The wellies and white stilettos of society

: Image via Flickr

I’ve never been keen on stereotypical images of people or forming an opinion before I know something about the individual. It is an easy trait to fall into, due to an acceptance craving or peer pressure however, it’s generally one I do my utmost to avoid. I take that stance not from fear of the ‘PC Police‘ but from the fact, I wouldn’t want someone to pre-judge me…

Contrary to popular belief; not all Northerners are dim or wear flat caps and wellies or have a whippet in tow on a length of bailing twine. Although some Afro-Caribbean males may have a criminal record, most actually don’t. Not all waiters or male nurses are gay. Two close female friends who enjoy regular nights out together and shun male advances are not necessarily ‘dykes’. Not all blondes have more fun but equally they are certainly not all dumb. (The latter comment prevents me from getting a thick ear from the wife!)

Society’s propensity for forming stereotypes, and consequently stereotypical viewpoints, is often perpetuated by the constant diet of crap we consume via our televisions. Hours and hours of salacious shite about gratuitous extravagance are screened, interspersed with (often contrived) virtual reality shows and beamed into our homes on a daily basis. With the availability of satellite TV, we are now also led to believe (thanks to the USA) that our kids (the more precocious and ungrateful the better), should be showered in all manner of bling and ostentatious gifts when they reach ‘Super Sweet Sixteen’.

Many feast on celebrity gossip and aspire to their disgusting levels of income and expenditure. Little girls and boys, usually closeted from the realities of life, grow up with the expectation they will all become pop divas or premiership football players respectively. Failing that there will be a lottery win that prevents them from having to work like the rest of the ‘scuffers’. They expect they will own (at the very least) a town house, a cottage in the country and a Chelsea Tractor for travel between the two at weekends. They will have the de rigueur holiday pad in some far off sunny beach resort abroad. If the celebrity stardom (or even the lottery) eludes them there is always ‘plan B’… “I can work in ‘the city’ for a few years and make some mega money out of dodgy dealing scams”.

Once we have loyally consumed all the main course dross of wanna be features, the goggle box presents us with our ‘underclass’ desert. How sweet tasting it is to sit and ridicule the incumbents of the Jeremy Kyle show and Shameless!

Taking my viewpoint onboard, you will understand my utter disdain when I say; not content with all the bollocks society already feasts upon, which has me bashing hell out of the TV remote channel change button, program produces now believe we should be fed even more…

BBC News Magazine:Essex is the subject of a new TV show, but it’s all rather predictable with big hair, big cars and big wads of cash. Most Essex men and women wouldn’t recognise the stereotype. It’s arguably the most-maligned 1,300 square miles in the UK. It also has one of the country’s most distinct reputations – and probably the worst. (Read more)

There appears to be ‘public demand’ for more of this trivia and rubbish, or at least the publishers/producers would have us all believe that ‘fact’. From all the trailers I am expected to become yet another ardent dedicated follower of fashion and fad. I am expected to have an interest in loud people, wearing loud (and very expensive) clothes, driving their supercars to the latest must be seen at piss up. I am assured I will be excited about knowing who is shagging who (not) and how much money ‘Del Boy‘ (complete with Rolex Oyster and ‘Gold Sov’) has made by shafting some poor unsuspecting soul in his latest ‘fast deal’.

The reality of the whole situation is; this is yet another nail in the coffin of me actually seeing any value in British TV. More evidence to support my belief the TV should be consigned to the local tip and I should get some more batteries for the ‘steam radio’!