Poll: Cheating and the media

[SenseOfTumour]

I saw the 'cheating' thread and didn't wish to derail it, so started my own.

Was discussing this with a friend and his wife, and thought I'd find out what the escapist masses thought.

Non brits probably neither know nor care that footballer and part time Shrek lookalike, Wayne Rooney has been 'caught' banging prostitues again, while married to Cheryl Cole and having a kid.

Now while I certainly don't defend what he's done, ( I don't care that he's seeing prostitutes as such, just that he's cheating on his wife, and endangering a stable family for his son by following his dick ) I do think it's utterly irrelevant to being a footballer, and also utterly irrelevant to the 60 million or so British people who don't personally know him.

I for one would be quite happy to never read or see a news article about celebrity private lives again. The only time I think these things should be reported on, are when a politician is caught doing something that clashes with his policy opinions, for instance a heavily pro marriage, pro family MP having affairs, or a pro life one having an abortion or paying for a partner to have one, or say, a priest being a paedophile. (As they're supposed to live such 'good' lives by default, after all. I wouldn't be interested in a priest's parking tickets or minor tax evasion)


Now I've stated I have no interest, I do think he should have quit his partner early on and just carried on having sex with whoever he liked, instead of signing onto a commitment he couldn't handle.

So, would you be happy to see for instance, massive natural disasters not being knocked into third place on the news by who Wayne Rooney and Tiger Woods stuck their bits in this week? Or do you feel we as the people who made them rich and famous, have a right to know the minutae of their lives?

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Totally agree. I don't give two flying metroid fucks what a celebrity is doing if it has nothing to do with their profession. Their private lives are just that, leave them to sort out their problems in private without plastering it all over the tabloids. Not that I read that shit anyway, seriously, anyone who reads 'The Sun' for news is a pillock.

 

[SenseOfTumour]

A second question, should famous people be judged on their morality?

Should for instance, Wayne Rooney have lost his place on his team for his transgression? He has lost his Coke ad deal, should that have happened? or should he be judged purely on his ability to play a child's playground game fairly well? (no, I'm not a soccer fan )

Tiger Woods, does having about half of america's women in his cell phone make him a worse golfer?

Should, in short, everyone famous have a responsibility to be a 'role model' or should it not be enough that they are good at their job?

Come the next olympics, should we send our fastest sprinter who happens to enjoy getting chained up and beaten by hookers dressed as Mussolini, or should we send the guy who's a couple of seconds slower who's got a married family man and gives to charity?

 

[SenseOfTumour]

Rooney is an unbelievable fuckwit tho, he's WAYNE ROONEY - does he not think the moment he sticks it in someone he shouldn't that they won't be on the phone negotiating a deal with the Sun?

 

[Cpt_Oblivious]

I agree completely Tumour (Where have you been recently, it's been a long time, man). I don't give a monkeys about these celebrities and "celebrities". I have 2 terms because I once saw an article on someone who was famous for being someone's granddaughter - it's got that bad.

However, it particularly annoys me that we (myself included) grow up having these people being forced onto us as idols, rather than, say, Stephen Hawking, who we should all aspire to be like. Why do we idolise people who get payed far too much to kick a ball around and not scientists attempting to cure cancer or discover the universe?


As for your second question: Since it doesn't affect their ability to do their jobs at all, they shouldn't be punished in that respect, however if (for example) Coca Cola don't want to be seen as supporting adultery, so that's perfectly fine.

 

[Lord Mountbatten Reborn]

I thought Ashley Cole was married to Cheryl Cole? Unless Cheryl acts fast.

 

[Cpt_Oblivious]

I thought Ashley Cole was married to Cheryl Cole? Unless Cheryl acts fast.

No, Ashley was, but not now. Rooney's married to Colleen Whatsername.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

I agree completely Tumour (Where have you been recently, it's been a long time, man). I don't give a monkeys about these celebrities and "celebrities". I have 2 terms because I once saw an article on someone who was famous for being someone's granddaughter - it's got that bad.

However, it particularly annoys me that we (myself included) grow up having these people being forced onto us as idols, rather than, say, Stephen Hawking, who we should all aspire to be like. Why do we idolise people who get payed far too much to kick a ball around and not scientists attempting to cure cancer or discover the universe?

[small]As an aside: Why would you go to a prostitute when you have Cheryl Cole?[/small]

I also agree with this point. Why the hell is a moron who's probably never read a book, considered a better role model than those who have written books? Stephen Fry, actors like Sir Patrick Stewart, Jennifer Hale (for her incredible voice acting). These are the people that should be considered role models.

 

[PureChaos]

don't care about celebrities private lives at all. their history, what they went through growing up i would be more interested in. even random people i bump into i think 'what's their life story like?' some could be really interesting

 

[Sara Fontaine]

Unless whatever it is they do in their private life has any effect on their job, or anything they endorse (such as doing an anti drug campaign and then being snapped taking drugs) I don't think what they get up to should have any effect on their professional life.

As for Wayne Rooney, I'm sick of hearing about him. And Peter Crouch. I don't have any interest in reading which footballer's been having it off with which woman. Nor do I care about anything else any of them get up to. A lot of the "celebrities" we have today are only called that for flashing their tits on Big Brother or what have you. But don't get me started on reality TV and the definition of celebrity these days...

 

[SenseOfTumour]

I thought Ashley Cole was married to Cheryl Cole? Unless Cheryl acts fast.

Just shows how much attention I pay to celeb trivia, heh!

you're entirely right, it's Coleen ..thingy
Now Rooney, which makes things easier.

One other thing that would be a perk coming from banning all trivial celeb gossip in the media.

A massive reduction in blackmail - a leading politician is gay? don't care, doesn't matter, and now you can't force his hand on things by threatening to leak it to the papers.

