08 February 2006

What's the British for 'Utter Bollocks'?


This article, by Peaches Geldof (Sir Bob's daughter, she must take after her mother only in the looks department), in the Telegraph about her upcoming special on Sky One is such utter tripe and offal that it should be turned into some sort of meat pudding to be served to a scotsman.

This sums up the 'research' that went into this work:

Orange County is not all privilege, they assure me: 80 per cent of its population are Hispanic and live in poverty. Audrey and Chloe's friends aren't all quite so sympathetic or tolerant, however. 'I don't mind Latinos or gays, but I don't want 'em near me,' says one, a handsome boy called Ben.
First off, Orange County CA, according to more reliable sources is 30.8% Hispanic (coincidentally the same percentage of adults over 25 who have a bachelors degree or higher), and I'm sorry to tell Peaches but Hispanic=Poor is a fallacy, according to the stats I linked in 1999 10.3% of Orange County lived below the poverty line as defined out here (I'm having trouble digging up the statistics, but when it comes to purchasing power and standard of living I read that it's better to be poor in the U.S. than middle class in Western Europe). In Southern California we have vibrant communities of people of every shade, income level and background and there are rich, poor, and mostly middle class of every possible designation.

And that bit about how gang infested and crime ridden Santa Ana is, let's compare crime stats in Santa Ana, CA with Leicester, UK (cities with comparable populations and both in major metro areas)

As you can see for yourself, the annual crime rate in Leicester dwarfs the rate in Santa Ana, comparing specific crimes is difficult since the way they separate crimes is different, but it's clear that the overall rate of crime in Leicester is vastly higher than the annual crime rate in 'gang infested' Santa Ana.

I'll let Ms. Geldof (even if I met her face to face, I wouldn't be able to call her 'Peaches' that's the name of the Princess Mario is always saving, not a flesh and blood person) sum up her article in her own words:

My impression of America is of a society falling apart at the seams, and of citizens desperately trying to forge an identity through cliques. Teen America is a cold, harsh world and yet I still want to attend university there - which probably sounds perverse after all I have said. But I have set my sights on New York, a city which, for all its faults, at least isn't trying to hide them.

It's not too nice, like Newport Beach, or too tough, like Santa Ana, nor too fundamental, like the abstinence teens. It encapsulates all America should be. I imagine myself, years from now, looking out from the Empire State Building and remembering my recent trip, happy to be in New York rather than anywhere else

1 comment:

benning said...

How nice of the little Twit to grace our shores with her grotty presence.

Gad! Spoiled idiot.