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You gotta see English crime. It's hilarious, you don't know if you're reading the front page or the comic section over there. I swear to God. I read an article front page of the paper one day, in England, 'Yesterday, some Hooligans knocked over a dustbin in Shaftesbury.' ...Wooooo. 'The hooligans are loose! The hooligans are loose! ...What if they become ruffians? I would hate to be a dustbin in Shaftesbury tonight. (to the tune of 'Behind Blue Eyes' by The Who) No one knows what it's like... to be a dustbin... in Shaftesbury... with hooligans...'

Bill Hicks#2

MediaSatireCrimeJournalismNews

About this quote

What does it mean?
Hicks satirizes the sensationalism of English crime reporting over trivial incidents.
In plain terms
He makes fun of how the news treats minor crimes like dustbin knock-overs as major events.
What can you take from it?
Question the media's tendency to exaggerate minor news stories.

Where it applies

  • news consumption
  • media criticism
  • daily life

Putting it to work

  • spotlighting media bias
  • critiquing news

Questions to consider

  • How much news is actually important?
  • Why do trivial stories get attention?

Another view

Some crime reporting aims to inform rather than just entertain or alarm.

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