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New Member
Posts: 2
| There are obviously a lot of fans of reality TV here, Big Brother in particular.
So, I wondered what you make of this ...
"Now, her starring role is coming to an end and PR maestro Max Clifford is orchestrating the tragedy, drip-feeding us from diagnosis, to, quite possibly, death. "I've lived in front of the cameras. And maybe I'll die in front of them," she says. "I know some people don't like what I'm doing, but at this point I really don't care what other people think"
It is, no doubt, a tragedy. But are we living to witness other people's lives (and deaths)? Should we instead retain some privacy? Or is Jade setting an example that may save many other lives? | |
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Posts: 5071
Location: Scottish Borders | I've never been able to make up my mind about Jade.
Sometimes I quite like her, other times I loathe her, but her present predicament is a real tragedy for her family. I doubt if she will film her own death? In fact I heard that they are going to film her wedding, and then that's that? Probably best. Have we come too far with reality TV? Probably?
But I do hear that more women are coming forward for scans, as a direct result of the publicity surrounding Jade, so perhaps some good might come of it? I know I certainly wouldn't fancy living my life in the public's gaze. | |
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| Big questions, voyager. And it's the public vs private issue which is at the heart of it all, I guess.
Big Brother itself is based on the muddying of that distinction, with the central concept of a group of people living a few weeks of their life together in a house, but subject on a 24/7 basis to total surveillance by cameras and (via editing intervention) by the Great British Public.
From BB the whole Reality TV industry mushroomed, as ever more channels sought to find ways of filling ever more airtime (for ever less viewers?) Over the same period we have seen the growth of the whole "celebrity culture" phenomenon. Put the trends together and inevitably BB becomes seen as a potential route to celebrity status.
In most cases, this turns out to be what forum shorthand describes as "desperate wannabes clinging to their 15 minutes of fame". For a handful, however, the transition has been rather more successful, like Aisleyne, Chanelle and Nikki, for example. And, in a class of her own - Jade!
Now, any degree of fame is, to a greater or lesser extent, something of a faustian pact, trading off private person vs public property - or if you like privacy vs publicity. The trick is to maximise control over what remains private and what is made public. And that's where the faustian pact seems to have become all too horribly literal for Jade, as Mephistopheles appears now to be preparing to call in the debt, with Max Clifford looking to negotiate the final cash payoff for the ultimate consideration.
Thankfully, Aisleyne has generally managed to maintain control over what is public and what is private in her life. Some things she shares, either through the magazine articles TV programmes or diary entries/posts etc on here, but she has maintained a discreet veil over much of her life, and good for her I say. The autobiography will doubtless reveal a great deal more, but that is clearly going to be the result a VERY carefully considered and professionally managed process, a million miles away from the car crash TV of, say, Kerry Katona, or whatever is going to happen with Jade's remaining time.
I don't think Jade has been terribly popular on this forum - I'd say that up to "Shilpa-gate" it was virtually only Aisleyne herself who was much of a fan. And of course since then Aisleyne herself has played a bit part in the Goody/Tweed story, receiving her own "personalised" threat in the process
http://www.aisleyne.com/forum/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=2119&posts...
In the present circumstances, of course, I guess that however we may view the freakshow elements, there is only sympathy for Jade's predicament, and especially for the children. Plus the fact that the number of women going for smear tests has gone up significantly is certainly a positive by-product. Any lives saved or lengthened from that is at least some kind of long-term memorial. | |
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Posts: 2530
| ofni - 19/2/2009 13:45
In the present circumstances, of course, I guess that however we may view the freakshow elements, there is only sympathy for Jade's predicament, and especially for the children. Plus the fact that the number of women going for smear tests has gone up significantly is certainly a positive by-product. Any lives saved or lengthened from that is at least some kind of long-term memorial.
I do wonder who first made this connection between rises in smear tests and Jade's press coverage. Mr Clifford perhaps? Cynical old me.
Its typical PR stuff because although it could in theory be true, its impossible to prove either way. Its precisely the sort of thing - the association of two possibly unrelated facts - that PR people do.
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| secrethousemate - 19/2/2009 16:23
ofni - 19/2/2009 13:45
In the present circumstances, of course, I guess that however we may view the freakshow elements, there is only sympathy for Jade's predicament, and especially for the children. Plus the fact that the number of women going for smear tests has gone up significantly is certainly a positive by-product. Any lives saved or lengthened from that is at least some kind of long-term memorial.
I do wonder who first made this connection between rises in smear tests and Jade's press coverage. Mr Clifford perhaps? Cynical old me.
