(I’m struggling to understand some of the headlines)
I don’t know about you, but in this current climate, I’m struggling to understand some of the headlines gripping readers and viewers across the media.
Struggling to comprehend the interest in back-stabbing politics and ongoing beauty contest to appoint the next PM (yawn), horrified by the atrocities one world leader thinks appropriate to commit against his neighbours.
Yet in many ways, that complete lack of understanding is out done by feelings of utter incredulity when I see/hear developments in the likes of Love Island or the nonsense that was the so-called Wagatha Christie trial taking centre stage on my news feeds.
Why?
I mean why and how has such inane non-news stolen a march on all the good that is going on in the world which remains largely unreported and how can that salacious gossip ever be deemed fit to share a platform with horrific details of yet another child abuse case or dire warnings of what comes next in the cost-of-living crisis?
I’m not exaggerating when I say it’s beyond me. No matter how long I have left on this earth, I will NEVER comprehend (nor try to) this modern me, me, me culture.
It bores me rigid – and I’m 100% confident that I’m not the only one.
Now please believe me when I say I don’t mind if people make money or become famous because of what they eat, wear or how they portray themselves, but I don’t understand why.
Such culture is frivolous and unimportant and coverage of it, in my mind, promotes bad behaviour. If it was even mentioned as passing fun then OK, but it does seem to be taken increasingly seriously – and that’s a worry.
It’s my hope – let’s pray it’s not in vain – that this summer’s Commonwealth Games and success of the England Lionesses football team provide more appropriate role models for young people.
Widespread coverage of these sporting stars’ humble roots and dedication to hard work and achieving excellence in their field would genuinely inspire people, I’m sure.
We can return to the ethos I grew up with that getting anywhere in life requires hard work and an element of sacrifice…we cannot simply wake up one morning and decide we want to be famous. Life doesn’t work like that – or at least it didn’t until recently.
Social media clearly has a lot to answer for here. Sure, it has its place and has opened up new lines of communication for many previously unheard voices in society.
But the concept of instant gratification and the ‘look at me, aren’t I pretty/lucky/rich’ messages it encourages have got out of hand when they become the actual mainstream news.
If we take a step back for a second, there’s an ironic correlation between the ‘me, me, me’ selfish culture and some of those (unfortunately) true life abominable news stories…the unrelenting sense of power and ‘right’ of a world leader seeking to dominate others, the people clearly unfit to be within a mile of a child when they have zero space in their life for anything but themselves, striking public sector staff, the ‘I’m all right Jack’ approach of those making laws that have helped land us in this economic disaster zone. I could go on…
At risk of sounding like an aged dinosaur a little more humility coupled with a lot more respect and hard work would go a long way to righting the wrongs in our society and future workforce.
Let’s let TV and social media posts remain the escapism they were always meant to be and build on the one good thing that came out of the pandemic – the understanding that we’re all in this together.
No matter how long I have left on this earth, I will NEVER comprehend (nor try to) this modern me, me, me culture.
