Statement of fact; I'm a nobody. A Technician, a functionary who fixes things and performs various useful tasks; yet I have a bit of a beef with the cult of 'celebrity'. Most of the time I keep this to myself, but after an exchange of amusing e-mails with elder sibling, I feel I would like to put my thoughts in the public domain; for what it's worth.There is a BBC quiz show called 'Mastermind', where those who are inclined to try their luck answer specialised and general knowledge questions in a contest to find those with good memory / recall and extensive reading. Recently it appears that a 'celebrity' edition was screened, and here are a set of sample answers from one contestant;
1. What was the surname of the physicists who did pioneering work on radium in the early 20th Century? Their first names were Pierre and Marie.
Answer given: Antoinette (Correct answer = 'Curie')
2. What is the name of the 14th Century fortress originally built to guard one of the gates of Paris?
Answer given: Versailles (Correct answer = 'The Bastille')
3. Which king succeeded Henry VIII?
Answer given: Henry VII. (Correct answer = 'Edward VI')
4. Which blue cheese is traditionally served with port?
Answer given: Red Leicester. (Correct answer = 'Stilton')
The candidate was David Lammy, UK Minister for Higher Education.
No wonder the UK is in such a state. The people supposedly in charge are only good at getting elected. When it comes to the delicate and complex details of the real world, they're thicker than plank sandwiches. Honours such as Knighthoods are given out like sweeties to failed politicians, actors, pop singers etc. They are feted at number Ten Downing Street as politicians cosy up to them in the vain hope that some of the gloss will rub off on the politicians' tawdry bedandruffed shoulders.
Fortunately we don't seem to be as obsessed with celebrity over here in BC. Ice Hockey yes, 'celebrity' - not so much.
Slightly off topic, but still funny all the same. All the way from the 1980's
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