Thursday 9 April 2009

Rant!

This is going to be a rant and most of you may not identify with it but rant I will anyway. Jade Goody just passed away and even in her death people have not stopped heaping criticisms at her. Anyone familiar with British television will know Sir Michael Parkinson and may just be aware of his recent comments about the deceased that she represented all that is paltry and wretched about Britain.

I personally believe that those comments were totally uncalled for. So Jade may not have what people see as traditional talents or the sort of intelligence that have been cultivated through having a decent education. But I believe she did what she could to better her life. Not all whose father died of a drug overdose in a KFC toilet and one whose mother did not give a damn could have turned themselves around like she did. Some people with her background could have turned out a drum head, in prison, a destitute ,a prostitute and the list goes on and on. But she made use of popular culture to be who she was today.

There are other people with better background who dream of having half the opportunity and fortune she had when she was alive. She rose from a nobody to someone whose photographs and news sell magazines. So she doesn't know how to play the guitar or sing like an angel, but what she had she used and what she was given she appreciated. She made mistakes just like everyone else but she learned from that and tried to make amends. Instead of the likes of Sir Parkinson to blame Britain and her parents who let her down, they decide to take an easy target like poor Jade.

I am sick and tired of these people who live their lives on old ideologies and old money and believe other means of making money or living your life is inferior to theirs. Rap music incites violence, opera music replenishes the soul, what bollocks. The world have moved on from the bourgeois ideology and will continue to do so, popular culture is here to stay and whether they like it or not it will continue to expand.

Ronan Keating said he hopes his children doesn't turn out like Katie Price (Jordan) asking what talent has she got exactly? What talent does a woman who made her money first from modelling, then diversified into lingerie business, writing kids story books, and one day hoping to represent her country in equestrian sport in the Olympics not have? It beggars believe that Jordan has done more influential things than this Ronan Keating guy who believes he can sing and therefore he is better than her.

Just because she made her money from modelling doesn't mean that her money is worth is less than that of someone who made it from e.g. painting. Talking about arts has anyone of you been to the Tate Modern lately and seen the so-called post modernist arts been displayed. How did we move from paintings such as the Mona Lisa to a careless smudge of paint on a canvass and call that art? Yet it commands millions of pounds in sale? They want the people to accept that this is contemporary art because it was probably painted by someone in their elite group they cant come to terms with the fact that youths derive a lot of enjoyment from dancing stanky legs?
I could go on and on but I'll better stop here. Have a good Easter everyone and God bless.


P.S.
Buttercup, ShonaVixen, Vera Ezimora, Temite, Good Naija Girl, Afrobabe, wordsmith, Ms Sula and Tigress are starting a blog titled The African Women so please check them out and add to your blogroll.

42 comments:

Anonymous said...

dang babe! guess the pending easter weekend is not putting the pep in your step?
think it's parkinson's frustration that we are ok with celebrating mediocrity... we are sympathising at her loss, but let's not take it too far?
i definately laughed out loud that ronan keating can diss anyone!
although talking about someone once they have passed sha...

Tigeress said...

kilode?

Tigeress said...

talent or talentless- dat na story story cos they are making money. They can hate all they want- as long as money is rolling in for them.

Tigeress said...

Cant remember who Ronan Keating is- singer right? But i sure know who Jordan is. lol!

Parakeet said...

@Kmplx...I hear you. What mediocity though? That she is a product of reality TV? So what? What about the over 5million pple who tune in to watch her sit on her backside and do nothing? If we were to take a sample of those viewers you'd be shocked at how many of them are professionals. The problem the likes of Parky has is that reality TV is a kind of TV that does not require the usual traditional craft to be learned. Gosh we live in a post-fordist era. Who needs to go to school for 3 yrs to learn something u can learn in 2 weeks and the develop your skills from doing the job. And if reality TV means more people will find fame cheaply and not live in poverty then so be it. Considering all the money they acquired through their skills, how many people did they help with it? God for us all and everyone for themselves was the reason we got to this point in the first place. If you read the history of rap you'd understand where am coming from.
@Tigress...nothing do me jare, your girl bam.

Parakeet said...

@Tigress...see what am saying? Ronan who? Nonsense.

Jay said...

Some people can be so self righteous!!! never ceases to amaze me. I don't know why they can't let the woman rest in peace.

As for ronan keating, who told him he could sing? katie price can teach him a thing or two about success..mcshewwwwwww

Have a fab easter xxx

mistq said...

