Why the tabloids should go down - and why they won't

A vulnerable person was provoked into making an error of judgment - and the rag had another 'Gotcha' headline for a readership of small minds who enjoy witnessing the embarrassment of those they envy.

The tabloids are in the business of distorting reality by deliberately ignoring the bigger picture. They make money by appealing to exciting separating emotions - such as drumming-up fear of refugees. There is little to be made in encouraging dull unifying emotions - such as identifying refugees with all those regardless of where they live who struggle for a better life for their families.

Group-think nullifies the questioning mind as each member of the group bounces off the other to ensure that all members have the same concept of 'normal' or 'good'. That is a natural law just as inviolate as is the law of gravity. Tabloids create a very large group-think cell out of that poor-thinking component of the population which form strong opinions on scanty evidence.

As there will never be a shortage of dummies in the electorate, there will always be Murdoch-like people and politicians who 'strategically' suck up to them. By "always" I mean until the polarization and disharmony they encourage overwhelms the society that they need to be stable to make money out of.