Misanthrope
Category: Opinionated | 21 Comments | Posted 16:44Haha I bet I'll make lots of friends with this entry. I often feel misanthropic. I often feel philanthropic too, but I think it's more often the former than the latter.
This outbreak of misanthropy was triggered by an article I read about German singer Herbert Grönemeyer and his fight against the tabloid press in a desperate attempt to keep them out of his private life. So he got a cease and desist order from the Springer press (main German tabloids) a while back. Still they published new photos, shot by a parapazzi in disguise, along with idiotic and pointless speculations.
They're now facing a court case that could cost them a lot of money. But they knew that, and took it into account when deciding to publish these pictures, and obviously decided that it was worth it. Why? Because people want to see it. Because the average reader of the average tabloid is a moronic, two-faced bastard with no values, no scruples, nothing but a sick curiosity fueled by jealousy and malicious joy. And a usefully selective memory.
When Princess Diana died, a victim of the world's sick obsession with celebrity gossip, there was an outcry going across the world. People from throughout the UK flocked to London to bring her flowers; they cursed the greedy tabloids and their evil paparazzi who had caused this. Did they ever ask themselves what their roles in her death had been? Tabloids only publish what their idiotic readers want to read.
After the tragedy, the tabloids swore they'd apply stricter rules, that they would respect people's privacy and not hunt them to death anymore. But they didn't do it because they realised what they had done was wrong. They only wrote what they knew people wanted to read at that very moment - business as usual then. And of course as soon as things had calmed down, things went back to normal.
People are so gullible, so complacent, so stupid. They laugh at Homer Simpson - but Homer Simpson is a reflection of them, and they're too stupid to realise it.
Yes that's what I'm talking about, the article is here. And ok, so you can flee, but seriously, the fact that you HAVE to is bad enough. IMO it's a Verletzung der Persönlichkeitsrechte.
I don't agree with the "ppl want to be famous" argument. OK some ppl do, starlets like Jenny Elvers in Germany or Victoria Harvey in the UK. Or all the BB idiots (and don't we all pity them?)
But artists don't necessarily, and the fact that you make music that appeals to the masses or star in films doesn't mean everyone's entitled to know about your personal life. Or worse even, that they're entitled to judge you on it too.
there are people who really provoke it, like the beckhams etc. and then they complain when they get threats like getting their kids and victoria kidnapped. and you wonder why beckham has 100s of media folks following them just because he gets his balls checked.
and well, what did grönemeyer expect when he sat outside in the street with his girl in a public place and flirted? i didn't really think he wanted to be private at that time. anne posted the pictures on her site lately. doesn't look like he was trying hard to be under cover.
Posted by: Michelle at August 16, 2003 07:31 PMHere you can see the pics of him and his girlfriend.
Posted by: Michelle at August 16, 2003 07:36 PMI've seen the pictures. He was in London!!! How was he to know they'd follow him there? So do celebs HAVE to hide away in houses or emigrate to Thailand to be left alone?? Imagine living like that!
Posted by: Clarissa at August 16, 2003 08:40 PM
@ reading about Haakon and Mette-Marit in WAM's diary (well, comments)
Yeah, if you're famous you have to watch out where you're going if you do not want it to be put into the mags. It's just that way.
Posted by: Michelle at August 16, 2003 10:04 PMLOL you're more cynical than me.
So are you supporting the tabloid press? Not the typical MJ fan then.
If you had read my opinions on the MJ-boards earlier you'd know that I have a slightly different opinion on tabs than many MJ-fans. Having studied Journalism for 2.5 years I just had time to think about it, and I also see the good things about the media and how also the media gets used for self-promotion.
That was also part of why I did not have that passion anymore to go on with Journalism, because I started out wanting to make things better, but I do not believe that you can make a change about it as long as the readers do not change.
Journalism is just another business. It's not just about writing and telling nice stories. It's a business and also they need to make money to be able to go on. And to be able to go on they will write what the readers want to know, because that's what the readers then buy. Maybe the journalist himself isn't even interested in what he writes about, maybe even that lack of interest is why MJ gets so much bad media, because they don't really care about him. Their boss just tells them - look, MJ's in town, we gotta make a story about that, people want to know about it. And they probably go - doh, again that idiot in town, okay, gonna make me some bucks at least if I make a good (awful) shot.
But if the readers did not buy the stuff they write and changed their interest, then also the media would change and probably start writing about stuff that really matters or that's got way more style.
I just really look at it from a business perspective. And I think people have to arrange themselves with this. Both parties involved have their interest in tab stories - but the readers are those that request.
