Comment

The Beard Rants: Piers Morgan

Gareth Holmes 

Piers Morgan, a man who oversaw the continued phone hacking of numerous people, is not some champion of the people or the voice of the voiceless. 

If he were able to hold an actual debate, he would not have stormed off like a stroppy child on GMB, ironically very ‘snowflake’ of him, when he was calmly challenged on his controversial attitudes towards Meghan Markle and her admission of mental health issues.

Yet he is simply a symptom of a wider issue, the right and white male that festers within the media establishment, acting like every Boris-supporting-Uncle at the family BBQ who thinks mental health is just laziness and the Royal family is a national treasure.

This could not be made clearer than when Jeremy Clarkson, the other defender of middle-age comedy racism, wrote in defence of Piers Morgan, describing Meghan as a ‘silly little cable TV actress’.

This systemic racism has been present amongst the pale and male media for a long time now

It will be no surprise to anyone that Morgan has been offered another job with ITV and is most likely going to Rupert Murdoch’s new Britain-only news channel where he can orally abuse anyone who disagrees with him.

This systemic racism has been present amongst the pale and male media for a long time now, and the behaviour towards Meghan is just more proof that it needs to change.

Last year, Eamon Holmes, that pillar of Anti LGBT, ableist, victim-blaming middle-aged male media, said “I’ve never met her – but I look at her and I think ‘I don’t think I’d like you in real life”. 

Just re-read that statement. He judged Meghan based purely on how she looks and just decided he would not like her. He then goes on to describe her as a ‘controller’, ‘broken’, and ‘manipulative’, despite never having met her. Well, cheers Eamon, thank the heavens you are here to spout your old, white man opinion, you stale pork pie.

In the week between International Women’s day and Mother’s Day, the world was treated to men mocking and ignoring the pleas of a woman who admitted her suicidal thoughts.

First, they mocked her on television and then, when the horrid news of the murder of Sarah Everard at the hands of a MET police officer emerged, one of the most popular hash tags was ‘Not All Men’!

Yet, where were your champions of truth then? Where were Piers Morgan and Jeremy Clarkson? I would imagine that even this was not a narrative they could twist to their ends, so best to stay silent and let that hashtag do the work for them instead.

The white, right, male media is old, racist and needs to quietly find a corner to hum the national anthem in

It is a sad inevitability that they will remerge with some racist, misogynist piece about ‘Vegans stealing masculinity’, or something of that vein, in the next few weeks.

The white, right, male media is old, racist and needs to quietly find a corner to hum the national anthem in. All whilst an underpaid nurse comes to make sure it is fed and medicated.

Gareth Holmes 

The views expressed above are solely those of the writer and do not reflect the wider views of Impact Magazine


Featured image courtesy of Gareth Holmes. Permission was granted to use this image. No changes were made to this image. 

For more content including uni news, reviews, entertainment, lifestyle, features and so much more, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and like our Facebook page for more articles and information on how to get involved. 

If you just can’t get enough of Features, like our Facebook as a reader or a contributor.

Categories
CommentFeatures
One Comment
  • Justin Kelso
    27 April 2021 at 12:17
    Leave a Reply

    Well said.
    The patriarchy hasn’t worked, for anyone but these old, white men.
    Time for change.

  • Leave a Reply