Joan Smith: Jade's history may have cost her life itself
The tragedy of Ms Goody reflects ill on us all
I've hardly ever seen Jade Goody on television. But I've been aware of her since she first appeared on Big Brother – and I've always felt uncomfortable about her. She has made a career as a "reality" TV star, earning more money than is usually available to someone from her working-class background, but at the price of confirming a huge number of prejudices. Her fame has been founded on negatives, from her lack of education to her dysfunctional relationships. Now she has been told her cervical cancer may be incurable, and an agonising set of circumstances is once again being lived out in the glare of publicity.
At one level, Ms Goody's reaction to the devastating news is understandable; she needs to go on working to secure the future of her two children, and living her life in public is the only job she has. Until her illness, she made good copy but got a bad press, becoming a single mother and graduating to Celebrity Big Brother, where she became embroiled in a row about alleged racism. The recent change in attitudes towards her says a great deal about class in this country.
For years, Ms Goody was treated as a semi-house-trained pet, willing to perform without fully comprehending the malicious pleasure she evoked. It wasn't just Big Brother fans who laughed at her ignorance of basic geography; gleeful commentators claimed her as a symbol of the worst aspects of working-class culture, as though people from her background are congenitally stupid. In fact, far from being stupid, Ms Goody made the most of an unexpected opportunity. She grew up in south London, with parents dependent on drugs, her father in and out of prison. It's hardly surprising that she did badly at school. She went on to have two children with someone from the only world she has ever known as an adult – another "reality" TV star. But she was never going to marry a Wykehamist and open a health food shop, was she?
Now we know that Prince Charles calls a black friend "Sooty" and the Queen thinks it's OK to sell golliwogs, the furore over Ms Goody's behaviour towards the Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty looks like double standards. While every possible excuse is trotted out for the racism of the upper classes, working-class people are torn to shreds.
I always thought Ms Goody's boorish attitude to Ms Shetty was more about class than race, a feeling which was confirmed when it emerged that Ms Goody herself is mixed race. She duly apologised and agreed to appear on the Indian version of Big Brother, which is where she received her original diagnosis of cervical cancer. The worst that can be said of Ms Goody is that she enjoys fame as much as Princess Diana, whose connection with the public was equally morbid.
In the princess's case, star quality and an aristocratic background transformed her hunger for attention into an improbable series of positives: empathy, informality, compassion. Ms Goody has had no such luck and she also failed to get treatment after an abnormal cervical smear, like too many working-class women.
The lack of education that made her a laughing stock seven years ago has shortened her life, and you would have to be very callous indeed not to see that as a tragedy.
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Comments
She is a human being and humans get sick, very sick, all the time. Nothing unusual there at all.Sickness respects neither age nor class, wealth nor parenthood.
Yes unlike Miss Minogue who knew how to play it with infinite expertise, Jade will not get and OBE etc etc for her "bravery", but banging on and on about someone being ill just because they are public ( courtesy of media) "property" that you all make money off ,is cynical and disingenuous.If that makes me callous, fine it is a tag I wear happily.
Oh yeah and for the record, I thought 'Shilpa Poppadom' was funny, Shilpa took no offence from it either.
Some commentators (incidentally more often than not in the more `liberal'-leaning papers, I've noted) have been very unfair in writing Jade off as thick without care for context (or self-examination).
It is shameful that some commentators barely seem to comprehend just how narrow the horizons/how limited the options are that some young people grow up with (and the effects of this on their selves and social confidence).
Jade grew up with a very restricted horizon - in a rough, poorly connected domestic world with poor schooling - so when she first came to public attention she was barely `started' let alone `finished' in terms of managing at a high level in this society. The fact that she was ignorant of the cast-iron rules that many apply rigidly to keep themselves in a moated `we're socially where it's at' world was of course amusing. But commentators who expressed horror and loathing at her lack of sophistication and have used terminology like `thick' to swiftly sum her up might have done better to ask just how she came to be as she was in Big Brother 3 and to examine quite how the more sophisticated `closed' sections of society work. And what being a slave to that kind of authoritarian social caste mentality (with its entrance criteria and ostracism mechanisms) does to the intellect and soul.
I don't think Jade's thick at all. She doesn't pretend. Honest and human. I admire her for that. Many could peel away some of their layers and learn from her. I don't know how anyone would not see her situation as a tragedy or admire her fighting spirit. Or be so condescending as to not let her be the judge of how best to handle it.
Oh yeah and for the record, I thought 'Shilpa Poppadom' was funny, Shilpa took no offence from it either.
It's worth noting that the racial ambiguity of Jade's family represents a kind of Britishness that is increasingly common but appears to be largely invisible to the media, education system and race relations establishment.
Fancy growing up, people? I think we should all at least attempt to be civil, perhaps even friendly to those who are suffering, because the majority of us cannot even begin to imagine the amount of pain they are in. I do of course mean emotionally as well as physically. We've all seen loved ones die - and if you haven't, then you are extremely lucky, it is not a pleasant experience at all - and we all feel anger at those in the media who receive more attention for the same problem. We should get over this. We really should.
