I have been watching the BBCs Strictly Come Dancing and ITVs The X Factor and whilst I enjoy both shows, everything seems to be overshadowed by the fall of capitalism.

Whist in the 1980s Bush could claim that the Americans had won, history was over and the communists had been crushed, the worm always turns. Here we are after the fall of the Berlin wall with a fall in everything.

Back to saturday night TV and i begin to wonder about what it is about people that they cannot validate themselves, that our self esteem is so low that we queue up for vague celebrity to validate us and ultimately these people seeking fame, want the fame to validate them. Thats the X factor and american Idol and similar shows. Then BBC and its endless reinvention, have capitalised on the validation of celebrity and fame, by taking ballroom dancing and getting the vaguely famous to dance. This validates a form of dancing that previously had a very bad image. Now everyone can see its beauty, its style and its validity as an art form.

So is one form of validation good and the other bad? I am not sure, its just the X factor is often not very nice, criticism is made for its own sake and Simon Cowell is not very constructive. Many of the people looking for this fame who audition seem to start from a place of low self esteem, not all but a good number; others seem to see fame and money as the answer to all their issues.

A few years ago this would have all seemed like harmless fun, but in the light of the greed and avarice that has led us to the destruction of the western financial system and possibly to a way of life, couldn’t we be doing better things. Then again we will always want to be entertained.

Related posts:

No related posts.

• Search

  Log In

  Username
  

  Password
  

  Remember Me

• Facebook Status

  
  
  

  
  Jonathan Spencer : Posted a new post on their blog
  (Fri Jan 13, 12:26 pm).

• The Posts you read

  • Phone Hacking – What part did the phone companies play?
  • Honey, mint and onion – a salad garnish you won’t believe tastes this good
  • UK Riots and Looting, no easy answers
  • Wanted: Self-build plot, demolition or renovation near Lewes, East Sussex
  • 3 Great Places to visit in Southern Tuscany

• The Best Accounting Software

  
  
  

• Look