The New Civility of Breakups

In the olden days, when a man (allegedly) philanders with another woman and is caught, in flagrante delicto - they could reasonably expect the untimely relocation of their genitalia, the swift removal of arms from suits, the emptying of bank accounts and a whole manner of other painful and often public reprisals including some well deserved name calling, article writing and other such nastiness.

Some would say that such primal revenges were borne of a instinctive response on the part of the (allegedly) wronged woman. Add to that the very public dimension proffered by said man and said woman locked into a similar such circumstance and you have the makings of a real firework party. Bad Ashley (allegedly); poor Cheryl (allegedly). That he (allegedly) wronged the divine Mrs Cole on a number of (alleged) occasions is, if nothing else, a sign that he is (allegedly) pathologically stupid. 

So, we have the headlines of none other that the (allegedly) tolerant and (allegedly) balanced Daily Mail which give us an insight to the very nature of the dark scene about to be played out in the arena of the world's meejya. You may be expecting recrimination. You may be expecting bile. You may be expecting a part on a realty TV show for the (alleged) philanderer concerned. Me, I was expecting some good old-fashioned insults:

 - Your mother is gherkin and your father is a loser

 - You are the lowest of the low, and even lower than Lowy the lowly worm's low bits

I expected that. I want Cheryl to be angry and vitriolic. I want to see interviews on my television that are 60% 'beep'. Why? Because that is what I am conditioned to expect when such events take place in the glare of the world's meejya. 

But not this time. We have a new standard. We can regard it as the 'text speak' of breakups. Ashley Cole, my son, you are now measured against a new scale that makes manifest the place of our social media and gadgetry. No black-eyes; no dented wind-pipes; no ruptured spleens:

No Ashley Cole, you must "delete her number".

The shame.  Does it get any worse? Surely not. 


[Does this render the crime of 'unfollowing' in the social media akin to moidah?]