I actually supported Parkinson's comments as did over 80% of Britons who took a poll on the veracity of his comments, she wasn't exactly famous for anything..is that what we want our children to be famous for?...nothing???..how exactly did she turn her life around??? It was the media that made a whole fuss over her..she didn't do nada..I understand Jordan's case...shes's a businesss woman, doing it her own way, plying her trade n all...people die of cancer everyday...ehen??? so all of dem should go to CNN and just the nerve of dem comparing her to Princess Di...WHAT!!!..a woman who went to minefields and save children..wo...I feel Mr Parkinson spoke the mind of a lot of people who just dint want to say anything..

trybes said...

Def not a very complimentary way to address a dead one irrespective of how grand her shortcomins may have been..

Although,aint familiar with that name but i bet she must have given her best from the circumstances of her birth painted here..

btw..

Your post is always carefully worded with simplicity leavin one askin for more...

LusciousRon said...

Whoa! Like Otunba Gadafi says 'shit money no dey smell'(the guy is the CEO of DMT-mobile tiolets in 9ja).

The voice is free so people use however they like. Its easy to sit on your ass and judge other people!

His like don't like that people whom they deem lower in class to them are making more money than will ever make themselves.

QMoney said...

Haba,they shd leave jade to rest in peace now.dat is harsh and uncalled for now.ogini?

it doesnt even make the worth of her money lesser than Ben Carson's money.shebi he's a doctor
i dunno wat art is becoming too,i thought i didnt understand d so called art again.LOL
y did u stop d rant??i was enjoying the flow...
happy easter!!!

QMoney said...

shuooooooooooo,lemme behave like a typcal nigerian.wen i was thinking i will be 1st and dis blogger approval wants to mess me up!9pips av been approved already.
i take a bow.....lol

Parakeet said...

@Word…tell me about the self-righteous. The thing vexes me ehn.
@Mistq…I see what you mean but let me ask you what exactly fame is? Is fame again not something this culture somehow permits to be okay? Again I find it an oppressive ideology that people are made to believe they need to be famous to feel important or to feel a sense of self achievement. Seeking fame in itself whether through upright or dodgy means is a warped sense of achievement. Who are these people to say it is okay to find fame as Saxophonist but not as a Footballer? Our children are in danger if we don’t teach them about prosperity of the soul rather than about finding fame and money. It is fame who makes the like of John Lennon liken themselves to God. The late Jade is in no way compared to the Princess Di and I find that comparison distasteful, but I feel they both occupy important places in history albeit in different ways. If Princess Di was not born royal and had the opportunity to do the good she did, do we know if she may have turned out ok? But we know the story of someone who was not born with a silver spoon in their mouth but has done a lot for cancer awareness and for charities both at home and in India. Lets not knock her please just cos she doesn't fall under our views of decent achievements.
@Trybes…thank you. They just see her as an easy target when the real problem is the socio- economic and political systems of this world. Thanks for that compliment.
@Luscious…hahaha, love that shit money no dey smell. Na just jealousy, they want pple beneath them to continue to wallow in poverty while the elite class continues to rule.
@Qmoney…I know what you mean about art. The thing vexes me. Did you see that Freud's painting that grossed £17.5million at auction? Worthless rubbish. Well maybe not worthless cos time, money and some creativity must have gone into but it certainly didn’t worth a million pounds let alone £17.5.
No vex for comment moderation, it helps to weed the chaff from the wheat.

Roc said...

Lol.. Girlfriend you're on a rollll!!

I guess issues like this will always be a touchy subject for different people depending on what side of the sphere you're on..

My personal belief is "All man unto himself and God for us all.."

Enjoy the hols boo..

Anonymous said...

mediocrity in that we are ok with elevating the state of watching "her sit on her backside and do nothing?" rather than her actually going out and doing something good with what she earned from it? don't get me wrong, she did her thing and lifted herself out of poverty, but the money she made... could that not have been better distributed to ensure that more people, rather than one individual be elevated out of poverty. i think Parky is ranting not on her, but on us, as a society.
Jade came into popularity initially, because we all laughed at her. That she did well. so the question is what do we, as a society, really actually value. And are our values right? Not saying that Parky is any better because he honed his craft.
It's like Princess Di and Mother Theresa who passed at the same time. Who was the real martyr? For me, Mother T definately was, and Princess Di was in effect a poor little rich girl who had a bit of a rough time and did some good and was fine and rich.
To be honest, I don't know that much of Jade's story, so I couldn't say that she actually did any good with her fame...
Na wa oh! Lemme go back to work jo!

