Jesus fucking Christ, will you let her fucking rest?

Mourning Jade Goody

Letters From A Tory on Jade Goody's death:

Personally, I won’t miss Jade Goody in the slightest and I see no reason why I should. What happened to her over the past year has been awful and must have been extremely traumatic for her and her family, but that doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten the fact that she ultimately became famous for being incredibly ignorant and stupid and that I always switched channels or closed the newspaper I was reading if I ever came across a story about her because I found her incredibly annoying. Please do not fall into the sycophantic trap that no doubt many journalists will today and over the coming days. If you liked her, fine, if you didn’t like her, fine - just don’t pretend that your opinions of her formed over many, many years have suddenly changed just because she passed away.

I can't really disagree with any of the above, and I think that it is important to keep her death in perspective. Her death is a tragedy - just like any premature death is a tragedy. She was brave in the same way that every other cancer sufferer is brave - they fight for their lives against a terrible illness. And her celebrity status was simply a result of her willingness to leave behind any notions of dignity in her search for fame. She wasn't, as some people claim, talentless - but her talent was simply being able to seek and achieve fame through any means necessary. Even if that meant she was as famous for negative reasons as she was for positive reasons.

Jade Goody's death will be mourned, and quite rightly so. However her passing should be mourned by her family and friends, not by the whole nation. 

Jade Goody: Dying in Public

If you've been living under some sort of rock for the past few weeks, you may just have been able to miss this story. Otherwise, you'll know that reality TV star Jade Goody is dying.

Make no mistake about it - she has my deep sympathy. Cancer is a horrific disease, and for a young mother to be struck down by this disease is a real tragedy for all concerned. The grim truth of the situation is that Jade isn't going to make it, meaning that we are bearing witness to her final days.

Which is the problem I have with what is going on at the moment. We - the nation as a whole - is acting as witnesses to the death of this person. The media coverage means that we are effectively watching her die. 

Jade Goody lived in the media's spotlight - she took what little talent she had, seized on a medium that would allow her to project herself on the national stage, and then turned herself into an instantly recognisable celebrity. She was always a fiercely polemical public figure -  a real love her or hate her personality. But she seemed determined to live her whole life with the nation watching. And now she seems determined to die in exactly the same way - with the nation looking in on her. 

Now if I was in her position, I'd be determined to die with as much dignity as the cancer allowed. And that would mean avoiding the media glare at all costs. I certainly wouldn't be doing what Jade is doing, and projecting my final moments onto the national stage. I can't imagine anything much worse than dying with the whole country looking in on me. 

Which is really the point. I find what Jade has chosen to do with her final months cringe-making. But she has chosen to do it. It is her choice to die as she has lived - with a reality TV camera poking in on her. So be it. The fact that I'd go for another way to die is irrelevant. How you die should be just as much a question of personal choice as how you live. I hope Jade is able to take whatever comfort she can in her final few months.