Why the Net has the advantage in the ‘Undies world’
- Shopping blogger Emma Iannarilli
Is it right to watch Jade die?
Wednesday 4th March 2009, 2:25PM GMT.
Even mentioning Jade Goody I could be walking into a minefield, writes Dan Wainwright.
Members of my profession hardly have a leg to stand on when it comes to criticising the prolific appearances of the dying 27-year-old reality TV star – such is our apparent hunger for every cough and wince.
I may as well set some ground rules here and now by echoing all those who say that what is happening to that young woman and her family is nothing short of a tragedy.
But I find myself forced to take a long look at my peers in the national media who insist on reporting every stage of Jade’s sad decline.
I have to wonder, and I hope you will help me to answer this, whether it is the editors of the red-top papers and the glossy mags who think we want to see her dying step-by-step or whether it is indeed the general public who hunger for this information.
Or is it Miss Goody herself who is clinging to the one part of her life that has remained constant since her awful diagnosis – the attention?
There have of course been well-documented declines in the past. The late, great Roy Castle gave a poignant interview in his final months when, dying of lung cancer, he said his finest hour would be his last, when he looked back at all that he had done and felt satisfied.
But Jade’s has taken on a whole new, and I’m afraid to say disturbing, level. Every day there is a picture of her, doubled up with pain and clearly in distress. Those of us with any sympathy for her surely cannot want to see this, can we?
Is there then something sick about us that we need to watch this woman suffering?
Do we get some form of perverted satisfaction out of seeing her in pain? We all laughed at her on Big Brother when she asked if “East Angular” was abroad. And we all shook our fists as she bullied the Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty.
More hypocritical still in my completely unqualified opinion is the tabloid papers calling for our messages of support on their websites – the same tabloids that relished her downfall after Shilpa-gate.
We can’t call Jade a victim of the media though. Without it she’d be just another ignorant young woman, branded a chav and dying without securing hundreds of thousands of pounds for her boys thanks to a magazine deal.
Thanks to her exposure she has published books, filmed TV series and released a perfume. The media has invested a lot in the Jade Goody product. But does that really entitle us to watch her die? And do you really want to?
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many people with cancer dont want anyone to see them in the last few days of their life. as they look so ill and thin . so why does jade want to do this. as i dont think really anyone wants to see this. jade think abut this as your boys have to grow up.let them think of you as you was not what you became with this bad illness .
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This is reality TV taking on a new face i fear. As we are all prepared to watch birth on TV and watch every day reality programs , then why shouldn’t death be a part of it as well?
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No I don’t think it’s right. She now has barely anytime before she dies and she still has the media there. Jade was supposed to give her remaining time to those little boys and she hasn’t. Disgusting and we, the public, have been lied to once more. It’s almost as if we’re living her life and it’s wrong. Death is a tragic and sad reality to all living things and to me when it’s near to the end it should be private and personal. It’s a charade that’s gone too far and has given people liberties and advantages they should never have had. No oe should be allowed to use death to gain anything. Compassion and sympathy has been replaced by a morbid fascination of someone’s final moments. Those wonderful boys are the ones who I feel for the most as their lives are now affected through selfishness and thoughtlessness. It scares me that we humans will end up desensitized to everything. Publically showing death this way could be the start of something worse.
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Whilst I sympathise with Jade, I am angered that she should still be thinking of making money at a time like this, even if it is for her boys. How many “normal” people who are dying get that chance? Why should her plight be different from anyone elses? Why shouldn’t all those other sufferers be getting attention?
I also feel that it is somehow disturbing that she should want people to see her in this state. Doesn’t she realise that her boys will be able to look at this in the future?
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I agree Ruitonian. Many people die of this dreadful disease with no help financially and very little extra medical treatment. Jade said the media hype would stop but it hasn’t and this alone speaks volumes. It’s wrong. Humans need to keep certain aspects of their life private and personal. Death is one of them otherwise my fear is we will eventually treat the loss of a loved one without the emotion and dignity it deserves. Nor should a public death place one controversial person on an iconic pedestool either. To me I cannot pretend that Jade is an inspiration and forget her conduct in the past. We need role models that our children will aspire to for their actions and not because we watched them die.
