Monday, May 23, 2011

Concerning injuctions

Ok, look. There's a couple of things about the recent superinjunction snowball that really needs to be brought into perspective.

1. If you don't want the world to know about the fact you can't keep your dick in your pants, then just try harder to keep your dick in your pants.

2. There is a right way and a wrong way to maintaining your right to privacy. Going to court for a gagging order is the wrong way. The right way is "maintain some decency and eventually everybody will forget about it". One of the parties being outed is the wrong way. Having some modicum of respect and dignity is the right way.

3. Really, nobody gives more than the tiniest shit about who is having affairs, except for the holier-than-thou parade who can look down upon the sinner and cast stones (Oh, wait, I forgot that sanctimony is a defining human trait). I mean, really, someone has been having sex with a former Miss Wales. In what way does this bear any relevance - I mean, any - to my, your, our lives?

4. The big story here is the one everybody is ignoring: the taboid press have a moral obligation to make everybody's lives miserable. "Look how pretty these people are? You don't have that. Look how much money these people have? You don't have that. Look at how EVIL THESE PEOPLE ARE? You don't have that, that level of public hatred, but you can feel morally superior for the fifteen seconds it takes you to read this article. And then you will hate yourself. If you don't already."

5. Actually, there's two stories. The second is called Trafigura, how big multinationals get away with stuff because they have gagging orders. We only know about Trafigura because the Guardian called their bluff (which is what will forever be known now as "The Twitter Trigger" or some other nonsense) and the courts backed them up. We don't know about any others. But that could be because there are other superinjunctions in place.

But really, there was no way on earth this was going to end well, the moment, the instant that the bloody idiot in the middle of this first thought about going to the courts to get this whole thing hushed up. The more people you have to tell to be quiet, the more people are going to know that there's something to be quiet about.

If anything, this proves the pure and simple axiom that our parents drilled into us as kids: if you tell the truth you may be punished, but nowhere nearly as badly as if you get caught in a lie.

2 comments:

  1. Nicely put Mike. Personally I don't give a fig about any of it. But then I'm just a little Home Baker. If you don't want the world and his wife to know about what you're doing, then don't do it.We live in a multi media world and will soon be found out no matter what you do.
    People love to be the first to tell, and listen to the sharp intake of breath in astonishment.
    I shall not be unfollowing you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. At the end of the day, normal folk have to face up to their mistakes. Why should the rich be able to pay their way to having them swept under the carpet?

    And I totally agree with your first point.

    ReplyDelete