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| Katie Hopkins (with some bad editing!) |
I like to consider myself being an open-minded person and therefore find a decent attribute in everyone. We all have a 'good' side and a 'bad' side to our nature, it's up to us which one we publicly portray and then other people decide how to perceive us in certain situations. We all have a voice and the beauty of the human mind is that we choose whether to agree with others tendencies or not.
However, I must also accept that there are some people who chooses to be one personality to the public and be someone different in private. There's nothing wrong with that but these sort of people put my head in a spin even though their public persona is under constant negative scrutiny on a daily basis.
Cue Katie Hopkins. For those who don't know her, she originated in business leadership having appeared as a contestant in BBC's The Apprentice in 2007. Hopkins proudly proclaims to be the first person to say 'No' to Sir Alan Sugar. This is apparently a big deal and she has based her early fame on the back of this. Later that year, she has appeared on Reality Shows like I'm A Celebrity... and in January 2015 was a contestant on Celebrity Big Brother where she came runner-up.
The first time I remember watching Katie Hopkins on television was fairly recently. On July 2013, she caused a media frenzy after appearing on ITV's This Morning programme saying she judges a child by their names. To those called Tyler, Brooklyn or Charmaine, you're on the Hopkins List of Unruly Humans as you're likely to be late for school, not do your homework, and basically be a slob. I could warn David and Victoria Beckham about their eldest, Brooklyn, for leading a life of rebellion, 'destined for failure'. But for him wanting to work in a Parisian cafe from 15, as his father claimed on the Graham Norton Show recently; actually appearing mature during his parents' red carpet events, and loyally obtaining and boosting Brand Beckham - that's not on the script, according to Hopkins.
That Hopkins appearance nearly two years ago both horrified and delighted me. I was mortified that someone could think the way she did and be proud of being so narrow-minded. But at the same time, I was got up from my chair and went 'Hurrah' as there is someone who goes out there and say something totally different to the majority of the population. The debate about children's names on that day would have been dull if the panellists agreed on everything.
So after that ITV programme, I became fixated with Brand Hopkins. I suddenly saw myself watching the moment she said 'No' to Sir Alan Sugar which, in reality, she walked out after being told something contradictory to what she believed in - something which she now thrives. I watched her appearances on BBC's Question Time and Sunday Politics, and Channel 5's The Wright Stuff. And every video I saw on YouTube, I had the same sensation of horror and delight by the drivel that came out of her mouth. She has given me an addiction I'm not proud of but I'm glad I have it at the same time.
Naturally, you'd sense my delight when in January 2015, I discovered that Hopkins was to enter the Big Brother House. I thought it would be a perfect opportunity for me to see what she's like at home. Of course, she was under 24/7 surveillance, something which she'd have celebrated, but if you're living with the same people for four weeks, you'd need to adapt to other people's habits, and be exposed of your private habits too. I can imagine psychologists feasting their eyes on analysing Katie Hopkins's personality - I know as a PR practitioner (and soon to also be an accredited Life Coach), I enjoyed watching how she behaved.
The first thing I noticed with Hopkins (other than her turbulent relationship with fellow housemate Perez Hilton) was that actually, people tolerated her. At first we assumed she was being 'nice' to the other contestants because Big Brother put her under a 'curse' so she wasn't permitted to be 'naughty' but when this curse was lifted, she wasn't as horrible as people feared. Even though it was clear who she liked and who she didn't like, housemates like Calum Best and Michelle Visage, had a laugh with her, complimented her - something which she admits not being used to. "Being complimented is a sign of weakness," Hopkins once sobbed in the Diary Room.
But with the exchanges that I saw on that programme, I did see a decent side to Katie Hopkins. Yes, there were moments when she bullied, but there was another side not many were able to appreciate before and while the general public as a whole still despised her, there was a small scent of adoration towards her. Let's put it this way - before the show, I thought I could only have an argument with her, but now I think we can pull off a healthy conversation. You have to be tactful with people like Hopkins otherwise you'll be like Perez Hilton and be like a fungus on her right heel.
Post-Big Brother, Hopkins and her motor-mouth returned and her 'home personality' was instantly forgotten by many. In her most recent tweets, she has already offended the Welsh, a Rochdale-based Labour MP and those who are affected by dementia. A lot of her comments are completely unnecessary but I still see myself being fixated by what she has to say - and the press feel the same too. Anything she tweets gets in the papers.
I am particularly interested in Katie Hopkins now that I'm doing a Life Coaching Diploma because I know she'll make a disastrous one. Two golden rules I have been taught is to never judge, and to 'Ask, Not Tell'. If she was ever a Life Coach, then Lord help anyone with a hint of insecurity that happens to be called Chantelle.
While I have these strange feelings towards Katie Hopkins, I have fears that more people are turning into her. She boasts of 'saying it as it is', but that's attracting more people to be judgemental towards others' life decisions. I am starting to notice this as people aren't afraid to be publicly controversial. I have nothing against that, but we're a nation craving attention. We have politicians saying anything to 'shock and horror' people so they can be heard. Hopkins may like this notion but is blatant controversy worth it? Some of these comments separate fact from opinion in which limits our understanding of a particular situation but if we took a backseat and appreciated both sides to all stories, we can create harmony rather than deceit.
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