Posted by: Michelle at August 16, 2003 11:11 PMI've come to two conclusions in life.
You either life a life of total lies and falsity and have the world love you and be the best friend of every man, woman, and child...
- OR -
You live a live of truth and brutal honesty and live it alone or in a lonely paradox because those who fail to realize what's truth and what's fiction will be to scared to face the music which you essentially tranform into - the music.
Jamie Leigh
So we basically agree. That was exactly my point in the entry: journalists write what people want to read, therefore it is mainly the readers' fault if the media are disrespectful and invading people's privacy. This with regards to tabloid journalism.
It is also the readers' fault they are being fed half-truths and if they are being manipulated by the media according to whatever political agenda they have. I wanted to do journalism too and spent two summers doing a Volontariat at a newspaper here in Lux. That put me off for life. *lol*
Aye, indeed @ JL. No one likes ppl who tell the truth. Tho the "music" bit is a bit too esoteric for me. *g*
Posted by: Clarissa at August 16, 2003 11:50 PMThe MADONNA OF THE NET?
*speechless* 
The Madonna Of The Net? So that would be what... old, haggard, past it, irritating to a point of self-harm inducing and generally completely and utterly talentless?
Well, everyone has their crux I guess...
Posted by: The BML at August 17, 2003 12:37 PMUmmm... I actually wouldn't call tabloids 'journalists'. They don't actually do anything, find out anything, discover anything new. I actually kinda admire journalists (PROPER ones) because they really try and find their story, they DO work bloody hard, and they provide enlightening and sometimes riveting articles for us to read, at the expense of no one. Obviously without journalism, our knowledge of current events would be pretty non existent.
But the tabs... euch. Yeah you can say celebs kinda deserve it in a way... but come ON, no one deserves that. Not THAT much for crying out loud, there is a limit. And I actually don't think celebs do deserve it. Certainly if someone were to go into show business, they should certainly expect to get intrusive tabloid coverage... but that's not right! Just because they should expect it doesn't mean they deserve it!
And yeah, people can be sick-minded and want to read all this shit... but honestly, I really don't think people think about what is INVOLVED to get that one story or that one picture. I don't think it's that people are generally sick or whatever, I think they just like reading about a life perceived better than their own. It's not that they want the tabs to go through the celeb's bins and everything, but they like to read about... it's like a fairy story, in a way. These people with the world at their fingertips. Something regular people can only dream about. It fascinates them, draws them in, and grips them very tightly. It's a comforting place to visit. I don't think people generally want to see the celebs brought down tho. Altho there are times like with the whole John Leslie thing (presenter who was accused of rape) when everyone seems to just lynch them. And of course, the Michael in 1993 thing. Times like that, I do wonder about people's state of mind, as if they want these people brought down...
Posted by: The BML at August 17, 2003 12:48 PMWe have a mag in Germany called Bunte. You probably have heard of that one already. They've also already reported on MJ exclusively or published great, also big pictures of MJ. I think they made a many pages long story on the Liza Minelli wedding with many MJ-pics, too. They are what I'd call a tab, because they focus on such stories, on celebrities, and they have their people everywhere like celeb watchdogs.
Sybille Weischenberg is a big watchdog of the mag and she sometimes goes on TV-shows to elaborate on the latest celeb scandals. She's told that they know way more than they write about, but they do have their ethics and discuss whether it's damaging for the celeb's families and whether they should wait till they get more info etc. They know when you're unfaithful to your wife and all, they are like your personal undercover agents. LOL
What Sybille Weischenberg sometimes tells about their way of journalism is very interesting and I do think they think about their stories before they write. It's not all about bringing someone down to them. Though Sybille Weischenberg already said there are things happening that they think they can't hold back, because they feel it's just fair to let people know - like when a celeb sportsman is unfaithful to his pregnant wife. It's against ethics in general, and they think they have to point this out to make people aware of such a faux pas.
When I listen to her I sometimes get their point. It's not great that they dig in people's life. But then again, if people did not act like idiots, they'd have nothing to write about.
We've had a few scandals in Germany within the past years about sportsmen being unfaithful to their wives. It's not nice, but it is a fact, they've failed as husbands, and they got to deal with it. Better that way than letting them go on and the wife will never know about it.
Though then again - question is whether it has to be discussed that publically. But it ends up in public anyway when the couple splits.
The reason why the public is so interested in stuff like that is probably just a social thing. Tabs just reflect in the big picture, what everyone does in his/her own area. Or have you never badmouthed about somebody in your area, never chitchatted about your neighbor's wrong-diongs, never made someone look worse than s/he actually is, just because you don't like the person etc. I think it's a human, social thing in groups. And that's why they can sell these stories.
