21st Century Wire says…
Making a spectacle out of the poor and working class is the newest trend from the mainstream media machine.
Watch a video of this report here:
The BBC is currently casting for a new show that seeks to pit the unemployed and low-paid workers against one another to win a cash prize.
The contestants will be expected to ‘prove‘ themselves, much like those in Suzanne Collins‘ hit series The Hunger Games. A representative from the production company elaborated and stated that ‘people will be put to the test in a series of challenges and tasks’.
The poster promoting the casting of the show (Independent)
The representative went on to say that ‘those who have produced the least will be eliminated‘, which is particularly frightening in austerity-stricken Britain where cuts to healthcare are truly eliminating people’s lives.
The winner will apparently receive £15,000 ($23,000), which is roughly equal to a year’s living wage; well, at least it would be outside of London.
Channel 4 show Benefits Street popularized ‘poverty porn’ (Independent)
Will we need to wait much longer before we are back to gladiatorial arenas with people fighting to the death to earn a living?
Perhaps the production company could have, instead, invested in a show that sought to get low-paid workers into high paying jobs – a real prize – instead of this Hunger Games style spectacle.
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