I found this post in my drafts folder so it’s not as relevant as it could have been, however that’s never been a problem before so I’ll just get on with it.
OK, so a few months ago, the actor Patrick Swayze died.
I liked this man … not because of his movie roles [though ‘Point Break’ rocked] but because he seemed a really decent guy.
Yeah … yeah … so that impression was formed more around mass media commentary than anything more intimate, however in an industry that thinks nothing of marrying another person within 13 seconds of divorce, the fact he and his wife had been – seemingly happy – together for so many years helped solidify his ‘good guy’ image in my mind.
As most people know, Swayze died after eventually losing his battle with an aggressive form of cancer and – quite rightly – after his death, many people came out saying how sorry they were and how honourable a man he was.
However in this overly commercial World we live in … where respect plays second fiddle to profit … a number of companies saw his passing as an opportunity, not a time of sadness.
Of course this is nothing new …
Hell, you just have to look at how so many people act over a families will to realise this is not something exclusive to members of celebratory.
Anyway, so I was in HMV the weekend after Swayze died, when I saw this …
It’s bad enough that they thought this was an opportunity to make a buck literally days after he had passed away, but the fact there’s a sign on the top saying “THIS MONTH’S SPECIALS” seems a bit tactless.
What do the people at HMV do? Have a team of specialist newspaper obituary readers who are ready to leap into action the moment they spot a someone who has film/music/gaming credentials has died?
All this from an organisation that had the audacity to self-censor magazines on the grounds of bad taste.
Hypocrites.
But nothing takes the piss more than the way one of the Asian regional television networks is promoting Swayze’s last ever television show, “The Beast”.
As the promo starts, announcing when this new show will commence … a super comes on that says,
“In memory of Patrick Swayze”
Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!
Can you believe it?
Why don’t they go the whole hog and just say …
“If you don’t watch this show, you are basically mocking the dead you evil bastards!”
I know television is having a bad time of it at the moment – and ratings are King – but jeez, trying to guilt-trip the masses into watching is a pretty desperate strategy by anyone’s book.
It can surely only be a matter of time before every show starts off with a ‘In Memoriam’ message … featuring either the names of the actor/actresses who have passed away since it was made, or anyone associated with them who have now gone, from parents to pets.
Of course all of this pales into insignificance when you compare it to the exploitation that has been going on with Michael Jackson death … however this is the World we have now created, a World which sadly my industry not only endorses but encourages … and I for one think all this lack of empathy, emotion and respect is doing our society harm but then they do say money is the root of all evil.