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| Letters From London |
| Humorous Views on London Culture, Royals, Gossip and Politics |
Jaded - 22 February 2009
“Fairytale wedding…securing the financial future for her young sons…. Fairytale
wedding…securing the financial future for her young sons…. Fairytale wedding…securing the
financial future for her young sons…” Crikey!
As we all know whether we want to or not - Jade Goody is literally dying on Living TV. Oh the
irony. The news media is determined to keep her on the front pages and on ‘breaking news’
bulletins. “Jade is tired today…Jade is having chemo today…Jade wants to take her mind off her
condition…Jade appears to be thinner…” ad infinitum.
I am trying to recall a Grimms’ fairytale that mirrors this ‘fairytale wedding’…hmmm. In truth,
even the Brothers Grimm couldn’t have conjured this up, but then they were more focused on
archetypes and good vs evil, rather than celebrity fixation.
In this tale we have: a lesbian junky fraudster mother with one withered arm, an absent father
who dies of an overdose in a fast food restaurant, a father to her young boys who has negligible
interest in them, a feckless new 21 year old husband who has cheated on her continuously and
demonstrates a scarily violent nature to the point of beating up a teenager with a golf club which
resulted in a prison sentence. Curious though. A golf club. Was this very golf club his own after a
round of 18 holes at a members only club? He apparently hasn’t worked since he and Jade met.
Her mother has profited as Jade’s mother which has included plastic surgery and now she wants
the two boys. EastEnders is more credible and upbeat. Clearly the naïve, former racist,
undereducated, uncensored Jade deserves all the empathy we can offer.
The British public have watched Jade living out her life in and for the public since Big Brother
2002 – except for Gordon (Brown) who refers to her as ‘Jane’ - ah, a man of the people. But
this ‘reality’ television saga, acting as sublimation for a proper family, does get a bit creepy and
gravely morbid. Having not watched any of Jade’s documented illness, I cannot escape those
ubiquitous images of Jade as an adorable orang-tan.
It has been written that smear tests are up a mere 20% and that Jade will leave at least £4m to
her two young boys. Perhaps it is helpful, perhaps it is vicarious, perhaps it is a reflection of a
vacuous society, perhaps it is what it is; the dying seeking support and succour. I doubt that
even Jade knows.
“Fairytale wedding…securing the financial future for her young sons…. Fairytale
wedding…securing the financial future for her young sons…. Fairytale wedding…securing the
financial future for her young sons…” Crikey!
As we all know whether we want to or not - Jade Goody is literally dying on Living TV. Oh the
irony. The news media is determined to keep her on the front pages and on ‘breaking news’
bulletins. “Jade is tired today…Jade is having chemo today…Jade wants to take her mind off her
condition…Jade appears to be thinner…” ad infinitum.
I am trying to recall a Grimms’ fairytale that mirrors this ‘fairytale wedding’…hmmm. In truth,
even the Brothers Grimm couldn’t have conjured this up, but then they were more focused on
archetypes and good vs evil, rather than celebrity fixation.
In this tale we have: a lesbian junky fraudster mother with one withered arm, an absent father
who dies of an overdose in a fast food restaurant, a father to her young boys who has negligible
interest in them, a feckless new 21 year old husband who has cheated on her continuously and
demonstrates a scarily violent nature to the point of beating up a teenager with a golf club which
resulted in a prison sentence. Curious though. A golf club. Was this very golf club his own after a
round of 18 holes at a members only club? He apparently hasn’t worked since he and Jade met.
Her mother has profited as Jade’s mother which has included plastic surgery and now she wants
the two boys. EastEnders is more credible and upbeat. Clearly the naïve, former racist,
undereducated, uncensored Jade deserves all the empathy we can offer.
The British public have watched Jade living out her life in and for the public since Big Brother
2002 – except for Gordon (Brown) who refers to her as ‘Jane’ - ah, a man of the people. But
this ‘reality’ television saga, acting as sublimation for a proper family, does get a bit creepy and
gravely morbid. Having not watched any of Jade’s documented illness, I cannot escape those
ubiquitous images of Jade as an adorable orang-tan.
It has been written that smear tests are up a mere 20% and that Jade will leave at least £4m to
her two young boys. Perhaps it is helpful, perhaps it is vicarious, perhaps it is a reflection of a
vacuous society, perhaps it is what it is; the dying seeking support and succour. I doubt that
even Jade knows.
