Hook a loose cannon who was always set to go off
DEUS preserve us, George Hook must be absolutely bemused by the dark cloud that appeared over his smiling visage, catching him off guard on one of the most contentious issues of our day. The question of rape and consent.
If you earn your living through your mouth then you should be the master of your medium. George – an arriviste in terms of years broadcasting – seems to believe that when he speaks sometimes he does it ex cathedra: this time, along with the Pope, George has taken a fall.
George’s deus ex machina, a totally unexpected intervention that resolves a difficult situation, didn’t work this time.
This time his deus ex machina was past its sell-by date and he found himself in hot water because he didn’t give enough respect to the people who have already adjudicated on the question.
What George doesn’t realise is that the veneer of modern life seems technicolor and outrageous but morality hasn’t changed: and even though modern critics gasp at the audacity of young girls who dress a certain way when they are going to a tennis club, hop young girls are entitled to do so because we know from statistics that promiscuity is not out of control.
Worse still, oftentimes the wolf in sheep’s clothing is a relation or a close friend which makes rape an act of treachery.
This is also one area where equality really doesn’t work for women who probably don’t have the physical strength to resist the brutality of the crime.
In the aftermath of his gaffe, George and Newstalk both behaved stupidly and badly. George should either have resigned on the spot or apologised and carried on – and Newstalk should have backed their man.
They hired him to be controversial, a bit of a loose cannon, and when the performing monkey does his trick the top brass run for cover and eventually sentence him to death by embarrassment by only managing to scrape together a suspension.
This type of broadcasting is the most demoralising aspect of the business.
RTÉ is also a great offender when it comes to any kind of serious debate. They are drugged out on balance, a hypnotised tightrope walker.
The balance is infuriating, it’s wasted space when people are matched against their equals and it never allows pejoratives which are the cut and thrust of debate to spiral out of control and give succour to the enemy.
RTÉ has been doing it forever. When I was a cameraman back in the Sixties Bunny Carr (Cóilín Ó Gluastan) was the host of a talk show called Teen Talk and Terry Prone was one of his star performers, but what I remember is that at the end of every show Bunny would conclude with the words: ‘Well I think it’s safe to say that we agree to disagree.’ Safe or what?!
And now the laxity of discipline has cost Hook dearly, Kevin Myers dearly, and Vincent Browne exhausted himself out of his late night slot. It’s a delusion that they can change the world by making waves on a small radio station, on a small island, on a small planet in the solar system to affect social change.
FOOTNOTE
I DIDN’T mean to put the hex on Rory McIlroy but if he doesn’t win this weekend he’ll drop even further down the rankings, out of the top five – and that could be the beginning of the end. His gaffe in shutting out the press is almost as bad as George Hook’s explosive contribution to the rape debate.