Is Simon Cowell to blame for the end of western civilisation? | Dean Burnett

The Western world is in a dark place right now. It may be Simon Cowell's fault. No, honestly - just consider the psychological impact of reality TV

Did Simon Cowell bring about the end of Western civilisation as we know it? Well, first some caveats to clarify this unhinged-sounding question. Firstly, Western civilisation clearly hasn't ended entirely. The fact that you're reading this is proof of that. If civilisation collapses, surreal Guardian blogs will probably be the first thing to go, along with excessively-frothy coffees and designer clothes for miniature dogs. But it's looking a lot shakier than it has done in some time, so who knows where we'll end up?

Secondly, this isn't some character assassination of Simon Cowell. I certainly don't believe that he is some terrifying tyrant who set out to destroy our way of life. He may not even be that bad a person, he certainly has his empathic, philanthropic side. I don't know the guy, so can't comment really. I suspect he's just a keen businessman who found a format and a shtick that worked, and went with it as far as he could. It's just that that schtick may have lead to the end of the world as we know it.