The top story is all about the lovely Lorraine Kelly…she is just so genuine, so ‘real’, so cosy’ so authentic and so honest’. But start to consider how and why many presenters are able to connect to the audience in such a ‘meaningful’ manner. How real are they? Are they just a brand? Are they just acting? Click on the image to go to the story. What would Baudrillard say about this?
This is a link to a recent video about the Christchurch massacre (scroll down to the video at the end of the article). It starts to open up the questions that New Zealand, and to be fair most countries in the world, do not want to ask or answer. The idea of ‘white superiority’ is a grand narrative that has permeated society for centuries. It is a hard one to square up to and acknowledge. New Zealand, have taken claim to the image and idea that they are a peaceful, multi-cultural society where all is good and dandy. The reality may not be as it seems. The difficulties in race relations between the ‘colonising’ nations and the indigenous Maori population is one they would prefer not to advertise – but it is an issue and one that has to be addressed. The grand narrative that lurks ominously in the wings is that this idea of entitlement, and ‘white superiority’ is to blame. Lyotard would love this to be tackled – questioned – aired and challenged. Does it take a tragedy though to make us ‘own’ something we would rather not?
Finally, on the same subject, this is a cartoon that appeared in the Guardian last week. It again focuses a light on how the new grand narrative of us now living in an anti-racist society. In other words the narrative is that as the human race, we have questioned the, ‘it’s never ever White people’s fault’ grand narrative that has permeated history, and we have and are successfully challenging this. Problem sorted. No racism, no inequality – it’s all good.
However, stop and revisit how the press, the media who have a direct impact on our ideologies about racism, Islamaphobia, homophobia, sexism are still reporting issues. How responsible are they for the grand narratives that may not shape the world – and not in a good way? Perhaps Lyotard would argue that it takes a tragedy for the world to wake up to its own failings?
