Whenever I watch television or listen to the radio I am acutely aware of the power the media has to influence. Just the other day I was thinking about audience and the clever way BBC radio is arranged to stereotype it’s audience into wider consumer categories.
I have also closely considered the way that media seamlessly washed over the anxiety and nerve-wracking feeling of appearing in front of millions of people – otherwise known as evaluation. Of course, most of the people employed in media are trained actors or speakers or journalists who are paid huge amounts of money to help them come to terms with having their every move scrutinised on the screen and in the press.
Every so often there is a glitch in the media matrix and we get to see the real mayhem that goes on behind producing entertaining media. Where the bottom line is all-important, people are wheeled on in a conveyor belt fashion through a series of political or consumer advertising related scenes. Without getting too analytic, all of today’s soap operas carry social messages and the actors are merely puppets to the political aspects of TV and film. An example of this was in ‘Confessions of a Shopoholic’, a seemingly harmless chick flick about the perils of spending on a credit card that was laden with designer items being advertised.
Anyhow. This week has seen the media cost to the general public in terms of crying children, pushy mums and Susan Boyle. I am guessing that this has been a nightmarish week for anyone working on the BGT show and, if the producers had their way, all that went on stage would have been cut. I wouldn’t mind betting that this will be the last truly live broadcast we see from this particular show.
Children crying. Hollie was distraught. Great for viewing figures I expect but the child was hysterical and it actually made very uncomfortable viewing. Piers Morgan rolled up on the telly telling us that in the history of BGT no child has ever cried before. Then, only 24 hours later, another crying child. Of course there were calls for a special show just for children and for an age limit of 14 but in reality, how much of this goes on in TV and how much is just never shown? And how much does this really affect children. We have all heard stories of the child stars who go on to be damaged, attention seeking adults. So why on earth would we vote these children into that lifestyle?
Susan Boyle. In my opinion, Susan Boyle has been a surprise for the producers of BGT. Used to controlling their competitors, they have underestimated the wide range of behaviour exhibited by the population, assuming that money and a good telling off can win round even the most rebellious competitor. Who can help but laugh at the fear and anxiety displayed by Ant and Dec when Susan Boyle walked around on the stage, wiggled at Piers and pulled up her dress? They could hardly wait to push her into the wings. It emerged late in the day that Susan has learning difficulties. She is undoubtedly talented and clearly a beautiful, spontaneous person. The shame of this is that she had been placed in front of an audience (live and at home) who are used to evaluating the smallest flaw. The ‘Hairy Angel’ brand was a sickening jibe on a woman who, in reality (as opposed to the airbrushed media), looks much the same as lots of women in their forties and fifties walking around my neighbourhood.
She was coiffed within an inch of her life and tailored to the max and wheeled out again to sing. Clearly unable to follow stage instructions she has been as spontaneous as she undoubtedly is in her home on the BGT stage, and she has suffered the indignity of being whisked off and conditioned as ‘the best’ only to be placed as second best. The point I make here is that if she were someone who didn’t have learning difficulties, someone who was used to the hair extensions and the false nails, someone who was used to the tabloid cruelty, she might go home of an evening and cry gently into her scented silk pillow.
But Susan isn’t that person. She is an almost-recluse who loves her cat. She is obviously a strong, fun-loving person who was led to believe that she was on the cusp of a success wave. It seems that she was unable to understand the downside of fame, the pressure and the anxiety and the downright cruel nature of media evaluation. Surely someone, over the weeks and weeks since the show began, had noticed that and tried to help her? I really hope here that the show hasn’t put money before someones well being, or worse still, exploited her life difficulties knowingly?
Today Susan is resting in a clinic. Let’s hope she has enough people around her who’s concern is more than the bottom line – and who send her home to her cat and her slippers. I’d love to hear her sing again, but if it means that poor Susan will be exploited, only to end up psychologically damaged, then I would be happy with re-runs of BGT on YouTube.
Thanks, Jacqui, for your compassion and humanity. This needed to be said.
Similar hysteria has taken place over the years on the American Idol stage, with some of the same judges milking it for all it’s worth. In fact, they give prizes at the end to the most outrageous contestants. I always figure contestants must be in on the joke when they accept the prizes, but maybe they’re just too damaged to care.
PS–At least in the US, few real journalists are living in luxury. OR else I’ve missed a really important step in my career!