Richard Hogan: Kate Middleton frenzy reveals something terrible lurking in the human condition
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I have never had much of an interest in The Royal Family. I’m not against them or anything like that, just never really had an interest. I remember watching images of Charles as a kid in the 80s dancing with some tribe, thinking he was a hip and cool Prince.
I also watched with amusement when The Queen visited the English Market in Cork. And when she uttered a few words as gaeilge, I thought it was a lovely gesture of inclusion and perhaps an end to all that English angst that was certainly a part of my childhood growing up in Cork.
When Ray Houghton ‘put the ball in the English net’ we all fell into some sort of delirium because we beat the English, our old enemy. Of course, I know how ridiculous all of that is now. The Queen’s visit ameliorated some of those old feelings. She had a dignity and grace that was hard to deny. You could see the impact she was having on those gathered around the table that evening. It was a special moment.
I vividly recall watching the news one bright August morning in 1997, about Diana, Princess of Wales, dying in a car crash. Toast in mouth, about to head out the door to work, I stopped in front of the TV and watched the sad news. I wasn’t thinking about Diana (Prince Charles’s ex) I was thinking about the mother who had just died, leaving behind two young children. The frenzy the world fell into, illuminating even in death she wasn’t free. Songs written about it, and roses cast into the street. That whole week seemed out of control.
I remember thinking that journalism, and in particular paparazzi journalism (if you can call it that) would never be the same. I can’t think of another person who had experienced the same level of scrutiny in my lifetime. It was uncomfortable to watch, even at that young age. She was hounded down that Parisian tunnel. I remember shaking my head incredulously reading that paparazzi took photographs of her as she lay dying. I couldn’t comprehend how someone could be that callous, that interested in monetary gain. That they would take pictures of another human being at their most vulnerable for a few lousy quid. That was shocking. It revealed something about the human condition, I hadn’t been aware of. It was a lesson I couldn’t have done without. But I thought that her death signalled a shift in those types of practices. But I was wrong.
The recent frenzy about the whereabouts of Kate Middleton, once again brought into focus the media’s gaze and the unhaltable and insatiable appetite the media has for The Royal Family. I have to be honest, I was unaware of this conspiracy. I heard some rumblings about something to do with Kate Middleton but it didn’t really infiltrate my mind. It was somewhere out there beyond my consciousness, but even when memes popped up, I didn’t know what they were delineating.
I asked my wife about it in passing one evening and she wasn’t too sure either. Having three children to get to school, lunches, collections, sports, bedtime, it’s hard to find time for conspiracy theories. When Piers Morgan shared an image, proving Kate was alive, I thought, what the hell is all of this about? And so, I checked. Apparently, it was something about a photograph and not being seen for weeks. The media was in full frenzy mode. News channels dedicating segments to the topic, while Gazan children were blown to bits and their way of life reduced to rubble.
And as it turns out, the young mother was trying to have some space as she underwent treatment for cancer. Once again, a young woman’s health and privacy crowbarred open for the world to satiate its sick gaze. And once again revealing something terrible lurking in the human condition. The media was more orientated towards the Princess of Wales and her whereabouts, than a people's way of life being eradicated in front of their eyes.
It is a terrible indictment on our society when a public figure is not allowed space to undergo treatment for an illness. The media has no right to intrude on someone’s life like what happened over the last four weeks. I have grappled with writing this column, I didn’t want to be another voice adding to the interest in this story. But I wanted to express how distasteful and utterly lacking in ethics the whole saga has been.
I can’t imagine the pressure Kate was under to release that video explaining why she wasn’t performing any public appearances. She should not have had to give that press release, but the media is a rabid dog that must be obeyed. This whole media fiasco should spark another conversation about intrusion and privacy. And the position of the media and how it drives frenzy in the public. Of course, it will say it is only giving the people what they want.
But a young woman needing time to heal from an illness, is nobody's business. And shame on all of us, for making it our business.