Once again I marvel at the world of mainly "ugly" people who seem to venerate and suck up to the "beautiful" people. I am not sure this is just everyday sexism (though sexism is certainly a massive part of it), it's got to the point where if someone who doesn't look like the conventional idea of beauty does something (even if it's a thing that has nothing to do with attractiveness) then they are laughable. I don't think this was the case forty years ago, when TV was full of people who couldn't become professional models and no one seemed to mock them for it.
But mainly I am just astonished that the majority of "uglies" (in the world if not on TV) perpetuate this new idea that if someone is doing a job that gets televised and they don't look like one of the "beautifuls", then they deserve derision. I am going to call the two teams the Morlocks and the Eloi for convenience terms, but maybe HG Wells' vision has already come true. The Morlock trolls lurking in the darkness, whilst the pretty Eloi play in the sunshine.
Why are the Morlocks so cross when one of their number does well at something? Shouldn't we (and I am a Morlock in this scenario - no, no I insist, stop saying I am an Eloi, oh you weren't) be delighted when another Morlock breaks the Eloi hegemony and gets on telly and is good at something. Bartoli should be being held up as a poster girl for the Morlocky masses. She's a world beating sportswoman who, like most of you (though to a lesser extent) is a little bit chunky. How fantastic is that for us Morlocks? It gives us hope. She should be an inspiration. She's also a little weird and exhibits slight OCD tendancies (she makes it appear that whenever she is playing a game of tennis she is playing another game in the other direction against an invisible opponent). Thank fuck for that. We're all a little bit weird and do odd things. The brainless Eloi might make us think that our quirks and ticks are embarrassing and we should hide them away. But why can't we be who we are? If one of us can be who she is and win fucking Wimbledon then that shows we can break the Eloi hegemony and have a brave new world where scientists or academics or sportspeople don't have to be "pretty" as well as good at what they do. Only being good at what they do matters. Maybe one day they will even allow a Morlock to be a TV presenter or a model. You may call me a dreamer.
And yes, this is much more of a problem for women than men and there are quite a few Morlocky male academics and broadcasters on TV. But we're all getting caught up in this world where being "attractive" is more important than anything else, where we can't see that we're doing ourselves down by supporting such a view. I don't know if everything had to double up as wank fodder these days - it should be the other way around. When I was younger there was so little available porn that regular TV programmes had to double as jism-spiration. But now there are many outlets elsewhere, so we can free TV from the need for Eloi. We all like looking at attractive people (even if we don't all agree on what makes them attractive) but that doesn't mean we have to shun everyone else.
Why are we sucking up to the Eloi? Do we think they are going to be our friends or sleep with us if we support them? Because they're not. Champion the Morlocks and celebrate their victories, because you are one of them. Why are you all trying to shut down your own opportunities and why don't you have a look in a fucking mirror before you start having a pop?
I've been into the Eloi palace a few times and it's pretty and fun and they have plates of unusual fruit. But I'd much rather hang out underground with the Morlocks, occasionally sounding a siren which brings the Eloi to us to be consumed for our food.... this is where the metaphor starts to break down a bit.
Still it was fun whilst it almost held together. Put ugly people on the telly. I just want to be on the telly. Why won't they let me on the telly?
