sashinka | observation orientated, with a twist of lime | a blog

Obviously this is slightly bizzare thing to write on a blog.

You'll see.

Seems like modernity is a 360 degree public appraisal. Every single thing is observed, commented on - nay, blogged about - linked, twittered, facebooked, googled. If you've grown out of LinkedIn you've grown into some Ning sub-group.

And TV. Do you think the next generation will expect their every waking moment to have like a narrator? That constant - generally middle-class - voice saying, "and what will Anastasia and Geroge decide about the house in the French countryside?" or "which young turk with slouchy street style will get the chance of a lifetime from the shouty chef" (Ramsay). Or that constant X-Factor backstory: will they be making the Hero's Journey from council house obscurity to D-list celebrity as soon as they've dropped out in round three and had their story sold to the Daily Mail by a disgruntled ex? Or - alternatively - humiliated for our entertainment because they dare to take their dancing-in-front-of-the-mirror singing-into-a-hairbrush act to the judges.

Is the rest of our lives going to have the white noise of annoying people saying about celebrity- bigbro- chef- model- whatever programme "it's been amazing, I've actually loved it."

Like we care.

Some say the unexamined life is not worth living. That's old school. Now we think the unmoderated, un-commentated, un-observed life's not worth doing.

I'm wondering if the obsessive media scrutiny makes everything a news story even when a lot of it is real life. And sometimes, there aren't any stories. In the words of Tom Clancy: the difference between fiction and reality is that fiction has to make sense.

Reality is messy. Not everyone wins. Not everyone's pretty. Not everyone's sucessful, and certainly not in the same way. Real life is about conversations, people, relationships, not about press mentions, and blog links and knowing that model off the TV.

All this brought on by Hells Kitchen/X Factor/too many house programmes and the constant conversation about Gerry and Kate. Like I know them. That whole McCann thing has turned into something like entertainment when really it's either a terrible family tragedy (abduction version) or a terrible family tragedy (alleged murder version).

I hank after peace, quiet. Countryside.

And I realise I'm contributing to the noise as much as anyone else. Sorry.

We all want to be heard, now. The audience has taken over.