some college work. read it. all.....

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/07/charlie-brooker-50-cent-gaddafi

  This article written by Charlie Brooker, appealed to me on many levels. The way in which he satirises the ‘holier than thou’ attitude of some of artists who returned their payments from the Gaddafi family for performing, is both intelligent and humorous.

   His style of writing, in which he mixes both well-written, clever english with the colloquial terms of modern day speech, makes the article very easy to read. At the same time it allows you to laugh, while also bringing up a few serious side notes. It could easily be perceived as a rant at the bubble that celebrities live in at the same time. Celebrities that knowingly took money from a regime of a corrupt and ruthless man and his family are now seemingly being shamed into giving it back. Of course not everybody is giving it back, and this is one of his main gripes.

   The way in which the description of the rapper 50 Cent is written is obviously tongue-in-cheek. The very idea of Charlie Brooker or anybody who writes for the Guardian having even a passing knowledge of the world of R’n’B would be perceived as a massive clash of cultures; however Brooker has more than a passing knowledge. The general public’s view of the Guardian, its writers and readers is that of a sort of upper-class mentality. The posh, well-read folk are the ones who are deemed to read it. In this regard, Brooker’s use of slang words, curse words, vague threats, and defamation of character is slightly out of character for the newspaper. This is precisely why I enjoyed reading this article so much.

   There is sometimes a perception that newspapers, books or articles that are very ‘wordy’, or propose lofty ideas are the ones that anyone with intelligence should read. This article is an example, for me of how you can focus in on a serious subject matter without it going over people’s heads. Obviously, I’m not saying the tabloids’ coverage of something like an election is what everybody should read in order to get facts, but there are ways of getting information and an opinion out there by means of coercion and charm, rather than bogging readers down with facts. In my opinion, if you read an article and aren’t walking away from it without giving it another thought, he writer hasn’t done their job properly.