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And while we are on the subject of tantrums...
I never thought I would say this, but Naomi Campbell has been thoroughly ill-treated by the international news media, and the people she was angry at have got a thoroughly undeserved free pass. She was perfectly right to be angry, and if I were her, I would already be talking to my lawyers.
Ms.Campbell had booked a place on a flight that started from Heathrow's notorious fifth terminal. Yes, the one from which all the horror stories have emanated. This may have been incautious, but the flight, being a business one, was probably booked months in advance; and how was she to know, among the barrage of triumphalist stories being broadcast from the new building every few days, that the opening of the super-modern, super-splendid, super-efficient, super-huge new monster was to turn into the worst and most ludicrous organizational disaster even Britain had seen in years? Sir, she was not. The fashion industry has all the sins in the world except one: when they organize something, it is done in time and to the specifications required. Ms.Campbell could legitimately expect that "the world's favourite airline" would perform no worse than the people she normally worked with.
Punctually, as the plane was waiting to go, a number of bags went missing - including one of Ms.Campbell's, containing a number of expensive dresses she was supposed to model in Los Angeles. This was not personal gear, these were instruments of work, and expensive instruments at that. And the pilot was proposing to go anyway, taking her not around the corner but to another continent, without any news of that expensive and necessary item, without which her very reason to travel was, at least, damaged. Would you have lost your temper? I know I would have.
"Yes, but she spat in a policeman's face." Ah, yes, that policeman. Not many people know that, although the Heathrow police station is legally a part of the Metropolitan Police, it is in fact fully paid for by the airport and the airlines, and pretty much tends to act as their private force. In the past, they have been known to spy upon and harrass journalists and disgruntled customers who were investigating British Airways. I can just imagine what the intrusion of a "policeman" with that kind of mindset must have done for any atmosphere of peace and reasonableness. Come on, it has happened to all of you: some corporate entity does something badly that ends up seriously damaging or incommodating you - and instead of listening to you, they go and call the security guard. I would not have spat in their face, since I never learned how to spit; but you may be sure that the corporate morons involved would have learned a lot of interesting things about their own moral character, sexual habits, and descent.
What happened here is this: Naomi Campbell has a terrible temper - something I know about. In the past, she has repeatedly come to the attention of the law for exaggerated and violent displays of it, and been punished, probably quite deservedly. So, on the occasion when she has a right to be angry at a piece of shoddy and disastrous "service", probably quite expensive too, all that the papers hear is that she has lost her temper - again. Even though it is in a situation where you or I - I certainly - would lose it ourselves, and would have a perfect right to.
Ms.Campbell had booked a place on a flight that started from Heathrow's notorious fifth terminal. Yes, the one from which all the horror stories have emanated. This may have been incautious, but the flight, being a business one, was probably booked months in advance; and how was she to know, among the barrage of triumphalist stories being broadcast from the new building every few days, that the opening of the super-modern, super-splendid, super-efficient, super-huge new monster was to turn into the worst and most ludicrous organizational disaster even Britain had seen in years? Sir, she was not. The fashion industry has all the sins in the world except one: when they organize something, it is done in time and to the specifications required. Ms.Campbell could legitimately expect that "the world's favourite airline" would perform no worse than the people she normally worked with.
Punctually, as the plane was waiting to go, a number of bags went missing - including one of Ms.Campbell's, containing a number of expensive dresses she was supposed to model in Los Angeles. This was not personal gear, these were instruments of work, and expensive instruments at that. And the pilot was proposing to go anyway, taking her not around the corner but to another continent, without any news of that expensive and necessary item, without which her very reason to travel was, at least, damaged. Would you have lost your temper? I know I would have.
"Yes, but she spat in a policeman's face." Ah, yes, that policeman. Not many people know that, although the Heathrow police station is legally a part of the Metropolitan Police, it is in fact fully paid for by the airport and the airlines, and pretty much tends to act as their private force. In the past, they have been known to spy upon and harrass journalists and disgruntled customers who were investigating British Airways. I can just imagine what the intrusion of a "policeman" with that kind of mindset must have done for any atmosphere of peace and reasonableness. Come on, it has happened to all of you: some corporate entity does something badly that ends up seriously damaging or incommodating you - and instead of listening to you, they go and call the security guard. I would not have spat in their face, since I never learned how to spit; but you may be sure that the corporate morons involved would have learned a lot of interesting things about their own moral character, sexual habits, and descent.
What happened here is this: Naomi Campbell has a terrible temper - something I know about. In the past, she has repeatedly come to the attention of the law for exaggerated and violent displays of it, and been punished, probably quite deservedly. So, on the occasion when she has a right to be angry at a piece of shoddy and disastrous "service", probably quite expensive too, all that the papers hear is that she has lost her temper - again. Even though it is in a situation where you or I - I certainly - would lose it ourselves, and would have a perfect right to.
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1) Is having a business journey to another continent, involving expensive and public presentations, fucked up by the incompetence of a bunch of morons who are not up to doing their contractual duty, not something to get very angry about?
2) Do you suppose she was the only person to be in a rage as they were stranded or had their luggage lost or misdirected by a bunch of incompetent suits who were all too eager to take their money but none so quick at providing service?
3) Were the media unaware that Terminal Five was fucking up journeys for thousands of travellers? If not, why did they fail to connect the two stories? And if so, does this not show mental laziness and professional incompetence?
(Not that I would expect anything else from the British alsogenannt media.)
4) Would you keep your temper in the face of a supposed policeman who acted like the enforcement arm of a thieving and incompetent corporation?
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2.No, and I hope that anyone who acted in the same way was treated in the same way, but that wouldn't make the press. I wonder, however, if anyone else spat in the face of a policeman though?
3.I'm not one to defend the press, but at least one radio broadcast did link the two stories, those that did not are guilty of exactly what you accuse them of. I have to say though, its not as if the press ignored the T5 issues.
4. I certainly hope so. And no matter how angry I was I hope I would never spit in someones face when they were simply doing their job. I think you overstate the extent to which they are the enforcement arm of a corporation. As a passenger I don't really want to travel with someone who has lost it to the extent to which Miss Campbell has in the past.
I don't disagree with you at all re. the press or the incompetance of BA/BAA. I simply don't see it as a defence for Miss Campbell's behaviour.
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2) As I said, I do not know how to spit, but I would be very likely to give the policeman some much needed information about his moral status.
3) Yes, and that is how I found out. But that only shows up the failure of the rest, who just went into the umpteenth "isn't Naomi Campbell awful" spasm. I don't even like the woman, but I have a suspicion that she is in a situation where she cannot win.
4) I have met this sort of situation a few times. My view is that anger is not only a right, but sometimes even a duty. To allow some kinds of person to get away with bullying behaviour is to encourage them to do it twice as hard the next time. As for the police, I have trouble enough, after a couple of run-ins with them, to keep any respect even for those who are not paid for by corporations.
If you go back to the original post, you will see that I argued that Ms.Campbell is largely the cause of her own misfortunes, since she has managed to build up such a bad image for herself that any fit of anger, however justified, is immediately pigeon-holed by anyone without personal curiosity as "NC being a bitca" or the like. I do not even like the woman, but this is the reason why I felt I wanted to make the case that this is not the same kind of thing as her throwing a mobile phone at a secretary.