Anonymous said...

ps. just realised that i still haven't fulfilled my honest scrap duties... *sheepish look* sorry, will do soon.

Parakeet said...

@Roc…Am on a serious roll o…remember that Barclays advert with that guy sliding in that massive pipe? Na so I dey roll but I guess you're right. Our ideas will ultimately be born out of our experiences in life.
@Kmplx…honestly the problem with me is I always challenge standardised or popular ideology. We were internalised with certain things from infancy so those things are hard to shake off and I understand. Perhaps you're right that Parky was directing his comments at the society but it all boils down to the fact that society as we knew it has changed and it will continue to. What it changes to may translate to mediocrity for the many who are still very much entrenched in old education but to me it’s a different kind of evolution, a new education as it were and it will become the norm and then change. It's like fashion only it sticks around for longer before it fades out again. We are going to see more and more people who are not tutored in formal classrooms but through their experiences of modern culture and go on to do unconventional great things. That's what the media is capable of doing and they don’t call it the fourth tier of government in Nigeria for nothing. The likes of Parky will just have to make way for the new. As long as people like, embrace and are ready to re-produce what you do, this Jade Goody like culture will continue. Jade Goody would not have had the fame and fortune she had if people hadn't paid attention to her, it's all in the hands of the citizens, they call the shots we just need to see those shots been called more in politics. But it's going to happen, in this day of user generated contents and citizen journalism, propaganda and mind engineering will soon become distant memories.

Make sure you do your honest post o. Cant wait.

L-VII said...

Hun, I am afraid I agree with Parkinson. As sad as I am that she died so young. She was a celebration of mediocrity and that is a shame. I rate her for making money from her incessant press coverage but that does not change the fact that she was famous for knowing nothing. That is an indictment of society at large that we were so fascinated by this girl who was a self confessed air head.

That he is dead does not change that fact.

Parakeet said...

@L-VII...I hear you. The only crime that this woman commited was not having enough formal education and did not tutor herself in the absence of such education. But who is to blame for that? When your society and family deprive you of a loving home and stability in life your basic instinct is to survive by all means and survival in this world of money worshippers is to acquire as much money as one can. Ask people in war torn Sudan and they'd tell you survival is about not getting gunned down by militants. I am not sure you'd ever see where am coming from but I respect your views.

L-VII said...

Hun, I see where you are coming from, which is why I said our fascination with her is an indictment on us, that she was an object of curiosity because of her lack of any knowledge about anything is rather sad. I will not however absolve her of all blame, she flaunted the fact that she has very little formal or social education when she treated Shilpa Shetty the way she did.

I do not think the comparison to people in war torn in Sudan is fair. War prevents them from being educated and they do not have much choice in the matter. Jade, prior to her death, could have improved her education if she wanted to, adult education is free and so is counselling if she so required.

Parakeet said...

@L-VII...and this is where my argument against the predominant ideology of acquiring a formal education lies. The fact that she's suddenly beneath other famous pple because she hadn't been taught by people who are merely passing down knowledge acquired from their predecessors.

Yes she misbehaved when she had a go at Shilpa Shetty but she made steps to rectify it and they ended up being friends. She even went as far as donating £100k to a charity in India something that may not have happened if that incident hadn't occured. I am not trying to make this woman into a saint that she is not, but I am uncomfortable with people who do not see beyond their noses like Parky.

You said that she could have acquired education but you forget that at a very tender age she had become a mother who had to look after her kids let alone her mother whom she had been single handedly been looking after since her teens. And how many people who went to university went for the sake of acquiring knowledge and not because it'll be easier for them to earn a better wage (something which of cos is no longer true these days). And who says Jade may not have gone to school later on in life when she became more settled lets not forget that she was only 27 when she died.

My point is Jade could have turned out worse so lets celebrate the little effort that she made and think deep about where she failed to better our own lives and that of those around us rather than crucify her for her misdeeds.

L-VII said...

I agree with the last paragraph whole heartedly as for the rest, I wish we could debate it in person.

L.

Parakeet said...

@L-VII...I love you too. I guess what makes life exciting is the fact that we all have varied ideas. Life will be such a boring place without people like you.

Nice Anon said...

Jade Goody is the product of modern day TV so to speak. That woman made money because she was smart and did what she had to do to survive and to provide for her children. I cannot knock that!

NaijaBabe said...

oh the african women...i am hating!!!!