Its typical PR stuff because although it could in theory be true, its impossible to prove either way. Its precisely the sort of thing - the association of two possibly unrelated facts - that PR people do.
Not cynical at all, shm, but rightly sceptical. But I'm sure that I heard about this smears test rise in a TV interview with a health or maybe a cancer charity spokesperson, someone who made me think it was actual rather than spin. Hope so, anyway.
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Executive Member
Posts: 1484
| ofni - 19/2/2009 13:45
Big questions, voyager. And it's the public vs private issue which is at the heart of it all, I guess.
Big Brother itself is based on the muddying of that distinction, with the central concept of a group of people living a few weeks of their life together in a house, but subject on a 24/7 basis to total surveillance by cameras and (via editing intervention ) by the Great British Public.
From BB the whole Reality TV industry mushroomed, as ever more channels sought to find ways of filling ever more airtime (for ever less viewers? ) Over the same period we have seen the growth of the whole "celebrity culture" phenomenon. Put the trends together and inevitably BB becomes seen as a potential route to celebrity status.
In most cases, this turns out to be what forum shorthand describes as "desperate wannabes clinging to their 15 minutes of fame". For a handful, however, the transition has been rather more successful, like Aisleyne, Chanelle and Nikki, for example. And, in a class of her own - Jade!
Now, any degree of fame is, to a greater or lesser extent, something of a faustian pact, trading off private person vs public property - or if you like privacy vs publicity. The trick is to maximise control over what remains private and what is made public. And that's where the faustian pact seems to have become all too horribly literal for Jade, as Mephistopheles appears now to be preparing to call in the debt, with Max Clifford looking to negotiate the final cash payoff for the ultimate consideration.
Thankfully, Aisleyne has generally managed to maintain control over what is public and what is private in her life. Some things she shares, either through the magazine articles TV programmes or diary entries/posts etc on here, but she has maintained a discreet veil over much of her life, and good for her I say. The autobiography will doubtless reveal a great deal more, but that is clearly going to be the result a VERY carefully considered and professionally managed process, a million miles away from the car crash TV of, say, Kerry Katona, or whatever is going to happen with Jade's remaining time.
I don't think Jade has been terribly popular on this forum - I'd say that up to "Shilpa-gate" it was virtually only Aisleyne herself who was much of a fan. And of course since then Aisleyne herself has played a bit part in the Goody/Tweed story, receiving her own "personalised" threat in the process
http://www.aisleyne.com/forum/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=2119&posts...
In the present circumstances, of course, I guess that however we may view the freakshow elements, there is only sympathy for Jade's predicament, and especially for the children. Plus the fact that the number of women going for smear tests has gone up significantly is certainly a positive by-product. Any lives saved or lengthened from that is at least some kind of long-term memorial.
Interesting comments, especially all the Faustian references. It spells out for me how the concept of Big Brother has been abused by Channel 4, the media and some ex housemates. Auditioning for BB is widely seen as selling one's soul to the devil. Jaime Winstone said so herself in an interview on the Dead Set DVD. Jade has been the show's most successful product and arguably the biggest embarrassment. She has been willing to do almost anything to continue her profile. Even when it virtually collapsed after Shilpa Gate, she was allowed to make apologetic gestures and bide her time before she became a saleable commodity once more. I find the level of media interest in her illness highly distasteful, but nothing about the coverage of BB housemates surprises me. | |
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Executive Member
Posts: 1644
Location: Edgware, Middlesex | Max has denied any suggestion that Jade would allow filming of her death but, the way I see it, the worst thing about that would be the idea that people would want to see it, the second worst that any broadcaster would allow it to be shown. The idea that Jade might allow it to be filmed as a means of earning money to go towards the care and welfare of her family is probably the least objectionable of the three 
I've always been in two minds about Jade but, for the most part, I've liked her. Even during Shilpa-gate I thought she was out of order but not that she was a bully or a racist. I certainly have no problem with Jade's propensity to milk every opportunity that has come her way. As long as she's not hurting anybody, I've always said good luck to her.
I think the news of her cancer is tragic thing but if it makes people more mindful of the need for screening or just more aware of their own mortality and thus more focused on the important things in life, perhaps some good can come of it. In the meantime she's doing what she can to secure a future for those she'll leave behind and I don't begrudge her that at all.
Regards
Julian | |
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Location: Holland | i do feel sorry for her like and i hope shes ok but theres probably lots of people out there who are in the same position as her that haven't had as much support or publicity. But its good that she is doing it for her sons. | |
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Jade Goody