Not what we would expect from a history book, or a serious article. But exactly what we get from the media. Why? Why is the media so obsessed with reporting trivial details of people's lives. In Today's Manchester Evening News we learn that a man who trained fighting dogs is not just "Barbaric" he is a "Barbaric dad-of-two".In the same edition we learn of a "dad of ten" accused of sex attacks (wonder where he gets the energy?) A heart-warming report of local binmen is spoiled by the superfluous information that the elderly lady they helped is a "Gran-of-four". Finally we learn of a dad-of-two accused of offering a cash reward for the beheading of those responsible for robbing a mosque in Oldham.
Now call me old fashioned, but if someone within easy traveling distance of my house is offering cash for beheading someone I am more interested in knowing what they look like and where they live than knowing how many offspring they have!
So, why do it? On explanation is laziness. Fill up the page with waffle so that it looks impressive. Another is that a "Family person" gets more sympathy. Or is expected to behave better once they have a young life to look after. It is a lazy method of writing. It is also somewhat intimidating. The unspoken hint that if you "get in the papers" your family will similarly appear, and not always in a favorable light.
And I have not even begun to comment on the obsession with printing the age of the person being interviewed....
"46 year old father of two Arthur, who has been Duke for two years now....."
What do others think???
5 comments:
Good point TC. I too have noticed all the nonsense news articles where a culprit is described as a dad of two etc
The masked Islamic State militant known as "Jihadi John", who has been pictured in the videos of the beheadings of Western hostages, has been named.
He is Mohammed Emwazi, a Kuwaiti-born British man in his mid-20s from west London, who was previously known to British security services.
British police declined to comment, citing ongoing investigations.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-31637090
Okay folks, this fine example of the multicultural experiment is a "Kuwaiti born British man" that is if we are to believe the BBC.
If I, as a European white man moved to Korea would I be described as a British born Korean? No I wouldn't. The BBC article is the 'news speak' that Orwell warmed of in Action.
More to the point, if your mother had been on her way to Korea and had given birth to you on board ship in the middle of the Pacific would you be a merman??
Don't worry about a handful of butters like Jihadi John, worry about Britain's maternity wards and Britain's borders.
What happened to great patriotic British heroes like this?
Now we've got gutless traitors 'leading' us.
God help Britain.
Post a Comment