The news this morning that Susan Boyle had been taken to a clinic under police escort (sectioned?) suffering from exhaustion has raised in me the suspicion that the price for finding talent is unacceptably high. Once the judges have gone through the cavalcade of wannabes, eccentrics, professionals with cloaking devices, and hopeless cases all with a sob story on cue, what Britains Got Talent promises (and has delivered to date) is The Surprise. Someone who has both the technique to perform well. And the gift to connect instantly with an audience. I can't help feeling that this ability to connect comes from a deep vulnerability - a hidden pain which makes a potent cocktail. Which is inherently unstable. The deep drive of a human being to connect and express herself. Not to be famous or to secure a ticket to undreamed of riches. What was never for sale is swallowed by the audience aided and abetted by the media and ruthlessly harvested. And suddenly the hapless performer needs her audience. And her audience need to hear her sing. The media need a star who will also give great victim. This needs to be named for what it is. Exploitation.
I have no idea if there are any provisions made by the show's producers to vet for people suffering from trauma or emotional instability. I suspect not - the show wouldn't be half so much fun if they did. Next year they will do it all over again - looking for the next fragile talent who can deliver That moment. I stopped watcing Big Brother several series ago because the excuse that it was all a fascinating social experiment was wearing thin. There's nothing experimental about changing each and every boundary condition to see how the lab rats react - there's nothing to measure, there's nothing to learn. Perhaps we need to switch off Britains Got Talent now to give the Susan Boyles of this world the chance to connect with other human beings without a TV camera getting in the way.
I have long regarded celebrities as variants on brands. But we do have to treat them differently. Brands can take a kicking. People can't and shouldn't.