Amused me recently that some US politician who was standing on a fiercely anti gay stance, was caught at a gay club, being gay with some gays. I admit I'd have missed not hearing about that, but then that's covered in my disclaimer about only news relevant to their position.

I don't care if you're standing on an anti gay platform and seeing prostitutes, but if they're MALE prostitutes, I feel that's in the public interest.

 

[Dogstile]

I don't care personally. It's their life, what they do is their problem. I find it disgusting that newspaper tabloids pay people to essentially "stalk" someone.

 

[SenseOfTumour]

I agree completely Tumour (Where have you been recently, it's been a long time, man). I don't give a monkeys about these celebrities and "celebrities". I have 2 terms because I once saw an article on someone who was famous for being someone's granddaughter - it's got that bad.

Excuse me ego here, but thanks Captain! Always nice to be noticed

I'd add another rule based on your post, if you're merely related to, or even just fucked someone who is mildly famous, you're NOT famous.

That means people like Calum fucking Best ( I think that's his middle name) son of footballing legend George Best) doesn't get to be on any 'celebrity' shows or reality shows needing celebrities. Same goes for boyfriends of Jordan and the like.

Honestly, he was on the celebrity Family Fortunes this week, and if you need to get Calum Best, just drop 'celebrity' and go back to letting normal families play for the money.

anyways, don't wish to derail my own thread, having started this to avoid derailing someone elses

 

[Lord Mountbatten Reborn]

Amused me recently that some US politician who was standing on a fiercely anti gay stance, was caught at a gay club, being gay with some gays. I admit I'd have missed not hearing about that, but then that's covered in my disclaimer about only news relevant to their position.

I don't care if you're standing on an anti gay platform and seeing prostitutes, but if they're MALE prostitutes, I feel that's in the public interest.

That also reminds me of something. The Democratic speaker of the house was being viciously disparaged as gay by the Republicans, when the only openly gay member of the House threatened to out any gay Republicans (he didn't actually know any). The disparagement suddenly stopped. Make of that what you will.

 

[SenseOfTumour]

I don't care personally. It's their life, what they do is their problem. I find it disgusting that newspaper tabloids pay people to essentially "stalk" someone.

Too true, there needs to be stricter laws about hacking emails, tapping phones, bribing people, going thru people's garbage bags and bins, etc.

I should walk away for a while however, I'm already in danger of having typed half this thread myself, but I do like to take a personal interest in replies to my topics.

 

[Jamash]

I don't really care about any of the gossip and cheating malarkey, but I do believe that when someone is a representative for our country on the world stage, as Wayne Rooney is by virtue of playing for England, then their morality should come under closer scrutiny (as they're more akin to being politicians or ambassadors rather than just private sportsmen).

I don't like the way the tabloids make a meal out of it, but if that keeps our national sportsmen honest, or at the least makes them be more discreet, then I suppose it is a lesser evil.

I feel similar for celebrities employed by the BBC, for as long as the Licence payer's money goes towards paying their wages, then those Licence payers should be allowed to have a vested interest in their behaviour.

 

[rockyoumonkeys]

Meh, I don't really care. On the one hand, the paparazzi are too invasive, but on the other hand, celebrities are celebrities, and they have to realize that people want to know about them. As far as I'm concerned, when you decide you want to be a star, you're kissing your private life goodbye, and you can't ***** and whine that your crap's become public.

 

[Azaraxzealot]

where's the "i dont give a shit about anything that doesnt immediately and directly affect me" button?

on the topic of if i care or not, no, i DONT care because who Angelina Jolie is sleeping with and what Cher does in her spare time is of no concern of mine...

 

[SenseOfTumour]

I've been surprised, but I'll actually agree with Jamash, if our national team was aragtag collection of drug addled serial womanizing petty criminals, that happened to be very good at football, it would reflect on our nation. Would certainly give other countries medias a lot of ammo to bash us with, for sure.

The BBC, I'm not so sure, after all, no-one pays for it all, so if you don't like say, Vernon Kaye, you can consider your licence fee to being paying for the show where they just point a camera at some badgers for half an hour a week, instead.

I feel as a licence payer, I get one 50 millionth of a say in what happens at the BBC.

I DO agree that the whole Ross Brand thing was a stupid and irresponsible thing, however, backing up my thread here, there were 2 complaints at the time, and 30,000 after the Mail ran page after page about the event, carefully making sure that anyone who wasn't offended by it, or hadn't heard it, knew exactly how to find it and be offended by it.

This is the paper that on friday ran with how british comedy is a stagnant pool of filth and unfunny hate, (using Victoria Wood as an example of how low we've sunk, heh), then the next day runs with how a new law is going to stop people making fun of lezzas, benders, spazmos and darkies at work, and how it's just stamping on the great british sense of fun.

As Stewart Lee said, 'it's got to the point where you can't even write racist abuse on someone's car in excrement without someone complaining'.

Oops, derailing again, but good point, partly agreed with, Jamash, I always feel like I've partly failed if I make a thread everyone just fully agrees with, as I feel like it didn't need saying.

Like I'd gone 'Portal's quite good isn't it' or 'Poll - Cancer's not very good for you'

 

[EeveeElectro]

His wife was called Coleen McLoughlin, now Rooney. I only know because it's shoved in my face all the time.
I hate how celebrities seem to think they're untouchable and don't have to stick with the vows they made. Ashley Cole, John Terry, Tiger Woods...
Just because they have a bit of money, it's okay to cheat on your wife with some ugly prostitutes. Plus their wives are absolutely stunning, it's not setting a good example for the rest of the men out there.
I suppose I do care; not because I care about the celebrities, but I'd react in the same way if someone I know was put in this situation.