ENGLISH politician Edmund Burke first coined this phrase in the Houses of Parliament way back in 1787:
“There are Three Estates in Parliament (the clergy, nobility and commoners), but in the reporter’s gallery yonder, there sits a Fourth Estate more important than they all.”
YOU MIGHT ALSO BE INTERESTED IN : Butthead’s Beat: Let’s chew the gristle, bru
That was us, the print media, before the advent of the internet and those damned ‘ear rings’ we all have. They say there are more of the latter in Africa than toothbrushes.
Now along comes the Fifth Estate, uncompromising ‘citizen journalists’ who are far more influential and, alas, downright dangerous… ‘than they all’.
We have our own South Coaster, Penny Sparrow, who can testify to that. If this was 1787, she probably would have been burned at the stake. (That punishment might well have been a blessing compared to the hell she had to endure because of her silly, racist post on Facebook.)
The term ‘Fifth Estate’ is believed to have been coined by an underground newspaper in Detroit in 1965 and basically referred to ‘bloggers’.
However, social media has boomed to such an extent that anyone who has access to the internet can now claim to be part of the Fifth Estate.
You… yes, YOU… have an awesome power on some desk or even in your pocket which allows you to make or break the world around you… and yourself. There are numerous well publicised examples of people who have taken that power lightly or abused it.
On an international scale, the infamous Bell Pottinger ‘White Monopoly Capital’ (WMC) narrative threatens to bring our country to the brink of chaos.
The latter has apologised, but too little too late. The damage has been done and the term ‘WMC’ will be etched in the ‘cloud’ forever.
Butthead was recently reported to the Press Ombudsman, accused of being ‘racist’ for penning a fictitious conversation between a John and a Jabulani.
YOU MIGHT ALSO BE INTERESTED IN : Butthead’s Beat: South Coast needs a chill pill
It appeared in the Herald some weeks ago and was then posted on our website. Basically, it was a satirical dig at the elite for constantly moaning about mundane things like potholes while the poor continued to struggle along with very little. For some reason, a reader felt the column was demeaning to black people.
The ombudsman disagreed and ruled in our favour.
In fact, he encouraged Butthead to continue to stimulate ‘robust debate’.
That’s where the Fifth Estate can help this country. Healthy debate leads to a healthy community.
But avoid petty insults, racism, defamation and hate speech at all costs. Or plead ‘insanity’.
HAVE YOUR SAY
Like our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Instagram
For news straight to your phone, add us on BBM 58F3D7A7 or WhatsApp 082 421 6033
