Producers of shows such as Britain’s Got Talent must stop pretending that participants like Susan Boyle choose their fate

Why is it no surprise that Susan Boyle was checked into a clinic this weekend at best suffering from exhaustion, at worst some kind of mental breakdown? Anyone who remotely thought about this reality show star as a real person might guess that could happen. It’s the probable outcome when a unattractive, church-going, middle-aged spinster who suffers from learning difficulties and has lived a completely sheltered life with her parents until her mother’s recent death gets discovered for her talent, made over, sought out by the world’s media and then thrown to the media commentators, bloggers and twitterers to indulge in the atavistic bullying now part and parcel of modern celebrification.

Full article:

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/jun/01/britains-got-talent-susan-boyle

Podcast:

http://www.theguardian.com/media/audio/2009/jun/02/susan-boyle-britains-got-talent