DEFCON 2

The recent evolution of the case with Kate Middleton’s hospital prank has left me shocked. But not for the reasons everyone is, but for quite a different point of view.

For those who don’t know what I’m talking about, the story started when Kate Middleton -who is recently pregnant- was hospitalized due to acute morning sickness. A pair of Aussie DJs decided to play a prank and called the hospital impersonating the Queen to try to talk with the Duchess of Cambridge. A nurse answered the call and bought in but instead of passing them with Ms. Middleton, she just gave a report on the Duchess’ evolution. Outrage followed and two days later the nurse appeared death after apparently killing herself.

Now the public opinion, championed by the British media -and we are not talking only the tabloids- is asking for the head of the DJs, Scotland Yard wants to question them and everyone in Britain blame them on the death of the nurse.

Bullshit.

For starters, a suicide is more complex than all that and it would be stupid to blame it on only one reason for it. That one reason may have been the trigger, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Moreover, the ones who snowballed the incident in the first place -British media and British public opinion- are the ones to blame. They created the social pressure on the poor nurse who was just a victim of an innocent -and not that much funny, but neither cruel- prank.

It is not either that uncommon. No one seemed outraged when half of the world laughed at that poor Spanish woman who botched a master piece of art in a church. And they were vicious with her. It even reached the other side of the Atlantic and appeared on Conan O’Brien’s show.

Ideally, this prank should have made sound the alert on the bodyguard team of the Royals, who would have tightened the security around them. And that should be the real debate, why two simple radio DJs managed to reach a sensitive information provider so easily. Where was the secret service?

Instead, the same public opinion and newspapers that built up the social pressure that maybe triggered the suicide of the nurse, they now are building up more social pressure to get the two DJs fired. Who will be next?