For those blissfully unaware of this monstrous woman, Katie Hopkins is a so-called journalist for The Sun newspaper in the UK - which pretty much says it all anyway. She also goes on TV to criticize fat people, lower class people, people who don't call their kids names she approves of, and anyone else who isn't a mirror image of herself. Her latest salvo was aimed at Kelly Clarkson when she began Tweeting about Clarkson's weight. I won't repeat the Tweets here, let's just say they were pathetic and intended to hurt. Oh and by the way, she says there's "no such thing as fat-shaming, only skinny-blaming". Yes, she's lovely. (For her part, Clarkson had no idea who Hopkins was - ha ha ha - and wasn't bothered by the remarks, saying she wasn't seeking "acceptance" from her. I am crushing on Kelly.)
Anyway, back to my question about why people give her so much air time. Rhetorical question really as we know it's all about the ratings, but these shows are also promoting hate by having the vile woman on in the first place. She's correct when she says she has a right to free speech (although there are some limitations in the UK), and so far has managed not to get herself booted off Twitter, where she spouts most of her nonsense.
The TV shows that allow her to give vent to her ridiculous views though, are just as guilty as Hopkins for spreading hate and intolerance. It's one thing to have a right to say hurtful things, but quite another for producers to encourage it through live TV appearances. That would be like me inviting her to guest blog about her insanity rather than criticizing her. (Not that she would accept, 'cause I'm from the north of England and didn't called my daughter India.)
There's enough intolerance in the world at the moment. We don't need to promote it through ratings-hungry media so I'm pointing the finger at ITV's "This Morning", one of her biggest megaphones. Also Huffington Post who give her a voice, and Access Hollywood in the USA, who recently pretty much did a segment special on her. Y'all may be trying to demonstrate the hate within her, but narcissists like Katie Hopkins really don't care. They're in front of a camera, people are giving them direct access to an audience. You cannot shame them.
So please - do the world a favor and leave her to wither on the vine.
I don't know her either and won't be looking for her. Ann Coulter is another hate-monger that shouldn't be given airtime. It always distresses me when women behave badly, as surely we have ingrained empathy?
ReplyDeleteShe is very like Ann Coulter, although not as political, thank god. Both of them are a sad reflection of humanity.
DeleteToni
"Katie Hopkins is a so-called journalist for The Sun newspaper in the UK"
ReplyDeleteThis explains a lot. I had heard of her only recently, and was somewhat curious about how she came to prominence. (No, I didn't consider her worthy of a Google search). Anyone who is employed by Rupert Murdoch is, by definition, a troll. There is no such thing as bad publicity for them, so the more outrage they can stir, the longer they can extend their fifteen minutes of fame.