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Naomi – it’s good to find someone else who agrees with me.
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Our culture shys away from considering our mortality, it is painful, so we hide away from facing the reality of death. Whatever the views on the rights and wrongs of Jade Goody’s publicity, one thing is apparent – many have an interest in her just because she is dying, when before they had no interest. It is because we do not discuss dying, that many are drawn to Jade Goody’s plight. This by-product of the media frenzy has allowed people to consider some of the issues that dying raises – in a safe way, as we feel we know her, which allows us to feel emotional involved at some level, but we are still removed enough to remain relatively detached. So we will remain interested as her death is a cathartic experience. Jade’s death has inadvertently helped people to consider their own mortality, and in so address fears, be reminded about the things in life that are actually important – so we may live a happier life while on earth.
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We are told by her Publicist that it is Jade who still wants to be filmed and photographed. Lets not give in to this attention seeking woman – she cannot feel a real person unless she has a camera pointing to her. Lets prove that we are more decent than that and force her to learn the meaning of the word “dignity”.
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SD- I don’t think its dignity she needs. Cancer took that away from her ,and as for cameras pointing at her-well we all sponsor reality TV shows and enjoy the gossip. Unfortunately this is too close to the truth in life for some people. Enjoy watching other people on big brother and celebrity get me out of here but shy away from the big D word.
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There are some good comments here but I’ve got to say I’ve never agreed with Big Brother or any of the classless programmes that are on our screens today. Personally I find them tasteless and they encourage the wrong kind of attention as is proven with Jade Goody. The government should have used the media to bring to attention the devastation that cancer can bring when left unchecked. It isn’t the job of a very controversial young woman who has been blasphemed and ridiculed for her behaviour. Sadly in a year or two years time all this will be forgotten and test statistics will drop once more. I feel that this has been about money and the limelight for the main part. Yes smear tests have increased but for how long? I can honestly say I don’t buy into it and won’t even buy the OK magazine. Like many I’ve found myself fascinated by the hype but not for the reasons that people like Clifford want me to be. Jade, for eg, said her remaining time would be with her little sons and yet she still refuses to let the media go. It’s wrong on many levels and needs to be said in a respectful way. Death is the final act in someone’s life and should have privacy and dignity no matter who it is. An ex-con as in Tweed will benefit monetarily from this situation and I find that unacceptable. The thought of those wonderful boys being used as they have been just saddens this whole event even more so. Of course been told one minute Jade has barely hours left to live and then it being changed again and again proves the media just want the public to “buy” anything connected to it. No ones death should be used as some kind of real life soap drama. I do hope her passing is peaceful but I can’t agree with what is happening just because her story is so tragic.
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Brain, I am a nurse who looks after cancer patients and alos working class. Let me tell you that Cancer or sickness does not take away their dignity. Some are doing work for charity and are not self motivated to the end. These are the truely brave people I respect. There is a lot of resentment now about the adulation for this woman. God bless her soul when her time comes, but there are other people suffering which have fought for our country and who are dying alone from this illness. It is the credit crunch and this woman gets a million for a set of photos which is purely a publicity stunt so that she can leave her thug husband her barn and have more to leave her children. And as for Reality shows, surely we need to know where to stop. I am not going to fall for this Max Clifford soap opera. But I respect everyones opinion.
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We will never know what motivates Jade to continue to seek media attention. Is she a lonely young woman whose happiness and sense of self-worth can only be achieved by media attention? If this is the case – it is incredibly sad. Sad that society prizes fame and money above all else, and bases happiness on such attainments. Sad that because of this we have moulded Jade into the person she is today. Can we really condem what we have been responsible in creating?
Some may argue she is selfish and self-absorbed and her pursuit of obscene amounts of money unnecessary and distastful. Not the brightest person others may argue she is merely a pawn in Max Clifford’s publicity machine. Or are her actions actually brave and selfless? – truely believing her continuing media coverage is helping her children and others.
Only Jade and God know what motivates her heart – all we can do is speculate, and so without such insight can we really judge her? I for one do not think we can or should.
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