The BBC has been bigging up the funeral of Alex Higgins this morning, and has been trailering this for days now. Now I was sorry that Higgins had died young and throat cancer is a terrible thing, but one has to wonder why the BBC gives so much time to his funeral, turning it into another celeb event. The Dianafication of British culture continues apace and the State Broadcaster plays a central role, dumbing us down, conveying faux emotions, creating bread and circuses.
THE DIANAFICATION OF HIGGINS
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I haven’t been watching or listening to the BBC so I have missed the trailers. I suppose it is fair to say he was a great player and popular figure. Oh, and don’t forget which organisation broadcasts snooker!
To be fair to the BBC it was the Higgins family who pushed for this. It seems, as was said in ‘Spoilt Rotten’ that we are now required to weep and wail in the streets for people whom we do not know. Ah the cult of sentimentality…. 🙂 . Sorry to burst your bias bubble but this has been everywhere, in print as well as tv, and not just the beeb who have jumped on Alex’s dianafication rather late in the day.
A long time ago I had the pleasure of locking horns with Alex at both Snooker and Billiards during an exhibition match.
He was my age and I fondly followed his career and his antics outside it.
The only imaginable reason for the excessive BBC coverage I have is this :
BBC comrade line officer to new left-wing BBC intern journo –
“This Higgins fellow, google him and do a piece”.
Upon finding Alex was a man of the PEOPLE and the PEOPLE’S champion, the corporation went into overdrive.
The fact that he played snooker will have had very little to do with the BBC’s interest in him.
I’ve no interest in sport, let alone snooker, but I sympathise with the comments about “Dianafication”. This sackcloth-and-ashes and distraught handwringing every time someone snuffs it really is a two-fingers down the throat jobby.
Where has the stoic British public gone? You know – stiff upper lip and all that.
My God, why is everyone so transparently characterless, wishy-washy and generally weakly liberal? Even the handshakes are limp now (when you experience them, that is – it’s all “high-fives”, fist-touching, and air kisses now – and that’s just the blokes).
They’re a bit more pragmatic here in France, the handshakes are genuine and strong (generally), and the kisses are real enough (if you remember how many to exchange in any one geographical area).
But the namby-pamby Brits you can keep, and their “woe, woe, and thrice woe”.
Gosh
I never said that the cult is limited to the BBC. But only the BBC makes me pay for this garbage.
OK, he was twice World Champion – at snooker. What did he do to enrich society rather than himself? Apparently he once recorded a ‘get well’ message for a sick boy & visited him in hospital.
Somehow I can think of other people who contributed more to their community. Even sportsman usually give time/money to coaching disadvantaged children.