Dec 27, 1999
Being Nosy - THE COMMENTARY
By Joseph Planta
VANCOUVER - James Karan a classmate at Tupper, and subscriber to this column, suggested I write on the topic of being nosy. Some people will say that James is probably a nosy fellow himself, but I’ll leave that to him to discuss.
But the guy actually gave me an idea, so for his sake, I thought I’d investigate.
I guess we are brought up, whatever the hell culture you are, in this continent with an ingrained sense of nosiness. We all are curious about what other people say or do. And if its behind someone’s back, the more our noses get smelling. Joy Metcalfe, formerly of CKNW and now of 600AM has mastered that art, as has Malcolm Perry of The Vancouver Sun. They’re what you’d call gossip columnists.
That’s always a fun profession, because you get to go to fancy ‘dos’, as well as rake up some great contacts who send you faxes in the middle of the night or call your place in the most inopportune moments to give you information. Of course, confidentially.
I guess, its been a dream of mine to be in journalism. Gossip columnists like Joy, Mac Perry and Liz Smith, aren’t really journalists, per se, but then again they are, kinda.
I’ve always relished at finding out stuff, having information before anybody. I’ve always found it thrilling to share that information to anyone who’d want to know. I guess, I am destined to be in journalism?
Gossip is always interesting. And I’ll admit I do gossip at times. (I had to admit that, because someone will write in and say I’m not fessing up, well Sirs and Madam’s, I just did.) But, I will be the first to admit I never gossip in an whore-like manner. I’ll leave that to other buggers. I don’t share stuff with anybody and everybody, and I think doing that kind of stuff is rather silly.
Journalists have to be a nosy bunch, simply because you have to be to get a story. Don’t tell me that Woodward and Bernstein were uninterested folks looking for porn, when they stumbled on a “Deep Throat”. Also, don’t tell me that Linda Tripp was just a freaking friend. Watergate probably started it, and Nancy vs. Tonya, Buttafuco, Ramsey, Jacko, and OJ, only galvanized our hungry and vicious hunger for blood, sex and love, as long as it doesn’t involve ourselves. Don’t get up off your knees without remembering the Lewinsky affair. It brought our curiosity to our knees, as well, as bugging to a new low.
I guess being nosy is something we are at one point in our petty little lives. It’s inbred, like our sense of disliking The Spice Girls.
By the way, did you hear that Geri Halliwell is dating....?
Questions and comments may be sent to: editor@thecommentary.ca
An archive of Joseph Planta's previous columns can be found by clicking HERE .