Nobody is laughing now....

Is there anything funny about the hoax call?

Where is the wit and intelligence in getting a cheap laugh at the expense of somebody else....how can it be amusing to humiliate someone?

I hate this kind of "entertainment".....it makes me cringe....if I see it or hear it I turn it off....always have.

A couple of Aussie radio presenters thought it would be a good idea to ring the English hospital where Kate, Duchess of Cambridge was staying and impersonate the Queen and Prince Charles.....problem was they succeeded beyond their wildest dreams.....I'm guessing they were as surprised as anyone by that.

The news this morning is full of the horrible news that the nurse that took the call has now taken her own life.....what a tragic end to a ridiculous prank.

In defence of the presenters, I'm sure that they never...for a moment....would have believed that this would be the result...but perhaps that's the crux of the matter.  For the sake of a cheap laugh...they were prepared to make their stupid call....they didn't take the time to consider how it may affect the people involved...or if they did...they didn't care.  Well I guess they care now...reports suggest they have been taken into hiding...and are receiving intense counselling.

I still feel there must be more to this story though.  What woman takes her own life, leaving two children without a mother over something like this.  No matter how upset you were...wouldn't the thought of your family convince you that this was not the correct course of action.  As far as I know her name had never been released....and she wasn't the only one to have been taken in by the hoax.  It makes you wonder if there were other factors in her life that led her to make this tragic decision.

This was an imbecilic joke that caused a bit of a stir...but it would have blown over and been forgotten in a couple of weeks time.  Because this poor woman couldn't cope with the part she unwittingly played in this charade it is now an international outrage...that has ruined the lives of so many people....victims and perpetrators alike.

The lesson here for all of us is to take a moment and think before you act...consider the effect your actions may have on others....and remember everyone reacts to things differently.