This one mightily pissed me off:

Soul singer Solomon Burke, who wrote Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, dies at 70



What's the fucking point of (1) making such a pointless and disrespectful comment on an article about someone's death, and (2) revealing to the world not only that you are ignorant, but that you obviously can't be arsed to read the article that would have answered your question?

Funny how a mere 11 words are sufficient to convince you absolutely beyond any shadow of a doubt that you'd never like to meet "Milly from Dewsbury" under any circumstances.

Actually, make that 14 words.

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I'm a nasty, violent lefty. You cunt.

Generally, on articles with some z-lister angling for publicity with tits all over the place or whatever, then fair enough. But on a story about someones death it seems unnecessarily harsh. If you can't say anything nice when someones just fucking died, then keep schtum.

I'd never heard of him, but I don't feel the need to go shouting it from the rooftops.

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"Even when you're a super-computer with an IQ of 2000 it's brown trousers time."

Reclaiming "methinks" for the nation

Latest blog post - 2011 - a review (updated 07/10)

Who the hell is Milly?

Yup.

I'd heard the name but never listened to him. I pulled a bit up on Spotify. Fuck me blue, I wish I'd heard him years ago.

Milly from Dewsbury's a fucking moron. And she's missing out.

Fucking Dewsbury. I'm so glad I left first chance I got.

Don't know if any of you watched The Wire, but the song used in the final episode montage in Series three (Fast Train) is by Solomon Burke:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BcrbEexjYw

If she'd never heard of him why even post in the first place? Cocksmoker.

I'm sure commenters who do this do it because they believe an ignorance of pop culture (and, as demonstrated by the case of Solomon Burke, that more or less covers everything post Glenn Miller) is an indicator of good breeding and superiority. As opposed to what it actually is - an indicator of pig ignorance about the world around you and a core of snide bitterness that thinks someone's death is an excellent opportunity to try and do some social climbing.

I suspect it's the same folk who actually look for the house prices when people in the news are being discussed so they know whether to feel sympathy (house costs equal or more) or to snigger at someone else's misfortune (house costs less).

More often than not, the subtext is "Why is this black/gay/woman considered newsworthy?". RL did a similar thing about Stephen Gateley, after the furore over his colleague's musings provoked a bit of a backlash.

You also see it (sometimes) in a modified form, after anyone from a suspect grouping does something newsworthy. There'll be comments along the lines of "Why give these people publicity? What about Our Boys in Afghanistan - THEY'RE the real heroes...".

It's really just idiots taking pride in their stupidity. "What's more, I don't know how to boil an egg and I'm proud of it" in a new form.

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Ten seconds... the pain begins.

Fifteen seconds... you can't breathe.

Twenty seconds... you give up and turn off the Jeremy Vine show.

Plus, it's that self-centred Mail attitude again, the assumption that the world as they see it is all that matters. If they've never heard of something, it's a sign that it's not worth knowing about. If they don't know or like something, they assume no-one else would. No curiosity about the world beyond their experience of it. Once again, what miserable and small lives they must lead.

I think that to a certain degree (and this links to Adam's comments about self-centeredness), a lot of them believe that certain groups of people are only on this Earth for their convenience and entertainment, and aren't really 'real' people.

For instance, a common thread in DM coverage of Teh Gayz is that while they have nothing against 'good' gay people, there's a real problem with them 'shoving it down people's throats'. 'Good' gays tend to be more asexual than anything else - big cuddly eunuchs like Christopher Biggins, suave best friends like Will (of '& Grace' fame), or mummies boys there for comic relief (lesbians are either Millie Tant figures of fun, or fantasy figures pure and simple). What they really have a problem with is gay people being 'normal', or expressing any opinion a straight person could possibly have.

Or let's look at Muslims. Konnie Huq's been in the news because of something or other. A thread running through that palaver is "How can she be a Muz? She presents TV shows normal people watch and she's fit!". Because according to the current narrative, all Muslim women are veiled, hideously ugly crones underneath, and are probably flicking the V sign.

I think it's a common feature of DMite thinking to categorise all 'other' people into two categories - comedic and sinister. So again, make people into caricatures, playing their part in the ongoing narrative. More Living Soap Opera. More insistence on conformity to the current narrative. No possibility of treating people like human beings.

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Ten seconds... the pain begins.

Fifteen seconds... you can't breathe.

Twenty seconds... you give up and turn off the Jeremy Vine show.

Well i guess soul music tends to be associated with 'the blacks', so in Milly's mind they shouldn't be considered famous

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'Because we've reached the limits of what rectal probing can teach us'

The Mail's printed this article presumably because it thinks many of its readers like black music more than they like blacks.

It's interesting what you say about Konnie Huq, Andy. A while ago, I think they'd have said "Look at her, she's an acceptable Muslim!" Just like the did with Frank "role model" Bruno. It would have come as news to them that many black people didn't really look up to someone who made a lot of money out acting stupid.

To be fair to Bruno, he was a pretty good boxer in his time. His comic persona only developed late on in his career.

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'Because we've reached the limits of what rectal probing can teach us'

He was a good boxer- "he's hurt Tyson!" and all that, but didn't the "Know what I mean, 'Arry?" kick in quite early?