I don't care about Tiger's pants

I really don't. I sort of care he's the greatest golfer of all time, but I don't care how many women he's slept with. Why do we have to hear about it, read about it and see it on the media all the time? Not only is it kind of cruel to his wife and family, it's also polluting my life with something that's none of my business.

Likewise that Aussie criketer's girlfriend and her nudie photos. I'd never heard of either of them and cared less until the news started wittering on, and her stupidity and his embarassment were forced into my awareness. (I think her name's Lara Bingle, I've forgotten his, but then I barely know any NZ criketers' names, let alone any Aussies.)


There's lots of other stuff. They think we're really interested in Michelle Obama, so we're actually told more about her than about Bronagh Key (see, how many knew that was our PM's wife's name? Not that I want to know that much about her either). They think we care that Sandra Bullock's husband is a letch - and so that poor woman's misery is everywhere. Maybe they think being rich and famous means Sandra isn't hurt by everyone knowing her business?

And there's the creepy stuff. I don't need to know about a man who kept a girl in his backyard for 18 years and had two children with her in America. I certainly don't need to know about how her and her kids are doing now. I don't need to know about like creepy stuff in Europe. I really don't even need to know about that stuff in New Zealand, unless it presents a threat to me and mine.

You see all this rubbish, the sleaze, the filth and the murk (as well as the nonsense about lost kitties and brave doggies) is stealing time and attention from stuff that really matters. Stuff I feel really fuzzy about - like is the economy recovering? how much is global warming really going to cost me? why is the government doing x y and z? what are the arguments for and against? how is the super city going to work? etc etc. These things are all far more important but ... not so sexy, sleazy, exciting ... what have you. They are BORING. And heaven forbid we should be bored.