Especially you. (The author of this charming text. ;) )
Meanwhile, thousands of people die each day of malnutrition, disease and as a result of violence and war.
And the planet is being slowly killed off by a population that has doubled in my lifetime and shows no sign of knowing when to stop reproducing.
This story is less a tragedy, more like a farce. It says a lot more about the disproportionate importance attached to one person than any real grasp of real problems. And they call it 'reality' TV!
this article is jsut terrible, and to be honest just seems quite pointles to myself.
I have never been the biggest fan of Jade, but i do have some sympathy for her, though i think what i hold may be directed more towards her children.
I only have a few concerns over this situation: the publicity again, near to death she is still feeding off being in the public eye when she really is a no body. People die every day from this awful awful disease and aren't publicised. Though on the other hand, i do hope that this extra publicity will draw more attention towards the monster that is cancer. My family have been faced with a tragedy from cancer, and my cousin went in a similar way, everything slowly began to shut down, after she was put on drugs that were only being tested as a last resort.
The only things which i don't quite like in this situation are the fact that Jade is suspected of having these abnormal cells for 3 years. We should all know to get checked out, but she failed to recognize the importance in that.
I also do recognize however that Jade is very wealthy, and so i know shes probably paying for treatment for drugs that arent available to the public through the NHS.
You Cunt.
To say that her latest obstacle (the severe threat of losing her life) is not a tragedy is breath-takingly cold-bloodied and judgmental. Of course all loss of life is a tragedy - and we cannot judge if that person be deserving of their fate, we can only empathise with the fact that the human condition demands that at some point we all must face the same instance.
For me the reality is that some members of society seems to be less concerned about a young woman facing the very real prospect of having to leave her children behind, than they are about debating whether she has merited our sympathy or not. Now that is a very real tragedy - not just for Jade and her family but for all of us.
I feel the Shilpa Shepy incident was blown out of all proportion and that Jade was made a scapegoat to put across a political opinion and cause a media stir. It was not about race, but because she perceived SS to be a stuck up snob, which she probably was, and would have responded this way despite colour or race. So what if she has taken the opportunity to try and make some money for a decent life for her and her children. Would everyone have prefered if she had followed the same path as her parents and taken drugs? or should they admire her because she had the strength and vision to take an opportunity when it came along? I wish her all the best and hope that she can secure an education for her children, and she is doing a good job bringing to light the importance of cerivical smears. What annoys me more, are all these rich people who have inherited millions and who do **** all to help anyone and feed only their narcissistic desires and selfish 'me' focused set of puerile'wants'. BB BA (hons) Dip Psych
Jack loves her he was offered 35k last year to sell a story and didn`t.
The "jail-bird" as you call him was stupid to have responded to a gang of youths terrorising the Goody household (which at the time in Ongar was approx 18 ft from the kerb and nothing like the house she has now) He snapped at a lad who larger than Jack was part of a group who had been frightening her children and being generally vile.....
Lo and Behold the hoodie culture wins again, the lad was told "take a paractamol" from the hospital. hardly the beating you all seem to think he took. Jack shouldn`t have done it but at the end of the day u tube was waiting for Jack to lose it seems like as it couldn`t be filmed a visit to hospital would do the trick get a story sold and get Jack put away and a jury believed it.
When will people including the jury realise... don`t believe all you read.
Jack will not benifit from marrying Jade the children will inherit, plus IF Jack could inherit how do you think he will pay her mortgage because I cant imagine for one minute the lady who gets her car towed away, forgets parking fines which mount up in the thousands (JADES PA) leaves cheque books laying around etc etc has insured herself to pay mortgage do you ?
I think you have a cheek to have a go because you`ve read the Sun.....go away and read the BEANO
Forgiveness and compassion for this human being people!
Jade - your children will be well with all that you've done for them. PEACE!!
For those of you who wish to pass judgement and feel no sympathy just remember Jade is a human being who has feelings and so do her family and although you may not find her situation tragic it is tragic to her and those she loves and those who love her and remember that no matter what class religion or status you may be you will not be immune from tragedy of some form in you lives.
When in greenhouses dont throw stones TRAGEDY is a grrenhouse we all live in and if you so fortunate to live else where than all i can say is maybe instead of wasting your time with such negative attitudes maybe you should take that time and love those that are in your lives as I am a true believer in what goes around comes around and although you may belive you dont live in a greenhouse I am sure you will do one day.
LOVE BREEDS LOVE PASS IT ON
,. Formerly her story was a toxic myth about class in this country but now she has transcended that. May god be with her and help her through these dark days. She is desperately trying to do what is right for her children and we should commend her for that. There but for the grace of god go I , not in the glare of the media - but what does that matter in the cold cold light of etreinity. God bless you Jade.