Jackie McGregor: In this ‘be kind’ era 'hate-watching' can be good for our health

In these days of the ‘be kind’ mantra and virtue signalling, it’s nice to just close the door and be horrible in private.

Psychologically, hate-watching allows viewers to release aggressive impulses without guilt or harm, so it’s purely medicinal! In fact, it feels like it would be positively rude not to indulge, as it benefits those around us to rid ourselves of nasty impulses. Experiencing strong emotions, even negative ones, while hate-watching, can trigger the release of happy hormones like dopamine and serotonin, making us feel happy!

Surveys revealed two of the TV shows at the top of people’s hate lists include, And Just Like That … and Emily in Paris.

My hate-watch this week was the Netflix cookery/lifestyle show, With Love, Meghan, and it didn’t disappoint! It proved a delightfully, hateful watch! I felt my serotonin levels positively skyrocket whilst viewing, as I criticised and scoffed my way through it.

I watched two episodes, but couldn’t bear much more of this show, which is part of a $100,000 million deal with the royal couple and Netflix, so I forwarded to the last one where Prince Harry was wheeled out at a garden party catered for by Markle, to tell her what a great job she’d done accompanied by the song, ‘Come and get your love’, in the background.

Love features heavily in this show. Markle stresses throughout how, “Love is in the detail,” her detail entails sprinkling every item of food within a 10-yard radius with edible dried flower petals. Apparently, this helps, “elevate”, it, to what, I have no idea, pot pourri perhaps?

The programme is an unashamed lovefest, making it easy to hate. Her guests gasp at everything Markle does, telling her how wonderful she is. She joins in the backslapping, remarking on how good everything she makes tastes. The message is, everybody loves Markle, though it’s apparent no-one loves her quite as much as herself!

I correct myself, she is not Markle, as she pointed out to her guest, Mindy Kaling, who referred to her by her maiden name.

“I’m Sussex now,” Meghan reminded Kaling in a rather awkward moment, as she stood in a rented kitchen, shoulder robing an expensive looking sweater, whilst assembling a star-shaped cucumber sandwich for a kid’s party (“yum, cucumber sandwiches!” said no kid ever!) She then put together children’s party bags consisting of a manuka honey stick, some seeds for planting, mini gardening tools and a compostable flowerpot (every child’s dream!).

Meghan faffs about, making fruit rainbows and home-made bath salts, it’s like watching a modern-day Snow White, minus the blue birds on her shoulder. What real mum has the time or inclination to make ice-cubes from mineral water and edible flowers?

She appears too perfect! Her cooking is impossibly healthy. I imagine if she made chicken soup it would be so nutritious, the chicken would probably recover!

This show tries to make Meghan appear relatable, but it becomes increasingly difficult to relate to her or like her at all. Though in the interest of our own therapeutic health, this might be the greatest hate-watch of all time!

CHILLING WORDS FROM THE PAST PREDICT OUR LONELY FUTURE

While writing at my bedroom window, I’ve noticed nearly everyone walking down the street is engaged in conversations on their mobile phones.

“Who are you all talking to?” I’ve yelled out unheard as chatterers pass by. I know it sounds silly, but I find this walking and talking annoying.

There’s a saying, “never trust a thought that didn’t come to you whilst walking,” which suggests that walking can be a valuable time for reflection, and it always has been for me. I like to be alone in my own head, strolling, noticing nature and peering through people’s windows (obviously not in a sinister way.)

I’ve noticed how many people now engage in conversations during their walks, probably to utilise this time when they are unable to sit down and engage with their tech. Many people now prioritize their phones, even when physically present with friends and loved ones. It’s a common sight to go out and see people sat together, yet they are on their phones ignoring each other. I assume for many of these walker/talkers they are probably totally uncommunicative with those they are chatting too if in the same room as them.

Our phones increasingly cause us to disengage with each other, as we begin to put less time and attention into our face-to-face relationships.

With the advancement of technology, we appear to be entering into a famine of intimacy, as we increasingly become slaves to our phones.

Norwegian historian, Christian Lous Lange, who died in 1938, must have had a glimpse into the future when he gave the ominous warning, “Technology is a useful servant but a dangerous master.”