THE STRATEGY OF TRAGEDY

Oh how we love a tragedy, the press pull cynically at our heartstrings  and the plethora of untalented celebrities wring their hands in anguish. Charity recordings, internet appeals, bracelets, Apps, cut out and keep banners and all sorts of products aimed at the mass market get trundled out. 

Opportunities to make money while showing a sharing caring sign are grasped by the agents of minor celebs. In editorial meetings the strategy of tragedy is top of the agenda, decisions are made: whether to put a dead child on the front of the newspaper? to bomb or not to bomb? open the doors or keep them closed? what will sell the most copy?

Trite displays of concern seep into early evening programming and the likes of Simon Fuller and Cowell ponder just what bland ballad to cover for the X Factory alumni to record for the Charity Record.

Pray for 'so and so' Hashtags, Text this number, buy this T-shirt, spend to show you care: that's the way to help the poor unfortunates. Place some flowers by a road side, paint a mural, hold a vigil, do whatever is currently in fashion-tragedy as trend.

The thing about tragedy is that is is now just another topic to text or tweet about, tragedy gives pause from selfie stick obsession, but not for any length of time, as today's tragedy is tomorrow's chip paper in this attention deficit world: and that's the real tragedy