‘Carbon Cate’ Blanchett sparks ‘outrage’

More than once while writing about News Ltd for Pure Poison I have said to myself “That’s potentially the stupidest thing ever to be printed by a newspaper”. And every time I say it, I think that having hit bottom things can only improve. Once again the Daily Telegraph has shown me to be a misguided optimist.

‘Carbon Cate’ Blanchett tells Aussies to pay up over carbon charge

CATE Blanchett has sparked outrage in the community with her decision to front an ad campaign promoting the federal government’s controversial carbon tax.

So an ad that hasn’t even aired yet has sparked outrage? Perhaps in editorial suites at the Tele, the Hun and the Claytons’ Broadsheet, but in the community? How the hell are we supposed to be outraged about something that we haven’t even seen yet? Oh, that’s right, the Tele is being prescriptive on behalf of its “constituency” rather than actually reporting the facts. Apparently the outraged community consists of the soon to be irrelevant Family First, the numerically challenged Barnaby Joyce, and the always outraged Australian Families Association; what a shock.

Getting less of a mauling is actor Michael Caton, who also appears in the ads. Whether that’s because of his extremely high positive rating in the ‘Q Scores’ or just because it’s easier to pick on a woman who works in the arts as well as in mainstream entertainment is anyone’s guess. Perhaps the Tele is still grumpy that Blanchett went to the 2020 Summit at the invitation of Kevin Rudd?

Of course the Southbank Jester couldn’t resist the opportunity to stick the boot in:

A lesson in sacrifice for the planet from the woman in the luxury Audi

It’s not just the “let them eat cake” attitude but the hypocrisy that makes this a bad career move:

Hang on aren’t we all supposed to be good little aspirational Australians? I would have thought that a prestige car in the driveway would be mandatory in a prosperous Abbott led Australia, isn’t Cate just ahead of the curve? That said, Audi is owned by Volkswagen, and you know who liked Volkswagens, don’t you?^* Apparently it’s not class war pointing out that rich people have it easier than the rest of us if the rich people in question aren’t following Coalition talking points.

Strangely enough, when a bunch of billionaires ran an advertising campaign to complain about potentially paying more tax the Tele weren’t so vigorous in their criticism. Perhaps once you join the billionaires’ club you get an honorary battler membership that’s unattainable for mere millionaires like Blanchett?

The News Ltd led unhinging does seem to be getting some traction though, with Logan City Councillor Hajnal Black going on the offensive:

Of course, how an FOI request will ascertain whether or not a group of non-government organisations paid an actress is not actually explained. I guess that details aren’t all that important when you’ve decided to ignore science.

It seems that the message from News Ltd is clear, oppose Tony Abbott’s government in waiting and you’ll feel the full weight of the tabloid media trying to drag you down. Have we hit bottom yet?

^* It was Hitler! He probably liked pricing Carbon emissions too.

Update: Unsurprisingly, the tabloid that’s too big to read on the train has jumped on the bandwagon too. The Australian has decided to list the details of Blanchett’s home and the cost of renovations she had done, but despite having more time than the Tele still hasn’t been able to find much outrage.

And how did I miss Miranda?

How can a jet-setting multi-millionaire who lives in an enormous $10 million pile in Hunters Hill, and is driven around in a chauffeured Prius, tell less privileged Australians to say yes to a tax that will send electricity bills skyrocketing?

She’s right of course, we should be listening to people who work at News Ltd, where everyone is a battler, lives in the outer suburbs and drives a 1983 Commodore or a ’78 Falcon.