Kia ora, the last couple of days have, been very interesting for me – someone who doesn’t watch TV, to hear the hoo-ha about the bullying on The X-Factor show.
So many critics, so much disapproval – then the sacking of the two presenters and the heap of tweets, emails, headlines, that followed.
This show – I don’t know who watched it because now everyone says they didn’t watch it. Which is a mystery, don’t you think?
These two presenters had been given tacit permission for this kind of behaviour from somewhere – were they simply responding to what viewers had indicated they wanted?
Once when someone asked me if I watched it and I said no, it was all a set-up anyway so why would I watch it? They argued and I immediately gave up. It’s useless arguing with people who prefer the fairy-tale version they’ve created for themselves. In their mind, these were entrants who been through auditions and who were now genuinely thought to have enough talent to present to the public. In any case I was being a bit devious because I didn’t say I don’t watch TV at all.
It’s so simple. You give bullies permission to bully and they will. Why wouldn’t they?
Until we stop giving approval to bullying behaviour on the sports field, in the classroom, on the playground, on the street, in the home, on the TV, it will go on.
Renée
PS – I’m not a complete Luddite – If I want to watch something on TV that I know will be good, say Media Take on Maori TV, I watch it on Demand. So much easier than enduring those Ads roaring at me…
