I am trying not to be a hypocrite when I write this, but John Donne's words came to mind during the last couple of days, when the news - especially the popular news - has been dominated by the death of Jade Goody.
I didn't like her when she was alive but, apart from the fact that I wouldn't wish a lingering death from cervical cancer upon any woman, I feel that most of her afflictions were not her fault. She was of the media, used the media and finally died with the media.
Her original fame was from being catapulted into Big Brother - no doubt she was cynically chosen by Endemol precisely because of those parts of her character that made her later notorious and, to be honest, a laughing stock - and afterwards she was manipulated, probably willingly (she earned an estimated £8m), by the media (as well as by Max Clifford) and, had she lived, would have probably carried on in the same way.
I am afraid to say that her only benefit to cervical cancer was to make the very salient point that you don't ignore warning letters that are sent to you.
She didn't deserve her fate but Pygmalion she wasn't.
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