Post inspired by the Jade Goody talk.

So... "Tragic Life Stories". You know the ones. See 'em at "Books › Biography › Tragic Life Stories" @ http://tinyurl.com/amazon-tragic

Mums can't get enough of 'em.

Books for folk to read so they can feel that their life hasn't turned out as bad as someone else's. A pretty sad situation, but you can hardly begrudge the authors for making a few quid off the back of their "Tragic Life Stories". Obviously some folk will be reading these books as some kind of therapy. Fair enough. But that's not going to be true for he vast majority of readers who just need some reassurance that their mundane life is less shite.

It's a strange kind of transaction really. Person A (cathartically?) pours out their emotions in exchange for the (comforting?) cash of someone who wants to hear something tragic cos their own life is pretty dull. Everyone's a winner.

This is the exact same thing as the Jade Goody situation, is it not? Except without the leg-up offered by pre-existing fame.

See also: Wimmin's mags. Sample (real) headline: "I buried my miscarried foetus in the garden with a spoon". I shite ye not.

The thing that worries me more about the mags is that these hardcore tales are presented in graphic detail (as opposed to the more sombre, considered medium of a book) and they're resting on coffee tables throughout the land. Kids have full access to this gore which would otherwise receive an 18 certificate if it was BBFC rated in a film.

Strange times.