Channel 4 turns One Direction fans into its latest freak show
NO-ONE loves music more than teenagers and, no-one loves One Direction more than teenager girls. With that, Channel 4 decided to air a documentary about 1D’s fans, painting them in a less than flattering light. That’s Channel 4’s forte at the minute, mocking people who need a council house, can’t speak English, are part of the travelling community and people on benefits.
If you’re working class or foreign in Britain, you can thank Channel 4 for turning your social media feeds into something akin to a UKIP rally.
Completely ignoring the millions of perfectly normal young people who like nothing more than singing 1D songs and dancing around their bedrooms with a hairbrush, Channel 4 squarely looked at the boyband’s obsessive following, which prompted a rather angry response.
On Twitter, 1Ders protested with hashtags and shouting “This is not us!”
The one dimensional show examined the extremes of fandom, which included death threats to band members, the ‘shipping’ fans, and the general fantastical ideas some people have about the band.
‘Crazy About One Direction’ questioned whether the group are heralding a “new phase of idolatry – something cult-like, powered by social media, or whether this was just another Beatlemania. Let us not forget the helpline on This Morning when Take That split-up”.
Soon enough, #THISISNOTUS was trending worldwide and again, Channel 4 were found trolling for ratings.
One viewer wrote:
“Dear channel 4: the majority of us have
-never sent death threats
-never sent hate to their girlfriends
-never mobbed them
#ThisIsNOTUs”
Another added: “i get judged enough for being a Directioner, this documentary just made it much worse #ThisIsNOTUs“, while another added: “im actually HAPPY for the boys when they get girlfriends and they’re happy all i want is their happiness #ThisIsNotUs”
So, are Directioners the most mental fans on the planet? Absolutely not. That accolade has to go to fans of The Smiths or Queen, because they’re so obsessed, they can’t go five minutes without mentioning their bloody awful choice of band.
Posted: 17th, August 2013 | In: Music, TV & Radio Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
