Grief porn
Grief porn is a pejorative expression often used to describe a hyper-attention, intrusive voyeurism and "gratuitous indulgence of tangential association with tragedy".[1] It is distinct from Schadenfreude which refers to a joy at the misfortune of others.[citation needed]
Origin and definition
Robert Yates, assistant editor for the The Observer, used the term in a news conference on April 7, 2005, describing it as "Gratification derived from a tenuous connection to the misfortunes of others; the gratuitous indulgence of tangential association with tragedy; getting off on really bad news". Yates was remarking on the phenomenon he first noticed following the death of Princess Diana and the media frenzy that occurred afterwards. He reportably observed an increase in activity during times of national mourning and international disaster, and commented dryly that it primarily affects people working in media.[1] Though The Observer reported it was a novel term coined by Yates, many instances of the term predate the news conference.[2][3][4][5]
Carol Sarler[6], writing for The Times (London), noted that "this new and peculiar pornography of grief" is sometimes called a 'tribute', "the cruder truth is that ersatz grief is now the new pornography; like the worst of hard-core, it is stimulus by proxy, voyeuristically piggy-backing upon that which might otherwise be deemed personal and private, for no better reason than frisson and the quickening of an otherwise jaded pulse.[7]
References
- ^ a b "Boo hoo, said the crocodile". ObserverBlog. The Guardian. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
- ^ http://www.hippopress.com/film/moonlightmile.html
- ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=n0h2O_VVNDsC&pg=PA91&dq=grief-porn
- ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=IhTkZ6K8c3sC&pg=PA133&dq=grief-porn
- ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=BPGA3dWRjmcC&pg=PA180&dq=grief-porn
- ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/carolsarler
- ^ Carol Sarler (7 September, 2007). "This new and peculiar pornography of grief". Comment. TimesOnline. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)