Celebrity Big Brother is once again appealing to the voyeuristic nature of the public and this time its really excelled itself. The ratings are sky high. There are always complaints about it, mostly because of the z list celebrities whose agents have convinced them it will boost their failing career and the viewers are tortured by having to watch inane has-beens. This time the complaints are more serious. The topic which has boosted the ratings is racist bullying.
What I find totally perplexing is the fact that what goes on in the Big Brother house can become of such high media interest that it leaves the domain of entertainment and enters the NEWS. Therefore, generating stories which are beamed around the world faster than a speeding bullet which in turn generates ratings. Am I being cynical here by suggesting that it is Big Brother himself who is fuelling the news articles, interviews and over head helicopter interest? Is the Thought Police at work and are we not even aware of it? Or (theme from the Twilight Zone) are we the Thought Police? I mean the royal 'we' of course. 'We' , including Gordon Brown, are deciding whose thoughts are right or wrong and making the decision to have the ones with the wrong thoughts eliminated, oh sorry I mean evicted from the house?
On my journey to work which involves a short train ride towards Shatin in the New Territories, the KCR train has a tv which broadcasts news in Cantonese to the commuters who stare blankly at it morning after morning. It is usually Hong Kong based news - very dull. Nothing much happens apart from the Hang Seng Index going up or down. But this morning I was jolted out of my ipod world as I heard an English voice, Essex accent at that. It was that thicko Jade Goody. Yes, Big Brother has made it to Hong Kong. I was horrified to see a close up of her frog mouth on my way to work. There is no escape we are watching Big Brother.
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