Scandal...

[davywavy]

One of the many great things about having royalty is that we can have high-level scandals without there being any danger that the day-to-day running of the country will be even slightly affected by them. However, the papers seem to be full of royal sex scandals recently; much more so than usual, and one wonders f there is something going on. There have been injunctions and the like, but thanks to the internet it’s pretty easy to find out any stories if one is suitably interested, which is an opportunity that we didn’t have even a few years ago. I remember a German magazine printing semi-naked pictures of Prince Charles back in the 80’s which apparently showed him to have an very large penis (of course he has – he’s going to be King you dolts) – of course we in the UK never got to see them, but nowadays five minutes of Google would satisfy the salacious curiosity of the masses.
Travelling back from Yorkshire on Sunday night, I stopped off in WHSmith in Victoria and noticed that one of the lesser Sunday tabloids had a headline something like ‘Diana’s sex secrets’. Something in the back of my head, at about the evolved-from-a-lizard level, took a few steps forward and muttered ‘ug’ to itself as I set out to learn (Princess of Wales) Diana’s sex secrets before the conscious part of my brain reasserted control and I realised that I didn’t much care what the slightly sordid doings of a woman who I never met, dead these six years past, actually were. However, the instinctive reaction is curious, and I suppose that the majority of people – if the fact that this is put on the front page is any guide – are at the mercy of their hindbrain when it comes to a bit of saucy scandalmongering.
Of course, this got me to thinking; firstly, what business of mine is what went on in the Princess of Wales’ knickers (answer: none whatsoever), secondly, why would I be interested (answer: no particular reason; I very much doubt she did anything that unusual, and if I really want to see the extremes of human behaviour I reckon a polite phone call to faerierhona for some contacts could get me well on the way to being involved in things that would make my eyes shoot from my head in shock) and thirdly, why anyone would be interested in knowing that Diana periodically wanted to go on top – or whatever her saucy secret was.
The answer to question three is of course the most interesting, as it comes down to society and socialisation, and atavistic ideas of women being expected to be in some way more pure and innocent than their menfolk. This, coupled with her fame, means that there is a proper little industry bubbling away around the contents of the late princess’ knickers as people seem to have an inexhaustible supply of moral outrage when it comes to famous women getting their jollies, It’s a sad indictment of the human race, and the evolved-from-a-lizard bits of their brains which many people seem unable to resist.
The latest piece of royal ‘scandal’ to pop out of the woodwork is an ‘accusation’ that Prince Charles ‘might’ be ‘bisexual’. Can I just see a quick show of hands to find out just how many people really give a damn if he is? Leaving aside the predictable phobic jokes about sitting uncomfortably upon the throne, I don’t really see what difference it makes what gets the heir apparent going after a few pints.
Part of me is faintly glad that all of this is eating up the front pages – it indicates that there is little enough real news in the world of any moment (meaning that few people are dying in spectacular ways, and the Venusians haven’t invaded), but I can’t help but wish that editors, and the people they write for, could find something of more moment to fascinate their fleeting attention spans.

Comments

[blue-cat.livejournal.com]

Jelousy?

I think it is the concept that 'our betters' suffer as we do that makes it a media event.

However gossip is natural binding/dividing aspect of communal life - the need to know what others are doing in order to help/guard agains whatever it is.

You don't need to be famous for this - just think of all the gossip that has caused so much hurt and heartache amoungst small groups of friends, associates, work collegues, societies (cam angst anyone?).

In it's best form you hear gossip about X being dumped, X is a mate, you help X take zir mind of things etc etc. Worst - *nasty wry smile* - you can have some foul piece of work taking something that has the smallest mote of smoke and blow it into something resembling the Australian bush fire. OK, said 'mote of smoke' may be so tiny a transgression that stated out loud in the pub would bore people, or it may be real and actually none of anyones damn business.

Maybe its just that we are natural voyers? Needing to know the salicious details of other more interesting lives to compensate for our own pathetically uninteresting ones - although given the open mindend ness of many people, as you said, if we were interested in giving it a real life go we could find the means, via the odd phone call and polite sincere chat with some of the more delightfully practiced amoungst our extended network.

Or are people just reading it as a sort of porn? In which case - send them to the top shelf to those who WANT to have details revealled (or have at least consented) or even to the delightful section of the book shop with descriate covers of ladies in high heels and furs - or whatever sub-genre you fancy.

But you probably know about such things - perhaps that is why you can walk away :) You know that you could find out for real if you wanted to.

To be honest - if Charles is bi - fine - the royals private life is about as much interest to me as yours - your business and don't scare the horses.