And yes, in MJ's case I think people had just waited for years to bring him down. I'd always felt that already before 1993. People just couldn't deal with MJ's innocent image. They always considered him weird, but there was nothing to blame on him - and that's what they were digging for.
Posted by: Michelle at August 17, 2003 01:48 PMClarissa,
you have a point there and so does Herbert. But these new picture of him and his girlfriend don't do any harm. I won't take them down until I get a cease & desist from Herbert himself. I understand his frustration tho...
Posted by: RS78 at August 17, 2003 05:42 PMHMok another quick reply. @ BML Me: tabloid journalists may be scum, but I would still call them journalists. They DO discover things: stars having dinner with other stars etc Besides, tabloids like The Sun do cover politics etc too - just from a less sophisticated point of view.
Journalism can be better than that, and serious journalism is interesting and educating of course. But every journalist has an agenda, and there is no guarantee that what they tell you is the truth. I think it's extremely important to keep that in mind - and most ppl don't. They blindly believe what the papers tell them - be it about MJ and the Elephant man or about 9/11. We're all being manipulated.
Re: ppl reading tabs, I think to a large degree it's jealousy. Yes they are fascinated by this glitzy world, but they LOVE seeing those people suffer too. It's especially bad in the UK, columns like the 3am girls are SO vicious, and they feed people's hunger. And, like, in girly mags like 19 and More, you always get a page or two of celebs in embarrassing situations - flashing their knickers, or dribbling food or whatever. It's so demeaning and SO pointless, but the readers love it.
OK, now @ Michelle... *g* Uh-huh, I know Bunte, we get it here. 
And I totally disagree with that statement. It's not a whole nation's business whether a sportsman or even a politician are unfaithful to their wives. It has nothing to do with what they represent to the people. The only exception I am willing to accept is when, say, a conservative politician who defends family values cheats on his wife, because then he proves that he cannot be trusted. But any other case is illegitimate. It's just a cheap cop-out of people trying to justify their dirty business.
And yes, it is a form of gossip to the people. That doesn't make it right. People who badmouth others in their neighbourhood and bitch about their lives aren't any better People are stupid, evil, malicious. Which is why I'm misanthropic. 
Anne - they do harm in so far as he wanted his privacy. Does he really need ppl prying in his private life & going "HA! He's already forgotten his wife?!" - I don't think so. And he clearly did want to be left alone. That said, I ain't condemning you for having them on your site Only bitching about idiotic humanity in general
Clarissa - what's right and wrong is a total different question than: what's common and what's not. Ethics are different to reality. Reality is partly evil, it's just that way. Ethics is just about what reality should be like IF it were not evil.
Reality is: the public wants stories about privacy.
Ethics is: it's none of people's business what others do in their privacy.
Journalism in tabs is: making a decision about what's got priority in what case and whether you can stop a story at all by not publishing it.
I think if someone is popular and dumb enough to be caught while being unfaithful then he shouldn't complain about the public punishment. You as a public person have a responsibility as an example to many people, even though you're still a human being with failures. People should be aware of that when they do what they do.
Posted by: Michelle at August 17, 2003 07:22 PMLMAO ok, but my point wasn't so much against journalists, more against people. So yes, I say common = evil. So you don't really disagree with me, right?
Posted by: Clarissa at August 17, 2003 07:36 PMbtw, have no idea who you're on about, and don't want to know! :-p
I agree that if the interest in the audience changed, so would the stories, but I just wonder how our interest is supposed to change if we keep getting fed the same old rubbish. Is a viscious cycle, sort of.
Ugh, I couldn't stand the way crowds flocked for Princess Di. And a lot of them were crying. My mother nearly started crying watching it on TV - and I was like - wtf?? You didn't even KNOW her!! 
Misanthrope is hater of mankind, no? It's more like a hate for society u have. Or, maybe not. LOL
LOL yes, misansthrope is hating or mistrusting people. And yes, but society IS people.
And you're right about the vicious circle of course, but these are things that evolve - slowly, but they do. If ppl bought stopped buying tabloids, tabloids would make less money & would change their contents etc.
Posted by: Clarissa at August 18, 2003 12:19 AM
are you talking about the grönemeyer pictures with his new girlfriend?
about tabloids, well, people want to be famous, so they have to deal with it. without the tabloids they'd also not be happy, because the tabloids are where they get most of their promotion from.
to give just one example: when Haakon and Mette-Marit married they also got a lot of media, but they did manage to flee for a while and nobody talked about them anymore. i think you can have your privacy if you want it.
Posted by: Michelle at August 16, 2003 05:17 PM