Real News, News, and Over-reactions

In the past week there have been several high-profile stories in the news, some of which deserve the attention – and some of which definitely don’t.

Firstly, there has been the tragic plane crash in the French Alps, a crash that killed 150 people, in what appears to have been an act of suicide, for reasons as yet unestablished. This is a very sad time for a great many families, who have suddenly had loved ones ripped away from them, in horrific circumstances, and my heart goes out to them. It’s impossible to imagine what must have been going through the mind of the co-pilot as he deliberately set the plane on a crash course – we will probably never know the truth of the matter.

Also in the news is the news that, after much wrangling, the BBC has sacked Jeremy Clarkson. Now, even a cursory glance at the BBC comments pages (not to mention Facebook and Twitter) reveals that Clarkson has a huge following who believe he should keep his job. Now, I dare say he certainly brings flair to Top Gear – there’s no doubt he’s entertaining and he helps pull in the viewers – but in any other (well, nearly any other) line of work, if you assault a colleague, you’re gone, regardless of past achievements. I could be the best salesperson for my employers that has ever lived, but if I punch another member of staff, that’s curtains for my career, and rightly so. What makes Clarkson so special that he should avoid that fate?

Finally, we come to the news that Zayn Malik has left One Direction. Now, to me, this is a story that belongs closer to the bottom of the list, but if you are even vaguely near Twitter or any sites that track this sort of stuff, you will have seen an explosion from fangirls who are behaving like the world has just fallen out from underneath them.

Grow up. I don’t care how close to the band or Zayn you feel, I don’t care if you feel heartbroken, there are far more important things happening in the world. People are dying the world over for so many different, avoidable reasons. We have had the tragic plane crash I referred to earlier. Lives are being seriously affected by serious issues around the world, and you’re acting like a guy leaving a boy band (who won’t be remembered twenty years from now) is the be-all and end-all of existence. It isn’t.

Please follow and like us:
error2
fb-share-icon0
fb-share-icon20