Compassion fatigue
Almost a year ago, when Madeleine McCann went missing, I was genuinely saddened by her disappearance.
But now I'm not.
That sounds heartless doesn't it? I don't mean it to, because nothing should detract from the fact that a child went missing, and had it been my child, or someone I knew, I would still be heartbroken 12 months later.
When I studied the sociology of news at university (I know, I could have been finding a cure for cancer, but unfortunately my brain was geared to more Mickey Mouse matters), a phrase that was bandied about was "compassion fatigue".
Briefly, this is what happens when the national media cover an event to such an extent as to saturate the news with it, until the point where the average person is so bored by the coverage of it that they become apathetic.
I think it came to a head for me when I was working in Essex, and several bored housewives decided they would mark the 100th day since Madeleine went missing with the release of 100 balloons on a school playing field.
I think my first question was, well, why?
And the chief bored housewife organiser did not have an answer.
Okay she did. Her answer was: "To raise awareness."
This was at a point where, even three months after her disappearance, she was still in the press. Awareness? In Braintree? Why?
It was sad then, and it still is now, but I can't bring myself to feel any grief for one particular missing child.
I guess I'm partly to blame for covering these unnecessary awareness-raising events, when it's got to a point now where a family's grief should remain private.
I think the time has come now when the whole issue should be (excuse the turn of phrase) put to bed.
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Weather for Hastings
Sunday 05 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 1 C to 5 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North
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