which are pretty hostile – and yet there are precious few attempts logically to refute the arguments the author makes, and instead the commenters' points are almost all "you're jealous of him!" or "you're just a stooge of 'the establishment' anyway!"
I've lost count (OK, I was never really keeping count) of the number of times I've read an excellent article, followed by a bunch of moronic comments from people with no interest at all in debating the issues raised in the piece with an open mind.
So, let's all try to restrain ourselves, and stop posting comments – the world will be a happier, nicer place for it.
Tuesday, 24 May 2011
No news is good news
I've been reading the recent Tweets and news articles about Ryan Giggs' affair, and consequent super-injunction, getting a little fed-up of hearing about it.
But then something occurred to me. What I find far more annoying than hearing about the Ryan Giggs and Imogen Thomas scandal all day long, is seeing other people pouting and posturing, sneering "this isn't news. Why do the media report this rubbish?"
Do these people expect that they should choose the news?!
It's not the fact that some people feel that the "celebrity gossip" style news might be less important than other types of news - wars, current affairs, world politics, economics, etc - that gets to me. In fact, I have been known to express that opinion myself, on occasion! But I have never been so arrogant as to suggest that newspapers and television should stop reporting the "celebrity gossip" news items, just because they may not interest me.
People who believe that the world's media should change to suit them, and their interests, irritate me ten times more than news articles about sexed-up Premiership Footballers!
But then something occurred to me. What I find far more annoying than hearing about the Ryan Giggs and Imogen Thomas scandal all day long, is seeing other people pouting and posturing, sneering "this isn't news. Why do the media report this rubbish?"
Do these people expect that they should choose the news?!
It's not the fact that some people feel that the "celebrity gossip" style news might be less important than other types of news - wars, current affairs, world politics, economics, etc - that gets to me. In fact, I have been known to express that opinion myself, on occasion! But I have never been so arrogant as to suggest that newspapers and television should stop reporting the "celebrity gossip" news items, just because they may not interest me.
People who believe that the world's media should change to suit them, and their interests, irritate me ten times more than news articles about sexed-up Premiership Footballers!
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