'1st holiday in five years'
Discussion
Will someone please explain to me why the media feel this is very important? A local couple are missing, feared amongst the dead killed in the bombing in Egypt. But whenever the National and local TV run the story, the significance of their death is secondary, the main focus of the report is that this was 'their 1st holiday in five years'.
Am I missing something? why does this matter? and why is it the main subject of the story and the interview with the worried/grieving relatives, it is all that anyone has to say about the subject 'their 1st holiday in five years'. Of course, if they had been away a few times already this year, their deaths wouldnt matter then would they?
I get this image of Sid and Elsie sat at home watching the news on TV, bombs and death and mayhem are being shown, and they dont even look up from their jigsaw and knitting, but as soon as the presenter says '1st holiday in five years' they both look up and pay rapt attention "Ooh, thats terrible isnt it?" "Yes, it's really shocking isnt it?"
I absolutely loathe this type of journalism.
Am I missing something? why does this matter? and why is it the main subject of the story and the interview with the worried/grieving relatives, it is all that anyone has to say about the subject 'their 1st holiday in five years'. Of course, if they had been away a few times already this year, their deaths wouldnt matter then would they?
I get this image of Sid and Elsie sat at home watching the news on TV, bombs and death and mayhem are being shown, and they dont even look up from their jigsaw and knitting, but as soon as the presenter says '1st holiday in five years' they both look up and pay rapt attention "Ooh, thats terrible isnt it?" "Yes, it's really shocking isnt it?"
I absolutely loathe this type of journalism.
I see what you mean in part but in this day and age not having at least one foreign holiday a year seems to classify you as some sort of poor deprived street urchin.
I suppose the angle is these poor sad people could only afford a holiday like this once every 5 whole years and then it looks like the one time they went away they got blown up.
Make me laugh as until I started the annual Le Mans thing in’02 I think I’d manage 2 foreign holidays in about 10 years, and one of them was a long weekend in the Dam!
Okay so I was going away a fair few times for work though at that time
I suppose the angle is these poor sad people could only afford a holiday like this once every 5 whole years and then it looks like the one time they went away they got blown up.
Make me laugh as until I started the annual Le Mans thing in’02 I think I’d manage 2 foreign holidays in about 10 years, and one of them was a long weekend in the Dam!
Okay so I was going away a fair few times for work though at that time
For a number of years I have been searching for the word that describes this.
Schadenfreude is not quite right because it means to find joy in others misfortune. The word I want would mean the feeling of emotion felt when you hear about sad events.
I am sure it is the new opiate of the masses - EastEnders is a great example. "People" seem to love it when things go wrong for people... the more "sad" the better (jiltings, ironic-just-missed-out-on-love type things).
Basically, by saying it was their first holiday in 5 years - they are shlapping on the tragedy... making it even more bitter. If they could, they'd have gone further with things like "paid for by selling the one wedding present that survived a fire at their first home... that was started by the donated electric fire as they couldn't afford to heat the house. Ever since he injured himself saving the old lady from being run over..." blah, blah, blah.
I agree, I HATE this type of vicarious grieving... and the appetite with which it is devoured. Maybe I'm cynical but f
k it, it annoys me!
Schadenfreude is not quite right because it means to find joy in others misfortune. The word I want would mean the feeling of emotion felt when you hear about sad events.
I am sure it is the new opiate of the masses - EastEnders is a great example. "People" seem to love it when things go wrong for people... the more "sad" the better (jiltings, ironic-just-missed-out-on-love type things).
Basically, by saying it was their first holiday in 5 years - they are shlapping on the tragedy... making it even more bitter. If they could, they'd have gone further with things like "paid for by selling the one wedding present that survived a fire at their first home... that was started by the donated electric fire as they couldn't afford to heat the house. Ever since he injured himself saving the old lady from being run over..." blah, blah, blah.
I agree, I HATE this type of vicarious grieving... and the appetite with which it is devoured. Maybe I'm cynical but f
k it, it annoys me!Gassing Station | The Pie & Piston Archive | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff