Parky gets it right!

[esprit350]

I think he has hit the nail on the head, what do you think?

clicky

[Bibs]

Spot on, I was very pleased to read that earlier.

[bingoking]

I totally agree.

Sadly though I am sure the media will continue with this for some time to come.

Obviously nothing else going on in the world worthy of decent news coverage by the Supersoaraway and the other redtops.

[Hippo]

There was an 8 page 'Our Jade' pullout in the News of the World...apparently

[Dave Freeman]

All that money spent on the News of The World spread....I just think of all the other people suffering with this terrible disease, my thoughts go to them, some suffering without anyone to turn to. N of the W should donate the monies to Mcmillian or cancer research.

What a waste.

Dave

[The Saint]

Spot on, I'm surprised that the gutter press have not had a go at him for making such comments.

The Saint

[bingoking]

Spot on, I'm surprised that the gutter press have not had a go at him for making such comments.

The Saint

Wait until tomorrow

Brian

[esprit350]

you beat me to it Brian...they will be saying she is still not cold in her grave etc peoples princess ... oh that one is taken by the slone that married charles...

[Loose Cannon]

Well done Parky for having the balls to say what half the nation is thinking.

[Paul C]

Anyone dying before their time is tragic.

Lady Diana Spencer, The youngest daughter of the 8th earl spencer,

who lived a privilaged life, married the future king of england, became

a member of the house of windsor and lived in a palace with the title

Princess of wales. Died tragically.

Then it's: 'Peoples princess', she was 'one of us' etc etc.

Why do that?

At the other end of the spectrum you have Jade Goody, got famous on

a reality show taking off her clothes, getting drunk and supposedly giving

another housemate a blow job. Once fame was achieved she went onto

another show making racist comments that she was "disgusted with herself"

about. After some time off telly to relax and have a 'vicious fight with a female

partygoer at an Essex nightclub' she settled down with a nice bloke who was

then sadly convicted of 'assault occasioning actual bodily harm for attacking

a 16-year-old'. Then she made some fitness videos and bought out some own

branded perfume, did some celebrity (which she now genuinely was) tv shows

like stars in their eyes and that. She got Cancer and died tragically young.

Then it's: 'Our Jade' and the whole 'one of us' thing etc etc.

Why do that?

I did not know either of these two ladies, and each death is no more or less

tragic than the other. Both however lived a lifestyle like no-one i've ever known

or expect to know. A random selection of 1000 people would not include anyone

like the above two ladies.

The whole 'one of us' thing is completely and utterly stupid.

[red vtec]

Normally the media builds you up and then knocks you down. In Jades' case they knocked her down then built her up. It's almost as if the media is trying to cleanse it's collective sole.

As Parky has siad it is reflection of what is wrong with this sad, lost country that has been destroyed over the past ten years. We used to celebrate people like Scott and Shackelton now its someone on big brother.

[rocket63]

Z celeb and Parky is spot on. Cant believe the media are spending so much time on this. Says a lot about modern society and the fact that the population of this country is so enamoured!!!!!!!!!!!

[Bibs]

Apparently yesterdays' Sun said 'Leave Her Alone' on the cover of the special funeral 'souvenir issue'!

[Kimbers]

Whilst I totally agree with Parkys comments and the comments above, I do have a slight previso.

1. Since she was diagnosed as terminal, the "Gutter press" have highlighted cervical cancer and since she was diagnosed they have seen a 40% increase in requests for smears. No mean feat and as one of the main killers of women, and having had a wife who has had cancer, anything that raises awareness and stops young women dieing early has my vote. nThe fact that she actively supported this and tirelessly promoted the disease goes some way to redeem her character.

2. Everything she did, since knowing she would die she did for her kids and see 1 above. Good on her.

3. She is the only Big Brother contestant to make a very successful career of self promotion and made a million. How many of us have made a million? Doesn't that show that she made some good choices and showed business savvy in her own strange way?

4. Don't berate a woman who has just died. It brings you down to the level of the people you are berating.

5. I do agree she was ignorant and bigoted, loud mouthed and crap, but it is the public who have rewarded this behavior by watching her, voting for her on the programme, buying OK and Heat magazines and finding her amusing (at least I assume thats why they watched her). Don't blame her, blame the general public. It's an inditement of the general publics attitude and shows why the country is in such a state.

[Backmarker]

Blimey Kimbers you make some very valid points there. Have you been off the juice ?

[arbell9]

I think a sanity check with some statistics might help (these are supplied from the Cancer Research UK website and are highly trust worthy)

The most common causes of cancer in women in the UK, cervical cancer does not make the top ten. ( http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/cancerstats/types/ )

* In 2005, 2,803 women in the UK were diagnosed with cervical cancer.

* Cervical cancer caused 949 deaths in the UK in 2006.

Cervial cancer accounts for 1% excluding non-melanoma skin cancer which is very common

From this plot you can see there is a peak of detecting / incidence of cervical cancer in women from 25-49 (peaks at ~18/100000)

So you can see why screening in women from their early twenties makes sense.

The mortality curve for it is below. The younger you are te lower the mortality rate.

SO yes the media hype will have helped some women, cancer is a nasty disease and deaths are a tragedy, but what the press are failing to highlight is the need for awareness of the 10 most prevalent cancers in women. This I find distasteful. Having celebrities highlight diseases which are not in either human or cash (NHS) terms, the most significant takes away efforts from where it is needed. This is the perspective you should keep in mind with all the whoo-ha around Jade Goody's death.

The bit about our society and celebrity worship in the gutter press and magazines is right though. Enough is enough.

Edited April 7, 2009 by Alex --GT3--

[USAndretti42]

The way I read the article about Parkie's column he was not finding fault with Jade Goody but the way the media treated her and manipulated her.

I hate the way that nobodies are made into role models purely because they have been on a "reality" show, usually demonstrating their incompetence, ignorance, bad-manners, bad behaviour or stupidity. Stupid, thieving people spoil our lives because of all the warnings, law, regulations, restrictions, safety measures and CCTV's. We should be celebrating real heroes.

[matk]

Agree whole heartedly including Kimbers comments. The sad thing to me is that there have always been impoverished or uneducated people since time began. In Jade's case she became relatively rich and famous, but I think that's more as a result of our society standards than by anything she was particularly good at.

As to the looking after her kids, judging by news reports she sent them off to Australia for her funeral. Having lost my dad 18 months ago, I can't help thinking that was a bad idea. As they get older they'll feel robbed of the opportunity to say a last goodbye.

The other big reflection I have on all this is the massive impact Max Clifford has had and despite what I think of modern PR you have to admire the abilty he has had to take Jade's situation after the racial slur event and maxamise her earning potential and have her cast as a saint. How much of it was Jade, and how much Max?

[esprit350]

I agree with Trevor, the comments were about the media not Jade Goody..and thanks Alex for putting the cancer problem into perspective...