Why does history keep repeating itself?
It seems that we have not learnt from our mistakes…
We are still acting like our actions do not have consequences. The words that we tweet can have an ever-lasting impact on someone. One comment that may seem trivial to the person writing it, can be devastating to the person receiving it. So my question is, why are we still bullying and harassing people online?
The 15th of February marked one year since the tragic death of Caroline Flack. On the 17th of March, Channel 4 broadcasted a heartfelt documentary commemorating her life titled Caroline Flack: her life and death. The documentary included interviews from her loved ones, including her mum and her sister. The home videos and pictures of her life brought Caroline back to our screens for brief moments.
Caroline Flack rose to fame in the early 2000s, with her acting role in Bo’ Selecta! She then moved onto presenting children’s television and later started presenting popular reality TV shows such as The X Factor, I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! and Love Island. However, with her rise to fame came the ever increasing pressure to fit into a near impossible public image.
As soon as I pushed that play button to start the documentary, I was taken on a journey of Caroline’s struggles. From dealing with heartbreak, which led to overdoses, and the unbearable pressures that fame brought. I was faced with the story of someone who couldn’t withstand the demands of her fame and the continuous negative feedback the industry drilled into her. It was evident that she was obsessed with the comments that others made about her; she couldn’t stop constantly checking her phone to see what people had to say about her.
This documentary brought to the forefront the problems of the UK press and social media. As something that is usually blamed upon the individual through victim blaming, the media is now coming under pressure to own the mistakes that the industry has made and begin to make changes for the better.
They just weren’t cut out for fame or they should just ignore the comments, everyone else does.
This has sadly become the all too familiar excuse.
This is one of the more pressing issues in our society today — blaming the victim is the easy but completely wrong approach. When others do not have to own up to the mistakes that they have made, then the problem continues. How many more Caroline Flacks are out there, unable to deal with the mounting pressures the media puts onto them? Every individual who leaves a false or hurtful comment is part of the problem. The anonymity that our screens provide us with, allow us to think that our words do not have consequences — this couldn’t be further from the truth.
The documentary exposed the issues of mental health and suicide which is a step towards eradicating the stigma that so many people still hold. We have failed those who have tried to reach out and have often brushed off their problems like it isn’t an issue that plagues our current society, but a personal one that should be kept hidden from the public eye. We are now opening up a dialogue that for so long the media has tried to discourage. Along with the recent Meghan Markle interview with Oprah, the press is now coming under scrutiny for their treatment of women in the media. The constant rhetoric of blaming sufferers by saying they are lying or being dramatic needs to stop.
