Strange priorities

I am not one of those crazed media folk – and I’m talking about you, Piers Morgan – who are obsessed with loathing Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle. By the same token, I am not particularly interested in their lives as professional celebrities because that’s what they are. Today, much of the media has but the one story on its collective mind: a Netflix series called Harry and Meghan. Nothing else matters. If the media obsession is shared by The Great British Public, I’m afraid there is no hope for us.  The viewing figures will soon tell us one way or the other.

It is not as if I am blind to Harry’s story. I won’t patronise you by repeating it here – there are far better resources than this blog – but suffice to say his has been a life of privilege and luxury, punctuated by tragedy when his mother was killed and later exemplary service to his country in the army. I quite liked the bloke in a very distant way and I quite liked Ms Markle and hold no view as to their public persona. Looking at today’s front pages, I fear Britain has lost its collective marbles, not just because of the story that dominates most of them, but the one that doesn’t: the death of Squadron Leader George “Johnny” Johnson.

Johnny who, you might ask? Johnny Johnson, the last survivor of the World War Two Dambusters, that’s who. Johnson, who has died aged 101, was a ‘bomb-aimer’ in 617 Squadron which destroyed key German dams. You can read his story here. I read that Mr Johnson was awarded an MBE in 2017 following a campaign led by TV personality Carol Vorderman. Well done Carol, but why did he have to wait until late in his life and why only an MBE? He was one of our greatest heroes and that was apparently all we could do. Sometimes, I despair.

I suppose it is rather silly to talk about a Netflix documentary and a war hero and make some kind of weird comparison but then I wonder what we have become. It wasn’t long ago when we were remembering those who served our country yet today our minds are consumed by a royal soap opera. And it is our fault because if we watch this Netflix show and buy the newspapers that prioritise this trivia we merely show that actually Harry and Meghan are our priority, too.

Let’s not hate Harry and Meghan for cashing in on their celebrity because in truth it’s all they have. Harry’s main talent is that he was a member of the royal family and Ms Markle’s is that she was an actor who met and married him. If they didn’t do what they are doing, they’d have to go out to work for a living. So, I’m quite happy for them to do what it is they want to do. And let’s be honest: if the media felt there was as much interest in the death of a war hero as there is in the stars of a real life soap opera, they’d probably lead on it instead. We get the media we deserve.

I shall certainly raise a class to Mr Johnson later today. We will never see his like again and it’s because of him and his comrades in arms that we are able to be angry about how his incredible life is somewhat lower down our list of societal priorities.