I forgot how to woman

Radio Presenter Fifi Box

Fifi Box, radio presenter for 2day FM, welcomed her baby girl into the world at 2.30 pm yesterday. She called Hamish and Andy’s radio show, which was holding its annual pre-logies ‘spit roast’ party live on radio to announce the news. You can listen to the birth announcement here.

As a woman, I feel like my reaction should be more than it actually is. It should be along the lines of ‘oh my goodness, a baby’. I should be ooing and ahh-ing, because you know, when I hear about babies my ovaries start glowing or something. But after reading the original article, I just can’t help but think the following:

• why is this coming through my news filter, as I find this irrelevant
• what is with the compulsion to name all ‘celebrity’ (and I use that term loosely) babies something ludicrous?
• why on earth would anyone feel the need to broadcast such private moments such as this?

Unfortunately for me, some people do deem the birth of a f-list celebrity baby to be something of importance.  But the bad baby names? Ms. Box said to Hamish on live radio that ‘…I was thinking Coco, Loulou, Gigi and Fifi…” for the name of her baby girl.

Fifi Box’s actual name is Fiona Box. Why are we steering away from traditional names like Charlotte, Eliza and Sophie and replacing them names like Apple, Maddox and Sage Moonblood? (for a list of the most ridiculous celebrity baby names, click here. One of Fifi’s choices is actually one of them).

Andy Lee offered to do an applause contest to see what the live audience thought of each name, but was stopped by another presenter and Fifi’s co-host, Jules Lund, as he said ‘…we aren’t this tacky at this radio station, surely.’ Sorry guys, you are that tacky. You have just turned the birth of a baby into a radio gimmick and a ratings boost.

An example of the bizarre compulsion to self publish 
the most intimate parts of our life. Click to zoom.

Another compulsion I do not understand – why people feel the need to broadcast such personal milestones such as this – whether it is online through social media or on a radio show.  I came across the enclosed image on Facebook a few weeks ago and again I felt a bit guilty for not instantly becoming emotional at the sight of the heartbreak and pain on this woman’s face. I just couldn’t get rid of the unsettling thought ‘why are you sharing such a private moment with the whole world?’ Thousands of people have liked this picture, which in the comments underneath state that they don’t know you. But they do feel sorry for you.

Yes, you have been through something horrible, something that no one should have to experience. But why are you so desperate to be validated by strangers that you would put such an attention seeking post up on the Internet?

These are not isolated incidents; last week my cousin put a photo on Facebook of an envelope with her name on it and a set of keys as she just got approved for a new rental property. People upload pictures of each meal they eat on Instagram all the time. Perhaps this is brave new world in which we broadcast all of our insecurities. Perhaps this will be an attention-seeking compulsion I will never understand. Maybe the rest of the world will come to their senses.

Refrences:

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/fifi-box-gives-birth-to-baby-girl/story-e6frf96o-1226613487976

http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/celebrity/fifi-box-has-baby-daughter-20130405-2hcss.html

http://aww.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8637811

http://www.popsugar.com.au/Fifi-Box-Welcomes-Baby-Girl-29069080

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/fifi-box-gives-birth-to-baby-girl/story-e6frf96o-1226613487976

A very unoriginal take on Gina Rinehart

'The Banquet of Gina and Ginia', Warren Lane, 2013

A painting of the world's richest woman, Gina Rinehart has won the Bald Archy prize.  To have oneself immortalized on canvas is usually a thing of prestige and honor, but not this time. Rineharts’ face is smeared in chocolate cake, with clear themes of greed and self-indulgence.

Warren Lane – of Preston, Melbourne – intentionally based his painting of the mining magnate to strike resemblance to a painting by Dutch artist Jan Victors. The scene depicted in the original piece, named ‘The Banquet of Esther and Ahasuerus’  is of a large man who is the Persian emperor (Ahasuerus) being advised by his wife (Esther) of a plot of betrayal by his right hand man.

'The Banquet of Esther and Ahasuerus', Jan Victors, 1640

Mr. Lane means no offence by the portrait. "I am joking. I think she'll see it that way. Hopefully," he said. The Bald Archy is an annual prize that in its 20^th year this year, and is a send up of the Archibald Prize. In the past, winners of the Bald Archy have always made fun of Australian celebrities, well-known figures and politicians.  Gina Rinehart was the subject of eight of the admissions for this year’s prize. The winner is normally selected by a cockatoo named Maude, and was designed specifically to change the publics’ conceptions about art in todays society. 

