General Chat

When people have been 'publicly successful' to then make sure, either by dirt digging or just running with a rumour, to make sure they are taken down a peg or two?

Without specifically naming anyone, two very recent incidences in the 'news' ( I use the term loosely) are being held up as not the nice people they appear to be, with bullying tendencies and a rather arrogant nature.

Self belief, wanting a job done well to the standards expected, is one thing, but where is the a fine line between that and bullying?

Or are we just looking for fault in others as a way of feeling better about our own failings lol ( I do try to be kind, I really do !). As an example there's a 'reality star' that I really find it hard to say anything good about, I don't know her but based on what I do know 'of' her I don't like her, she would certainly not like me either.

Is it a British trait ( as someone said) to put people on a pedestal just so that we ( or usually the press) can knock them off?

Perhaps needless to say that I'm not talking about those who have actually commited crimes.

Sorry bit of a ramble :-D

Apologies for typos, my brain and fingers are not connecting today .

Not just a British trait, Rambling.

In Australia it's known as the 'tall poppy syndrome'

However, some of the people who are publicly successful may laud themselves in such a way that it grates on others.

Other successful people just get on with it without making any undue fuss.

I think a lot depends on the nature of the person concerned. Some just become self publicity machines, aided and abetted by tv companies who follow their lives for a regular weekly programme, which normally shows a large degree of arrogance and general not very nice behaviour, resulting in 3/4 of the population becoming sick of the sight of them. Others remain humble and just take the opportunities that come their way without any hint of arrogance. For example I haven't seen a bad word about Paul O'Grady from anybody.

I think there's always been a 'build them up and knock them down' culture. I say 'always' meaning as far as I can remember but the clamouring for celebrity with no value to offer. this culture does seem to have worsened in the last 20? years.
I blame reality TV which seems to require little more than bad behaviour.
Wanting to be famous for the sake of it seems odd but equally there are the 'agents who will use these attention seekers to save themselves from earing an honest living.
With the freedom of social media many don't care what they publish about others, thus giving these 'media whores' some sort of credence.
It's a vicious circle! :-0 Do they affect my life? Nooooo :-D

Allan yes I should have remembered that phrase.

Duncan, likewise re Paul O'Grady I've not seen anyone say anything negative. Bless him.

Island, celebrity culture does seem to have grown from nowhere to everywhere in the last 20/30 years, and now social media, brings every part of it ( literally) right in to your home and makes it much harder to avoid. I remember when I was young the News of the World being the main ( probably only) source of scandalous stories and gossip. Feeling old!

Sometimes I see media who are so up peoples arses it’s sickening

Then later down the line it’s let’s pull em down

Meghan is one in particular

The hate generated by paparazzi Facebook websites is mind boggling especially as naive people read the hate and generate more false stories

It seems Facebook paparazzi sites just want ti break her and Harry uo

Shirley, there have been plenty of unkind comments about the NY car incident.

Even though they were all alright there must have been a very real sense of fear on Harry's part that he, his wife and MIL could easily leave two very young children parentless. Doesn't take a lot to imagine how that would make him feel. I think some people have forgotten common decency let alone sympathy.

Whilst I understand what you are saying Rose but when someone regularly ‘misremembers’ accurately they must expect people to query what is said next time.

Reports are that this ‘private’ couple have Demanded that other ‘private’ people hand over their photos. Makes me uncomfortable.

Well I'm just confused now :-S

Is this about specific people?

Do I want/need to know? Probably not, I'm just tired and bored but trying to keep the braincell active LOL :-D :-D

As far as bullying is concerned, real bullying does sometimes happen, unfortunately, as does assault.
But nowadays there also seem to be a lot of feeble snowflakes who apparently can't cope with anyone, such as an employer, having authority over them.
They seem to have no tolerance or sense of humour, and take offence at the slightest thing.
Victimhood is fashionable in some quarters.

I agree with Island about wanting to be famous for the sake of it.

Perhaps their parents have allowed them to do or have whatever they wanted.
At the risk of sounding like a grumpy old woman -
The adults in a family used to be in charge, whereas now it often seems to be the children who rule the roost,and the parents are afraid to say no.

The gutter press don't help, using emotive language to invent scandal from nothing and encouraging a blame culture.
Overused emotive phrases such as "snubbed", and "broke cover" , for instance, imply things which probably didn't happen.
Someone didn't "break cover" which implies they had been hiding until then - they just went somewhere.
Someone wasn't "snubbed" - they just weren't invited to an event they probably hadn't expected to go to in any case., with no offence intended or taken.

namelessone I think that the people now being mentioned are probably not the people I was thinking of in my OP, there's so many to choose from right now!

Point taken though.

it is the case in many of the current situations that one party says one thing and the object of the rumour or whatever says another.


On a broader note maybe, I asked a relative about something that I remembered from my childhood, a very trivial event really, and they didn't remember it at all. That set me thinking that with the age gap between us what seemed relevant or memorable to me was not the same to them and vice versa.

Oh how I love the use of ‘snubbed’ constantly used by one on line version of a certain newspaper. Non of the subjects in the articles had been snubbed, some of them just couldn’t go to an event as they were elsewhere.