But on the whole, i initially saw the Jade saga as a publicity stunt, not till a few weeks before her death did I realise that she had signed a deal for all those tv appearances and magazine photos. I commend her efforts, especially for the fact that alot of women have now been enlightened about it.

As for the silly post modern art, i think its all crap, post modern writng, post modern marketing is all crap, they need to end the crap of formulating theories that do not make any sense and help save the world

Writefreak said...

Right! Sistah this is some serious rant! I feel you on a level though...when i say i'm a writer, people say what else do you do? I say i write and they ask me what i write, i tell them, they nod and say oh interesting...but then someone else starts talking about their job in some 'supposedly prestigous' organisation and this writer takes a back seat...i don't care..i don't give a hoot! I just wonder why people thinks success should be defined by some fields of endeavour.
Well i'm a writer...if you dont know what a writer does, take a long walk!
Ok, i thought i said you were ranting..lol
How're you doing?

Afrobabe said...

My God I had the same rant with my room mate...I ranted till she opened a book to let me know she was no longer listening...lmao...the heffer...

I dont see what Jade did so wrong, so she may not know the difference between the capital of a country and the name of a rock band but who cares and who can claim to know it all...

I really hate all this old money idiots...

ShonaVixen said...

Ronan who??for real....and heey at the end of the day they are making or made that paper n to that lets applaud them!!!

Buttercup said...

Why shud a person's worth be based on HOW their income is made(as long as it's not illegal)? So what if she didn't have a formal education? Aren't there millions of starving intellectuals out there? Of what purpose has their education been to them(that's a pity, I know)? If that was the only way Jade cud pay her bills and live life comfortably, why not? Who knows what she planned to do 5 years from now?

I know everyone is entitled to their own opinions but criticizing a deceased person is not the way to go..

ibiluv said...

its bad of speak ill of the dead............no?

happy holidays!!!!!!!!!!!

Spesh said...

This is one story that shall continue to attract 'rants'.....
Happy Easter.

H2O-works said...

Upon reading this post, I had no idea who any of the pple u mentioned were. I read thru the comments and I was able to get a fair idea. I don't know the comments made by Mr. Parkinson's but I want to first point out that death is no immunity to criticism.

I actually disagree with you on this one tho...u outrightly bash "old ideologies and old money" painting a picture that Mr. Parkinson was bashing her money and how she made it...some sort of excerpt from his remarks wud have helped shed light on his remarks. Also the fact that society is changing doesn't mean the "old ideologies should take a back seat, yes change is inevitably, but change without guidance is destructive. The so-called old ideologies have the right to be part of the new. U also make claim that she turned her life around, when and how? Was it b4 or after the fame? Because if it was after, are u insinuating that the time to make that change is when and money and the spotlight is on you. If so, u negate ur statement of teaching our children about soul fulfillment but rather replace it with the idea that fame and money bring about retribution.

Im going to stop here for now b4 I go on and on...

ciao
...H2O

Unknown said...

People should learn that without such varieties and exceptions to the norm, life would be so BORING! No one is less important! Some are just opportuned than others.



Hope you are having a wonderful time this Easter period?

I've been really busy lately. Just thought I should check on you.

The Activist said...

Dammy just took the word outta my mouth!

SOLOMONSYDELLE said...

far too often we try to fit people into small boxes and use our limited vision to categorize others. The woman is a business woman, simple and short, whether people like her business or not, shebi?

How body?

doll (retired blogger) said...

hmm

Confessions of a London gal said...

Funny thing is that i never liked Jade Goody before the cancer stuff happened to her. But letsget real, she may not have been a very good person, but she was a GREAT mother. Towards the end, all she wanted for her kids was stabilty and ensuring that there was provision for them when she was no longer around to do that.
Now THAT alone should make every bad bele people keep quiet. She may not have been the best, but her kids definitely could not have had a better mum. For them, she WAS the best.

P.S. Old money sucks! I hate people that think the sun sets and rises on their behind! Pschew!

Unknown said...

I don't understand why some pple have to be so judgemental ....i feel u on this post.