Yes, Gina Rinehart is fabulously wealthy. And no, she is not the picture of health. But aren’t these fat jokes getting a bit old? Aren’t they a little obvious, a little over-used, unoriginal and offensive? As a well-known figure, Rinehart would have to be used to criticism, but no woman likes to be ridiculed about her weight. Its an easy joke and I must say I am a little disappointed that such low-brow humor has dominated what is supposed to be a send up of something so proper.  Hopefully next year the winning entrant will have a little more to offer than the requirement of a single brain cell to understand the joke. Sure, make fun of serious art. Its all in good fun. But please, for the love of intelligence, do it in a way that requires a more complex thought than ‘lol’. 

References:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-04-05/rinehart-portrait-wins-bald-archy/4611724
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/warren-lane-portrait-of-gina-rinehart-takes-the-cake-at-bald-archy-prize-in-sydney/story-e6frf96o-1226613319098
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jan_Victors_-_The_Banquet_of_Esther_and_Ahasuerus_-_WGA25059.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bald_Archy_Prize

“They should have the death penalty for people like me”

 Missing Persons Poster For Jill Meagher

Adrian Ernest Bayley formally pleaded guilty to the rape and murder of ABC journalist Jill Meagher today. He will return to the Supreme Court in June to stand trial.

When Mrs. Meagher disappeared, the public support and outcry was immense. It made international news, and social networking became a hot bed of speculation. What had happened? Where was she? Was she abducted?

Adrian Ernest Bayley

What we do know now is this: At 1.30am on the 21^st of September 2012, Mrs. Meagher began the ill fated 500m-walk down Sydney rd. She was walking home from the bar in Brunswick at which she was drinking with work friends. She never made it home. CCTV footage seized from businesses along Sydney road shows she met a man wearing a blue hoodie outside a dress shop who continued to walk with her. This stranger was Bayley. Mr Bayley hails from Coburg, a suburb not even a kilometer from where they both stood in the early hours of the morning of the 21^st.

A, Murder Location. B, Where Bayley Lived. C, 
Where Jill's Body was dumped.  Click to Zoom.

Mrs. Meagher was reported missing by her husband, Tom. A social networking campaign was started to try and find Jill, which went viral. CCTV footage of Bayley was all over the internet and news – meaning it was only a matter of time until he was discovered.

Police brought Bayley in for questioning days later after compiling substantial evidence against him. At first Bayley denied any involvement, but after hours of questioning and Bayley’s GPS on his phone surrendering his location, he finally caved. He led police to Diggers Rest, north west of Melbourne, to where Meagher was buried.

In the police interview in which Bayley reveals the truth, he has an interchange with the detective interviewing him. An article quoting an official court document (which can be read here) shows an interchange between Bayley and the detective interviewing him:

Bayley: ‘They should have the death penalty for people like me.’
Detective: ‘I can’t tell you what’s gonna happen.’
Bayley: ‘No well – that’s what I hope.’

It seems a lot of the Australian public had agreed with him. During this case, Trial by social media became a real issue. Police asked social networkers not to condemn Bayley, and even attempted to shut down the Facebook page that was originally set up to help raise awareness that Jill was missing. Social Media speculation created a risk of mistrial, as so much speculation and accusation could not possibly mean a fair trial.  But it didn’t stop chins wagging and twits tweeting. Now Bayley has confessed to his crime and formally plead guilty, it seems Jill Meagher’s sad tale is drawing to a close.

The power of social networking resonates over and over in this case. It was a campaign to raise awareness that got businesses scouring CCTV footage. It was thousands of people watching it; eyes keen for someone they know that may have been able to help or provide information. It was the 10,000 people-strong peace march after her body was found, and the lynch mob formed to voice their condemnation of her killer.

Social Media has such a widespread effect in today’s society, and this is one of the largest cases that it has been such an integral part of. It has its positives and negatives, but is trial by social media a power that the public may not be strong or wise enough to wield?  The fact that the public could create a mistrial due to online speculation suggests so. Is coverage better left to the professionals who are more aware of what effect their words can have? As time goes on, cases like this will occur more often, and it will soon become clear as to whether the public can actually be fair or if it will just continue to jump on its own bandwagon. 

References:

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/law-order/inside-adrian-bayleys-police-interview/story-fnat79vb-1226612848008

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/bayleys-wish-for-his-own-death-penalty-20130312-2fx8i.html

http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2012/10/trial-by-social-media-in-australia-prompts-clash-over-accused-murderer285.html