Like drawing near the end of a good book I approach the final weeks of the X factor with a mixture of excitement and sadness. The excitement is obvious, but the sadness is on 2levels. Firstly, that the spectacle is nearly finished for another year. Secondly, I can’t help feeling a touch of dismay that the programme has so badly missed the point of what an ‘x factor’ actually consists of. Just look at the Grammy nominations; Amy Winehouse has a bucket full yet surely she wouldn’t get past the first round of judging let alone make it to the X Factor live finals. You certainly can’t see her featuring in one of the sentimental video clips before her performance.
We seem to live in a society that has devalued excellence and instead judges things on a whole host of criteria, with how good something is coming near the bottom of the list. Across the board, from trains to universities, we are given lists of statistics telling us how well things are going that bears little resemblance to our day to day experiences. Part of the reason people are cynical about politics is that the world politicians describe bears no relation to the one ordinary people live in. This mistrust of politicians will continue until they recognise that just because they find a way of proving something is working doesn’t mean that it’s any good.
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