So, Paddy Power's "joke" advert, superimposing the head of Oscar 'Blade Runner' Pistorius on the gold statuette given out at the Academy Awards, and offering money back "If he walks" backfired.

He's on trial for murdering girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp and he wears prosthetics to help him walk. Hilarious, no? But did the campaign really backfire? Yes, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in Britain ordered the offending, and many would say offensive, advert pulled just days after it appeared, following over 5,200 complaints and an online petition with more than 122, 000 signatures. But by then the ad had appeared in news stories worldwide, reproduced in full Technicolor, taking up large swathes of newspaper space that Mr Power didn't have to pay for. Job done, we'd say.

Critics said the famous online betting firm was making a mockery of murder, of violence against women and disability; some hat- trick if you can manage it. But, isn't the furore over what is admittedly tacky and in poor taste missing the real point? For the past two decades, ever since OJ's famous car chase was screened live, high-profile murder cases have been treated by many as just another type of reality TV. Long before the advent of TV cameras in the court room, there were people willing to bet on the outcome and bookies (not renowned for their delicacy of feeling) willing to take those bets. A young woman is dead and we're all glued to our screens waiting to see what happens. Paddy Power didn't kill her, didn't make the gun that killed her and its certainly not making us watch. What are the odds that we're going to stop watching anytime soon? You don't need to ask a bookie.

Anne Marie Scanlon

Sunday Indo Living