Big bother

I am not watching Big Brother - I mean, there are times when it is on, but I am not really interested (in contrast to BBLB, which I enjoy because of Dermot O'Leary).

I have watched BB in previous years, so why am I not bothered any more? Off the top of my head:

• I am another year older, and maybe another year wiser (other people might be able to judge this better)
• I have been working pretty bloody hard this year (hence sporadic posting), so the TV tends to be background noise, rather than something I actively watch, just because I don't have the energy
• I saw a few minutes of the first "episode", and my comment at the time was that there was not one person in the house who seemed to exhibit an ounce of dignity or self-respect

I think that the format has got a bit tired. There is no point having housemates who are reasonable people, who can get on with each other, as it does not make "good telly". So, in the race for ratings, they deliberately choose people who are selfish, lazy, and prone to histrionics at the drop of a hat; if there is a chance that some of them might sh*g each other (or at least walk around naked), so much the better.

This, I believe, is symptomatic of some of the problems that we are faced with in society. It seems to be OK for people to display the above traits, justified by saying, "But that's just what I'm like". I am guessing that these are the same kind of people who try to get their own way by proclaiming, "I know my rights!"; actually, many of the people who say this don't actually know their rights - for example, human rights include things such as air and water, which are vital for life, and consumer goods and civil rights don't even enter the equation.

What is my point? Well, as you can tell, I am a bit tired and therefore my fuse is a bit shorter. But these are things that have quietly bothered me for some time; the people that shout loudest tend to be able to get what they want, "good" people tend to be kept waiting, and we now live in a culture where people treat the symptoms, not the cause. Maybe blogging is part of the answer, as people with similar views can quietly mobilise themselves in a civil way - I would have much more faith in this idea if there were more than about three people reading this..!