News media: dumb, and getting dumber

Good to see The Sun has found the perfect headline story, one that combines two of its favourite topics: anti-union propaganda and love rat scandals. Today's front page bears the revelation that Fire Brigades' Union chief Andy Gilchrist is a "love cheat". Applying White Van Man Logic to the case, we see that the implication, of course, is that any "right-thinking person" (copyright the Daily Mail and The Sun) cannot possibly sympathise with the firemen in the ongoing pay dispute now that their leader has - allegedly - been caught with his trousers down. It'd be laughable if it wasn't so determinedly malicious. What a bunch of c***ts.

Imbecility is clearly rife at the moment. ITV1's lunchtime news programme today included an item about a scientific study which suggests that women's choice of partner depends on whether they are on the contraceptive pill or not. Apparently those on the pill generally prefer "macho" men, while those who aren't prefer sensitive types. And how did they cover this item? Well, they invited some beaming moron from Cosmopolitan (no doubt thrilled at the free plug) onto the programme, and got newsreader Nicholas Owen to ask her whether she thought he was macho or sensitive. And then they showed footage of slebs who might be considered to fall into one or other of the categories. I switched off. Sometimes I think to have a moderately active brain in this world is to be cursed.