h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I can't judge Goody, it's not my place to judge, approve, or disapprove; but I have a problem with the concept of her being touted as a 'hero'.

Certainly, a life as a daughter of a couple of addicts is sad or even tragic, but her 'celebrity' is the mere result of a 'reality show' on the telly. I don't have any use for the voyeuristic reality shows, so I was not even aware of her presence until afterwards.

I did not follow her in the press, either; so, again, I do not judge her; but a "loud and boisterous 21-year-old dental nurse, who had trouble getting along with people, and failed at several poor business attempts (when she may have led a very happy life as a dental nurse), is not my idea of a heroinne just because she died young of a disease that so many other wonderful young women die of without the fanfare.

No, I don't much think of her in any particular way. My concern is the concept that the public accepts that 'our heroes are not prescribed to us' when obviously the television programmers do prescribe them to the masses.

If we accept any tripe that they broadcast, and try to make heroes or role models out of the persons dragged in from any walk of life (regardless of a lack of any talent or 'practised skills'), we do ourselves and our children a disservice by not pointing out real heroes in our society.

Love her, if you will, or pity her; but don't make her out a hero.

<>

That word "hero" was quoted by Russell Brand, not us. We did not even put the quote in, the Eds changed the quote which sailed through Peer Review



<> I wrote that. I have two daughters older than Jade, and what happened to her sent both of them scurrying for smear tests. For that I am eternally grateful to Jade as I am sure lots of other mothers/husbands/children throughout the country are.

GB

Thank you GB! I'd hate to leave the attribution of the quote to the researcher if the source is one of the h2g2 editors. I'm also sorry to hear that they added a quote without clearing it with you.

I am very sorry for any woman, young or old, that hasn't taken advantage of the testing for this often preventable disease. The seriousness and breadth of this condition have been known and communicated for years before Jane's appearance on the public scene, though. It's so sad that it takes such an unfortunate series of events for young women to suddenly pay attention to the risks involved and do something about them.

It would be even sadder if every serious and widespread disease had to have a Jade Goody before it could be taken seriously. I hope that your two daughters, and others, start a schedule of exams for other 'woman issues' as well as the non-gender related risks we all face as we age.

Perhaps 'martyr to the cause' would be a more apt title for her than 'hero'. Nobody intentionally contracts a disease just to raise awareness of it; but marshalling on in spite of the problem is laudable.

My best wishes to you and your daughters; and for all who have been alerted through Jade's misfortune.

Hi FT,

I think the Editors were trying to be a little kinder by using that quote. The one we used was from Noel Gallagher, so you might be able to image what he had to say on the matter


lil x

Any one dying young is a tragic waste and blasphemous cancer is among the worst for anyone to suffer. That said I ask, "How is Jade a hero?" After chasing fortune and fame through the most base form of entertainment she became a product of the media and her publicist advisers. I wrote:-

Am I out of touch?

Or is this the most sickening display of mass hypnotic hype and hypocrisy since the much lamented Diana? It makes me want to scream that the very media shysters that debased this woman are now crying into their shirt tails.

Max Clifford is reported to have said:-

"She would have loved it. She's looking down with a beaming smile. She came from a humble background with no education, but in the last few weeks of her life she became one of the biggest stars in the world."

My most lucid friend said:-

DE MORTUIS NIL NISI BONUM ("only good of the dead") and all that. But I'm relieved that others have found the whole Goody-industry as gut-wrenchingly mawkish and indecorous as I have. Compare the money-grubbing exhibitionism of the last few weeks with the quiet dignity amid grief of those families who lose their young on military service.

In some quarters at least, it seems that any excuse will do these days for an excessive display of emotion. The absurd hysteria surrounding Diana, far from proving an object-lesson, has turned out to be a trend-setter. It is as if we have in our midst a sector of society that tries to establish its human credentials by overt and extravagant sentimentality. Were it not for the admirable counter-examples, it would be evidence of a weakening in our national temperament.

I agree with those illuminations. They are honest and forthright and lack all the trimmings of false and easily forgotten trivia.

Conclusion.
Jade was no hero. She was an unfortunate, a product. How sad are we?

If this is upsetting for some then I humbly suggest a look around. Where I live there are a couple of young blokes who have returned to dear old blighty short of a number of body parts, lost in the real world. Do we care about them? There is an old woman a few doors away who can hardly lift her arms and shakes uncontrollably, she spends hours of every day on her own. The world is littered with people who need our sympathy yet all this debacle has done is devalue the suffering of the invisible and needy.
The whole bag of rats disgusts me and I believe many more feel this way. Hero like the word star,thanks to poor journalism have become meaningless. We reap the rewards of our own indifference.

Hi, lil:

Any notes of clarification are welcome, always. Thanks!

Hi, bellowsmain:

I think that you and I must be equally out of touch. Yes, I had the same reaction to all of the hype of Diana, and the general doings of all the royals for that matter.

I think that Max Clifford would be more stunned than Goody that I still know virtually nothing about her, and would unlikely be able to pick her out of a crowd photo.

Mawkish?, indeed; indecorous?, absolutely. We desperately need to focus on better, finer, more deserving role models to label 'hero'. Being 'brave' while dying is easy, as there are only two choices, and the other elicits far less sympathy and compassion.

Being brave when one has no reason to expect death takes a much higher level of character.