Jade Goody: Jaded Goody, or Jade Baddy..?

Interesting yet again to note the rapidly changing fortunes of Jade Goody who, as the title to this piece attempts to demonstrate, is somewhat of an oxymoron even down to her name. In fact, you could say she PUT the 'moron' into oxymoron, aided and abetted by the publicity-whore that is the modern media.


Today she, and her now husband Jack Tweed, are as popular as ever with both the 'showbiz elite' and the general public. How quickly tides turn, and how quickly a touch of tragedy can turn such tides of opinion.


As with Kate Moss and so many others we see how low are our expectations as well as our general standards and expectations of behaviour.


Remember that this is someone who at the start of her career was derided for her lack of intellectual abilities, who was later roundly condemned for her behaviour on Celebrity Big Brother, and whose then-fiance is still under a curfew order after a conviction for attacking a 16 year old boy. Nothing laudable here, yet this is now being swept under the carpet and in the same month that Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper, was told by the Government that he is unlikely ever to be released. This in a country where certain convictions can result in whispering campaigns, lives destroyed - look at men accused of rape even where this is later proven to be lies on the part of the accuser, or those wrongly accused of child abuse by social workers or othe so-called 'professionals'.


So, to those who would accuse me of callousness, or of being petty and mean, I say simply: no. I just refuse to be hypocritical, to suddenly change a constantly held opinion because of someone's personal tragedy, for such it is.


In fact, the more deeply cynical part of me (although, interestingly, a viewpoint echoed by others I have spoken to) finds the whole speed and timing of this latest set of developments to be such that, in terms of publicly 'rehabilitating' Goody, this could not have worked better. All that is missing now is a sudden turnaround in her health fortunes or a 'miracle' cure or recovery, and my tongue would burrow out the side of my cheek.


As I type this final few sections, and in the week that the lovely Wendy Richard herself dies of cance, Sky News is posting footage of Jade Goody and Jack Tweed in another offensively foul-mouthed row with their neighbours.


On top of this, her 'friends' are also planning a walk to raise yet more funds for her sons. On the fishiness scale, why DOES she need to keep grasping for yet more money? I recall numerous reports of her multi-million pound fortune, from her tv work, books, dvds and so forth - where did that all go?


While a personal tragedy for her two sons at least, I find it impossible to be hypocritical and change my constantly-held view of Jade Goody. This latest set of incidents does not elicit sympathy, especially when so many others, including the afore-mentioned Wendy Richard, bear such ills with infinitely greater grace and dignity.