Anonymous said...

i don't agree with Parkinson's timing, but we have to agree there is some truth in what he said. i was absolutely heartbroken by Jade's predicament and my heart went out to her family.

but you cannot deny that even Jade herself alluded to the importance of education by ensuring that her kids have the best education they possibly can, and her reason is because she abhors everything about her background and origin, and understands the importance of a good education in her sons lives. or else she could have let them go to her local school instead of a private one.The difference here is that her fame and money did not give her the confidence, knowledge and contentment that she so desired - and the reason for that lack, is because her fame was baseless and gratuitous. she made moey from it, good on her, and i believe her to be really smart.
But truth be told, and i put this question to you; would you rather your daughters aspire to be like Jade? Don't get me wrong as i believe there are a lot of things that her death taught us. But i don't think we shld make excuses for the appalling way a lot of talentless, fame hungry air heads are being exploited by the media. There is nothing inspiring about that, and i believe we should not believe that anything goes when it comes to fame and money.
I for one know what i will be teaching my children - that is going the Jade route, by providing them witht the best form of education i can possibly afford in order to provide a solid foundation. They are free to go into wild and seek fame shld they want to.

Squiggle said...

RIP Jade . I was fond of er whilst she was alive , simply because she gave me laughs ...that in my book is a talent all in itself whether or not it was intended

Parakeet said...

@Niceanon…totally agree even though she's not smart in the conventional way, she did her bit.
@Naijababe…I was never a fan of Jade Goody and I still am not but my opinion I will voice. As for modern art, oh well.
@Writefreak…imagine, is being a writer not enough? Oga gan o!
@Afrobabe…me thinks this debate is hot and even more peculiar cos a lot of people seem to agree with sir Parky.
@Shona…abi o sister, Ronan who? After all Jade didn't steal her money. In fact she made money through pple ridiculing her and you've got to give a an hi5. Not a lot of pple can pull that off.
@Butter…exactly, money is a means to an end after all so one's worth shudn't be based on that. Formal education within the four walls of an institution is not the only way to have knowledge. Is Will Smith not tutoring his kid at home? Preach it sister!
@Ibiluv…I think his timing was wrong but he's very welcome to voice his opinion. I just hated the fact that he couldn't see beyond his nose.
@Myworld…you're right which makes Jade even more of a gem. Easter don pass but hope you had a good one?
@H20…my philosophical and psychological friend, you know how we do it. I always love having these debates with you. While you have made very valid points let me break down a few things.
1 - I agree that death is no immunity to criticism but voicing such controversial opinion 3 days after the said lady was buried is totally insensitive to the friends and family of the deceased and all the million of fans that adores this woman.
2 - I am not against old ideologies because society will be chaotic without them. They form the basis of the way we live today but I hate the fact that they are so die-hard. I hate the fact that they feel that new ideologies are misleading and shouldn't be given a chance to take root. Times are changing and we should be more flexible to accept new things while using old ideologies to still guide us. Am not against old money I will just like new money to be given more recognition.
3 - Parky was not bashing her money but her seeming lack of tutored intelligence and education and trying to make it seem like she didn’t do enough for herself. I think this is a rather shallow way of summing up someone who had been through so much and who had tragically died at a tender age and therefore we are unable to tell what she would have done had she had more time to spend around. Besides we could reasonably predict that she would have gone back to school because while battling cancer she tried to raise enough money for her kids to have the education her parents denied her.
4 - when I say turned her life around she did this by first getting into the big brother house as a means of getting herself out of poverty and the drugs and abusive environment she grew up in. This was where her fame came from so she started the process before the fame. I am not a supporter of pple seeking fame but somehow this society makes it out to be the best thing you can achieve in life. What I am saying here is that however way she got to fame as long as it is not for doing anything dubious, she earned and for that she must be respected. The argument here is about reality TV being trash TV but big brother (which I actually do not watch) is not in my opinion trash TV. I believe it is a very good platform for understanding people and having an insight into the culture we live in now.
@Dammy…Word!!!!! Brother. My Easter was great. Good to see your comment. Hope you've been keeping well.
@Standtall…yes he said it well. Hope you good?
@Solomonsydelle…limited vision is exactly what Sir Parky exhibited in my opinion.
@Doll…speechless right?
@Confessions…that much she was, a good mother and damn funny woman.
@Olamild…I guess we all have to form opinions sometimes. Long time.
@Anonymous…it’s a shame you're posting anonymous cos this is a rather intelligent comment. But please refer to my response to H2O above which would perhaps answer some of your queries. I am not a fan of Jade Goody and I am not in support of gaining fame through such means or even remotely interested in fame. I am just saying Jade is a product of her surroundings and she was let down a lot in life by people who should have protected her and in my opinion hasn’t done too badly for herself. I think all in all am making a case for reality TV here and in particular big brother. This is a rather multi-facetted debate and I suppose we could go on and on. Many thanks for your input. Well appreciated.
@Squiggle…yes u're so right. That woman gave jokes.

Flourishing Florida said...

Am with u here,gurl