How about – for a slight change of pace – an apolitical article somewhat relating to Thatcher?
Social media is quickly becoming a channel for breaking news. Most journalists (TV, radio, print) and divisions of major news outlets have a substantial audience base on Facebook and Twitter to relay news as soon as it is heard. The first I heard about Margaret Thatcher’s death was through my news feed on Facebook from friends and acquaintances, with reactions varying from nonplussed to celebratory.
Without confirmed facts, those that believe everything they see or read from unreliable sources can actually be victims of gossip from the virtual water cooler. Hang around long enough and the Chinese whispers become so garbled that their origins are lost in the mists. The hashtag “#NowThatchersDead” was propelled into trending on Twitter from a website dedicated to the status of Thatcher’s death (Is Thatcher Dead Yet?), shortly after news broke of the former Prime Minister’s death. Fans of Cher greatly misunderstood the hashtag, reading it as “Now that Cher’s dead”. Without any verification or denial from Cher, who is normally very active on Twitter, Cher supporters began Tweet-mourning the loss of the 66-year-old singer. This also led to many confused tweets of the nature that both Cher and Thatcher had died.
It appeared as though everyone needed to take a stance, whether or not Thatcher’s death actually affected them on an emotional or mental level. Those that were hollering from the rooftops with joy found themselves being brusquely questioned by those that strongly felt a political icon was now no more. Battle lines were drawn in light of these newly-arisen, previously unspoken feelings. And the “Unfriend” button had never felt more fiercely used.
Critics of Margaret Thatcher have also organised a campaign to push Judy Garland’s version of Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead into the iTunes charts, the Amazon MP3s chart and the Official UK Top 40 Singles Chart. The Facebook group “Make “Ding dong the witch is dead” number 1 the week Thatcher dies.” Began in 2007 and has gained traction in light of recent events. Judy Garland’s version, performed in The Wizard of Oz, was the original suggestion but it is too short to qualify for the UK Top 40 charts. This has led the organisers to encourage people to buy Ella Fitzgerald’s lengthier version. The Official Charts Company are allowing both versions, however, leading to both tracks featuring in various charts. The Official Charts Company do expect her to feature in this week’s chart saying: ‘The leading contender by Judy Garland is likely to move into the Official Singles Chart Top 40 in its own right by Sunday if it maintains its current momentum.’ Sales figures for Monday, released by the Official Charts Company, showed that the song had already made it to number 54 and its rise in the charts shows no signs of slowing down.
The 2011 film, The Iron Lady, where Meryl Streep portrayed Margaret Thatcher’s political rise and fall, has also suffered a backlash on review sites. On IMDb this week, The Iron Lady has already fallen 159 places on the site’s Top 5000 list.
Facebook friends today are now bandying about the well-worn axiom of “if you’ve got nothing nice to say, then don’t say anything at all”. I’m hesitant to agree with this. If you’ve got something to say then say it. But if you heard it from a friend’s dad’s great aunt, check the facts before you step on that ol’ soapbox.