Howdy all. It’s time for a Wednesday Afternoon rant, and yes this does only have a tenuous link to travel, but it is there. I know that most of my frequent readers are not from Australia, so a little explanation is probably needed here, so here I go. Who is Schapelle Corby?

Okay, well,  Schapelle Corby 2021 is a woman who is about to be one of the ‘stars’ on Australia’s ‘Dancing With The Stars’ – a show that was many years ago really popular here and of course as many international iterations across the globe including in the USA. So you are probably wondering – ok, is she a singer? An actor? What elevates Schapelle to be considered a ‘star’?

Of course, you probably also know that with these shows after the first few seasons that quality of celebrity is down on the first few seasons. Before you know it most contestants are people who rose to fame on another reality TV show, right? And for sure, Schapelle was on another reality TV show, last year I think it was it was a sort of SAS show where celebrities are put through the sort of training that the toughest of soldiers and agents go through.

But before that, Schapelle was famous for travelling to Bali (see this is how I link it to the theme of my blog!). In 2005 she went there with heaps of cannabis stuffed into her boogie board bag. And she got arrested and was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment. She served 9 years and was let out on parole and returned to Australia in 2017 When she was first caught, she said it was planted on her and I think still maintains this story to today.

In Australia a lot of people believed her initially – there is from time to time a fair bit of anti-Indonesian sentiment in the country which is mostly based on what I think is the false belief that Indonesia will one day invade Australia (I think it’s quite laughable to be frank). The fact that her family has a history linked with drugs and made frequent and consistent trips to Bali became known a bit later. Anyways – this is why her name is known, this is what she did. She wrote a book about her experience. So that’s another claim to fame. If you do a little online research you’ll see how it’s alleged that the cannabis was her father’s, and his links to drug smugglers and the like. Yet when she was on trial it was actually broadcast live in Australia.

Which in itself is ridiculous. Her sister has also been in the news for the wrong reasons too. Yet TV networks choose Schapelle to be on ‘Dancing with the Stars’. It beggars belief. What sort of message are people getting from the way Schapelle has been turned into a celebrity? What’s next? People convicted of serial murders and are famous because of that might be on Big Brother next the way things are going.

I don’t watch Dancing With the Stars, but Channel 7 are plugging it the way networks do. What’s next? Honestly, what does it say about society when a convicted drug smuggler with no highlighted talent is considered a ‘star’.

Sorry folks, I felt like a rant today and that’s what you got! What do people think and has something similar happened in other countries?

Thanks and May the Journey Never End!