Houston, we have a problem

I woke at 3am and couldn’t get back to sleep. I looked at my iPhone and read the news.

Whitney Houston has inevitably died.

I then tried to get back to sleep, but a song was stuck in my head…

No… Not a Whitney song, but Tim Minchin’s Pope Song (Download free at his website HERE)

(Lot’s of swearing, but the message is spot on).

Anyway… yes, Whitney Houston had died. That once amazing songstress and actress.

Personally, I liked some of her songs, and it’s a shame to see a wasted life, but I didn’t know her & I’m not overly upset.

More upsetting is the fact that people are dying everyday, trying make our lives safe, to protect us, and they don’t get a mention. People dying from incurable diseases who didn’t bring it on themselves… What about them?

Nope, the death of someone who chose their own terminal lifestyle is more important.

I have few tears for self indulgent drug abusers. If you become an addict through your own choices, then you made your own bed.

Each time a celebrity or well known figure dies from drug use, every time the news shows drug abusers, the general population look on and see them all as junkies. This really doesn’t help the cause of those people who have become addicted to their prescription medications, as people see all addicts under the same banner.

I’m not saying Whitney Houston’s death isn’t news, as she was a household name around the world, I’m just saying there are more important things going on in life. Pretty much like Tim Minchin says in his Pope song….. Anyway, I digress.

Before her life choices

She made her choices, and the result is a pretty good anti-drug message.

After her life choices

Anyway, some people on the ‘social media‘ sites are getting angry at negative Whitney comments & jokes.

Look, some people didn’t like her. That didn’t suddenly change when she died.

Don’t speak ill of the dead, they say…

Right then, no more Hitler jokes or mentions of how much of an evil genocidal tyrant he was. He’s dead, so you have to love him too. Just a shame about the Jews really.

The lovely, misunderstood Mr Hitler

Pol Pot can’t be referred to as a murderous mad man. Sure, 2 to 4 million people died (20% of his country) under his rule…. but he’s dead now, so we shouldn’t mention that.

Pol Pot smiling as he watches a butterfly

Sure, the jokes can be seen as a bit crass when she only died hours ago, and sure, people could hold their tongues for a while… BUT if they didn’t give a rats arse about her when she was alive, then can you really expect them to give a rats arse now?

Heck, when that pain in the arse car crash Jade Goody died, I still managed some respect, even through I couldn’t stand her.

Gah!!!! Moron.

Twitter, Facebook & other ‘social media‘ sites are a slice of many people with many views. If you tweet or use Facebook, then you’ll see it all. Some good, some bad, but some of everything none the less.

People are individual, so expect individual views.

In much the same way you can have a film or new Dr. Who episode spoilt by a Tweeter who’s seen the show before you have, you can guarantee dead celebrity jokes will do the rounds.

When dealing with a cross section of people from around the world, you must expect these comments. Simple as that.

Ignore them. Just don’t waste your time moaning about them.

It’d be easier to stop the Earth from spinning than it would be to stop dead celebrity jokes/comments & TV show spoilers.

Freedom of speech cuts both ways.

R.I.P Puppet Girl

It was sad to hear of Jade Goody passing away on Mothering Sunday.

Regardless of my views on her, I feel sorry for the real friends and family that she left behind.

I didn’t like her public personna, but hey, that’s what choice is about. I could change the TV channel or choose not to read about her.

I don’t think I am stepping over the line by saying she wasn’t the sharpest tool in the box. She was well known for her poor knowledge of many subjects (along with many other things). It is this general lack of awareness (or education) that makes it obvious that she was a media puppet. No fault to her as she didn’t have a clue (I’m sure we can all agree on that).

Up to her final day, and no doubt in months to come, the media will get all the mileage they can from her. I am sure people will come out of the woodwork to sell their stories.

I’m waiting for the conspiracy people to say that records were falsified so it looked like she passed on Mothers Day, when really it was late the day before. Any old rubbish to earn gutter rag page columns and magazine sales.

It’s all rather tasteless at the end of the day. She was just a woman who was in the right or wrong place at the certain time….

I called this blog “Puppet Girl” in reference to a Wendy James song. Maybe raising Cancer awareness in people that the Cancer message had otherwise missed was Jades way of cutting the strings and turning the media hype into a positive thing – or maybe I am giving her too much credit – either way, the message had gained some volume, so she has helped many more people, and for that we should be thankful.

Maybe another Wendy James (Transvision Vamp) song best fits Jade… “Born to be Sold”. She was a media Swatch girl who they used for their own purposes, preying on her less than brilliant intelligence. I’ll bet she still doesn’t get the peace that she now deserves.

There you go. Although I didn’t like what I knew of her, I wouldn’t have wished any harm of her. It’s a shame she didn’t get a normal life due to her life as a media puppet. I hope that her children get to know the real Jade, and not just the victim of the hype.

At the end of this blog I have to now ask…. “Was it Jade I didn’t like….or the media machine that manipulated her?”

Sure, in real life I doubt she would have been my cup of tea… but who knows what she was really like?

It’ll be the media machine then – but that’s no real surprise.

I pray they let her Rest In Peace.