Well if there was a competition for predicting the banner headline of the Daily Mail – I would have won. Today’s Mail lead with ‘Sack Them’ – my two worder in yesterday’s blog. Not really a great score though – as predictable as the establishment backlash we saw today. A backlash balanced out by the whip crack of the freedom of speechers irate that the very essence of civil liberties is at threat.
But why would this torrrid event beat Afghanistan, Credit Crunch and US 2008 to the top of the news? Well there are a number of deep rooted issues and fears right at the heart of it. Issues and fears which now and then bubble to the surface on the back of a trauma like this but which fail to get resolved until the next time and the next time….
I think one of the characteristics of the whole sorry episode which riled me most was the use of the word prank. In my mind a prank was a bit of joke, harmless etc. However the varety of on line dictionariesavailable all lead with a prank being malicious. Shows how much I know about the English language, as the BBCs description of the episode is appropriate, as it was clearly malicious and aimed to hurt. We will come back to this latter BUT the point I am making is that the use of language and its meaning are not constants. Not uniform or consistent. We have personal, communal, regional, educational, class preferences and divisions to our use of the English Language that means that what is acceptable to one isn’t acceptable to another. But hey can’t we be big enough to value this? I think we can. BUT please don’t think I am some dyed in the wool {can I say that without offending shepherds?} freedom of speech fanatic because I am not. Freedom of Speech is about carte blanche whereas I don’t think that Ross and Brand should have said what they did publicly because its aim was malicious. And there lies the issue. Its not that I can’t say I am a Republican {which I am and I can say without fear of reprisal} its that I shouldn’t say that Prince Philip is a tosser {Apologies. effect only. I have nothing against Philip as a man}. When freedom of speech allows us to say anything we like, whenever we like, to whoever we like….we have lost the game. My dad came from a country where that liberty, that privilege had been lost a long time ago. He used to say ‘The English have had so many freedoms for so long that they don’t know what to do with them anymore’. You see I don’t think Freedom of Speech is a right to be shoved like the proverbial two fingers in the faces of anyone I like. I think its a privilege to be nurtured and treated with respect.
A sad day for real freedom of speech. The privilege of free speech.
What about the poor grand daughter? Enter stage left the object of the tirade aspiring actress Georgina Baillie, {stage-name Voluptua}, cast into the limelight after Brand/Ross broadcast their phone voicemails to her 78-year-old grandfather. Poor girl. A bit like Palin she will get 1 minute of the nice side of fame and 14 minutes of pain. The images of her are already winging their way across the net. I suspect for Georgina Baillie her career will now do one of two things: 1. If she was any good at acting these events will have no impact at all. 2. If she was no good at acting she will be able to earn a few quid on variety of chat shows and newspaper reviews. But before either of those happen she will have her whole life, warts and all exposed to all for us all to read. What’s all that about then? Well if there’s dirt it will get found even if it needs to be spiced up a bit.
A sad day for Georgina Baillie – soon to be yet another victim of the press that demand freedom of speech so they can torture with their words whomever they like.
For Brand and Ross this will present a temporary blip but long term a very financially rewarding stunt. Ross’ viewing figures will go up as he attracts a} a group of the population who think what he did was cool, b} a group of the population keen to see how he handles his apology live on TV and how he handles himself over the next few weeks. Eventually, and sooner than you think the Talented Mr. Ross will be presenting our BAFTAs or such like making a sly dig or two about this event. His patriots and chums in the audience will cheer loudly, mocking all of us sad ordinary folk who think that it actually matters how we behave and how we treat one another and what we say about one another and how we treat our civil liberties. For Brand – less certain in the immediate. I suspect he will be sacked and move on. His DVDs will though sell more and he will be much richer this time next year than he was going to be. In their own way they will both apologise hollowly with a much more passionate stiff middle finger in our faces. Screw Us.
A further sad day for our history of celebrity culture.
For our politicians quick to jump on the popular bandwagon a few more bought votes. i don’t see them though fighting for the rights of those in our society with no voice at all. Neither Brown nor Cameron mentioned how appalling it was that marginalised estate kids in Leeds today have little or no say about the poverty they live in.
A further double standard sad day for our politicos. No surprises there then.
How bloody torrid. What Brand and Ross do is highlight what is worse about our society. A deep rooted misunderstanding of what is right and what is privilege. A lack disregard for how we treat one another. A snarling rabid press hunger of its next kill. Politicians …well you can fill this in.
Yet how different it could have been. Imagine the other world headlines:
“Ross and Brand apologise, resign and agree to give their full contract earnings to charity”
“BBC Executives and Directors resign amid Parliament call for tightening of the Broadcasting Act”
“Civil Liberty Organisations Work together to promote respect campaign”
As for me and my little spat – ‘Sack Them’ – who am I kidding?
Tim Ocsko
