Love Triangle: Leveson Inquiry*

Our addiction to celebrity extinguishes another star, and the well-oiled cogs of fabricated grief immediately started to turn. Sympathies have been expressed. Role model status bestowed, conspiracies now conspire, and countless posting of soft-filter photographs on social media accounts have been shared. The newspaper trolls who hounded and vilified while in life are now immersed in their obnoxious expressions in death.  It’s the remorse we cannot manipulate. Its to be discovered in that briefest of moments when we find ourselves at our most vulnerable. The fleeting second we all have between consciousness and sleep. Where genuine self-reflection happens as we lay naked with only our thoughts to determine if we are to enjoy a peaceful night or insomnia.

A place where over-edited selfies have no value, and we cannot hide behind the virtual wall cocooning our fear of reality.  A reality, to be drip-fed on short term/zero-hour contracts in a get rich quick or die trying competition. A world where the excesses and those who harbour greed float to the surface and pollute all empathy. Where a docile mass are steered away from questioning power and seeking accountability over those who hold it. 

To become a consumer with default choices, low expectations and subserviently programmed to the whims of the market. A market where anger is depleted, isolated and suppressed through a matrix of automated complaints systems. Where any notion of rebellion is distilled, branded, repackaged and monetised.

Haplessly we proceed to consume the chase of celebrity. We enjoy the hunt and even after the kill we dig over the carcass seeking every morsel, every detail, that will offer an explanation. After all, they “had it all” the lifestyle, the beautify and no less the fame. Its everything we clamour for from behind our mobile phones and all along, we could hear those muffled screams. Still, we decided to ignore the cry of, “I’m a celebrity get me out of here.”

(*Part 2 of the Leveson Inquiry into the culture, practices and ethics of the British press was cancelled by the Conservative Government.)