Me, I’m not a great lover of I’m a Celebrity, Get me Out of Here any more. I used to be for the first couple of seasons, but like Masterchef and so many other similar programmes that are perenially successful, they become ‘same old, same old’ and I need to move on to something with a new formula.
One thing I do still find great about Ant & Dec’s brainchild, however, is the fact that it sometimes raises personal or social issues which a lot of its viewers can identify with. Right now it’s the image of women’s bodies, spawned out of a mid-jungle conversation between Olympian swimmer and National Treasure Becky Adlington and Miss Universe contender Amy Willerton – if you’re not aware of it click on Huffington Post’s account here.
To cut a long story short, Becky got very upset and walked away from the set when she recounted the chronic and cruel abuse she has received – and continued to receive – about her looks, much of it on Twitter, and much of it anonymous (with one notable exception being ‘comedian’ Frankie Boyle).
This brave young woman won two gold medals for our country at the 2008 Olympics aged just 19 – the first woman to win swimming gold for Great Britain since 1960. As well as countless other honours during her career. Yet these bullies hide behind their computer monitors and mobile phones and make the most vile and hurtful personal comments at her expense.
Like many of the inventions of recent times which have had such success on the internet, Twitter is indeed a great innovation for individuals, communities and commerce alike. But it’s as good and bad as the people who use it.
C’mon you bullies, stalkers, people with a chip on your shoulder and others who get your kicks out of making innocent people’s lives miserable. Get a life, and turn all that destructive energy into something positive.
You might even start finding out what enjoying life is really all about.
