Jade Goody Dying In Front Of Us
A few times over the course of this blog I have written about Jade Goody. She was on the UK version of Big Brother a few years ago and became a huge star. Last year when she was invited back on the program she said some very racist remarks about and Indian contestant on the show which caused India and the UK to turn against her. In an attempt to mend fences she went on the India version of Big Brother where she learned on television that she had cancer. Now, she has only a few months to live and it is all being watched by every person in the UK.
Even the Prime Minister of the UK has been glued to events surrounding her life and said in a press conference Wednesday, “The whole country will be worried and anxious about her health.” Jade Goody is getting married this weekend. She is being paid $1M by OK! Magazine for the rights to the photos and has a huge reality show deal as well.
While some are saying that she should die with dignity at home, others say she should make as much as she can now for the sake of her children who will soon be without their mom.
I think that she should do what she wants and that if she can secure the future of her children by doing this, than I wish her the very best.
The New York Times has a great piece they ran today on the dram and I really encourage you to read it.
21 comments:
Wonderful article in the Times. I agree she should do what she wants. It's not like she's being taken advantage of, it's a choice she's made. I think it takes a lot of courage to allow the whole world to see you at your worst emotionally and physically, regardless of the motivation behind it. Also, I'm for anything that helps keep the focus on rampant diseases such as cancer...
Damn right...make hay whil ethe sun shines, Jane! I'm glad she's trying to secure her children's financial future.
It is sad, and I can certainly see why she would want to make as much money off of it as she can, for her kids. I just couldn't watch it though. I would be too bothered by it. But, I wish her peace.
I wonder if the proliferation of reality TV is started to create a generation of warped individuals who are only able to find a sense of self and self-worth when in front of a camera? I just read an article about "sexting" ... apparently child pornography is on the rise because underage teenagers are more and more frequently send lewd pictures of themselves to friends/classmates/romantic partners. It all seems symptomatic of an increasingly exhibitionist culture, where we are willing to demean and humiliate ourselves, happy to expose every little flaw for public attention. It's 15 minutes of super-heightened ultra fame and it's kind of perverse.
There's no difference between her and Patrick Swayze doing his show "The Beast" while dying.
It's not wrong if they want to live their final moments in front of a camera.
Now, choosing to watch them...that's the real moral issue.
I just hope that commenter who posted back a few months ago that he didn't want his daughter to get vaccinated with Gardisil is reading this. Would you rather have your daughter be "pure" or alive?
Everyone will get over the novel idea of sharing everything online, eventually - or we'll get used to it.
I think she should make as much money as she can as long as someone wants to pay her. The tabs are sure as hell going to make a ton of money off of her story after she's dead. She's already opened up her life to the public. She can't really undo it now.
Mooshki: I will wait for the first Gardisil generation to start having babies, going thru menopause before I jump on the vaccine bandwagon. And it still doesn't protect against all types of HPV anyway. In the meantime, regular paps can detect cervical cancer before it goes too far. And teach your kids about safe sex folks, get over your own guilt & buy them condoms.
I think she's made the right choice. She's making money for her children, and publicising the dangers of women ignoring symptoms/not having cervical smear tests, both of which are her stated aims. My much-loved cousin died of the same disease a few months ago, so go Jade, say I.
And she's not going to die on screen - that's not even being considered. (Thank God). She will marry on screen, if she's up to it, and there may be a couple more interviews.
As for the age of reality tv and what it's created - it does seem to be a pernicious influence on some children, yes. But I wouldn't say Jade, in particular, was 'warped'. On BB, she was just a lost kid with no self-esteem or education, acting out for attention. And for the first time in her life, people were interested in her. Small wonder she won't leave the limelight in her extremity.
I have a close friend who has stage 4 colorectal cancer right now and he would do the same thing in a heartbeat if he knew his wife and daughter would be taken care of. I see nothing wrong with it.
I think this whole thing is very unfortunate, and I agree that Jade should make as much as she can while she can.....HOWEVER
...does this not set a dangerous precident? I mean, the whole country is watching what's going on (and giving their support)--how long before they send out the casting call for terminally ill patients? How long do you think it will be before the dying are exploited for the sake of ratings? I can see nothing but bad things coming from this.
Kimpim, if he'd said he was concerned about the side effects I wouldn't have gotten so furious, it was that he said his daughter didn't need it because she was a 'good girl' who wasn't going to have premarital sex.
Oh, and btw....Stage IV cervical cancer is extremely rare in someone so young (I work in cancer research, I know whereof I speak). She may have a genetic predisposition, or any number of other reasons why the cancer has been so aggressive. Chances are she would have developed the disease regardless of whether she had been vaccinated or not, sad to say.
Here's one Brit who will not watch. It's everywhere though, the news headlines, unavoidable.
Hated the bitch on sight, and was pleased when the racist incident knocked her out of the spotlight. I wouldn't wish this on her though, and agree with her deciding to get as much cash as possible out of it. Those poor kids are going to be brought up by lowlifes, so I hope there's a good lawyer taking care of the money after she's gone.
You do what you gotta do. I wouldn't watch this though but God bless her.
i lived in London when she was on the original BB and watched every episode and the freakin live feed, so this is sad as shit.
i say go for it Jade. If she wasn't famous she'd die penniless without any support for her kids.
It's sad, but people will always be fascinated by tragedy and death. She says she is doing it to make as much money as she can for her kids, and that is her choice. Let her.
Ms. Wonderland, you took the words outta my mouth.
Anyone know if this was HPV or genetic? Jade's open about this so I don't feel like I'm intruding too much by asking.
She may not be the greatest person (and her dying doesn't make her a saint in my eyes - though she obviously doesn't deserve this), but she is a great mother. For her to be focusing all her energy on sercuring her children's future at a time like this is a wonderful thing to do. She's putting them before her pride - i don't see how anyone could knock that. It's not like she's trying to live the high life during her last few months.
No doubt she will also save lives by bringing what is a sneaky form of cancer (how many women put off pap scans for years?) to the publics attention in such a manner. At the very least, her children can be proud of her for that and also grow up with evidence of Jade's love for them.
Hope she leaves the children's $$ in a trust fun & not in the control of her new felon/husband.
I write poetry. I only recently heard about Jade Goody. Up to three weeks ago I had no idea of her or where she came from.
I have penned two poems which are really a dig at the whole media circus surrounding this person who seems to have reached the heights of fame for actually doing nothing.
Anyhow here they are:
Farewell To Jade Goody
I had no idea who you were,
But you were obviously someone famous.
You seemed to be everywhere, near and far,
It could be said that you were shameless.
The headscarf wrapped around your hairless dome
Gave a clue that you are sick
I wonder if this will begin a craze at home
For the chemotherapy chic
The Guardian informs me your everso brave
Full of that British Bulldog spirit
I’m not sure that you’ll carry that trait to your grave
But you certainly have the face to go with it.
You certainly have outlasted fifteen minutes of fame
The world will remember Jade Goody
If only because of your appropriate first name
And the fact that you married a hoodie.
Farewell To Jade Goody, Again (A Faustian Melodrama)
“When are you going to die?”
I hear the editor of OK magazine cry.
For that is the intent:
when one is waiting for a return on their investment.
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