The New Vocabulary of Malice

I don't tend to learn new words very often these days. It's because I'm forty-five, and I probably have a vocabulary that is already two- or threefold that of the 'man in the street'. So, when I do come across a new word, I tend to treat it as a newly-discovered gewgaw on a gravel path: to be examined, evaluated, and either pocketed for future use or discarded. Sometimes I come across shiny little gems like 'metonymy': a word I am never likely to use, but that I heard used in a BBC4 documentary series about the northern latitudes of this world.

More often than not, however, I tend to happen across the lexiconic equivalent of a junkie's discarded needle, to be kicked gingerly out of the way with the tip of my boot. One of these words is 'munter', and I came across it in this article about the dumpy little Scottish woman, Susan Boyle, who has caused such a sensation on Britain's Got Talent. It refers to an ugly person and its very contact, let alone usage, leaves one feeling contaminated. To be fair, the author was using it ironically, targetting her ire upon those in the show (including the judges) who dismissed at her from the outset because of the way she looked. Then she opened her mouth to sing and, as we all now know (and some of us knew already), appearances can be deceptive.

Why do I hate words like this? Because they seem to embody a meanness of spirit, a willingness to rush to judge on the basis of appearance. And the word itself is blissfully unaware of its own ugliness. I only saw the YouTube version, but there was one telling camera shot during this clip of a mascara-caked young girl in the audience sneering at Susan during her introduction. Susan will be remembered for her voice, but this girl will now be remembered as 'the one who sneered at Susan Boyle'. What an albatross to have slung around one's marginally-pretty neck.

I don't think we should be surprised that this girl reacted the way she did. In the world of celebrity, packaging is all. Virtually all the notable public figures that this young woman knows about will be on the pages of Heat week after week, famous mainly for being famous. Women in particular are reduced to photographic images, and they all end up looking the same because they've all had the same cosmetic procedures done to them.

But that's where the excuses ought to stop. What is most telling about the BGT audience's initial reaction to Ms. Boyle is that it belied the poverty of its own aspirations, and it has nobody to blame for that except itself. Boyle comes from a musical family, and has no doubt been aware from a very early age where music, and a talent for it, can take you. She has lived on a different plane of existence to the audience, which has probably never aspired to anything much in particular apart from a boob job or getting 'ripped fast'. And the judges should definitely have known better. I personally don't want to live in a world where the most important thing is not to be a 'munter'.