How Does It Make You Feel?

I am watching the news coverage of last week's flooding up in Cumbria. A reporter is with a family as they enter their flood damaged house and pretty much everything is wrecked. This is probably one of, if not the, worst moment of their lives. The picture speaks a thousand words, so there aren't many questions to ask them. "Are you insured?" or "when do you think you'll be back in?" are reasonable if a little premature. "What are you feeling?" on the other hand is just plain stupid. "Well, we'd been planning to redo the kitchen for a while, so this is really a blessing." How do you think they feel you cretinous moron? What have we learned from your question? That someone who has lost everything they own is devastated, well I would never have guessed.

If this were a one off, we could forgive the hapless news hound his momentary lapse in judgement. But this isn't the first time some credulous halfwit with a press pass has asked people obviously in distress "how they are feeling." It's de rigueur at the scene of any unfolding tragedy these days. Seriously, do us all a favour and go back to journalism school and leave that silly question for the grinning androids that talk to reality television contestants when they crash out. They don't have emotions so they have to ask.