Are we mean or green?

The late, great, HG Wells once said 'moral indignation is jealousy with a halo'.

It was a rather prescient comment as he breathed his last long before internet commentators got their chance to get their teeth into, well, everybody.

Mainly because they are jealous.

Well, we all get a bit green about the gills sometimes but nothing and nobody is safe these days.

The perceived anonymity of saying what you like online is practically a disease.

If you publish, expect to be damned, no matter how factual, well intentioned or reasoned your point or charitable your outlook.

Somebody will see the dark side somewhere and be personally and ideologically insulted.

People want to be outraged – so now even publishers are becoming morally outspoken for the sake of the clicks.

This week the announcement of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s divorce was in, immediately sending gossip columnists wild with – what must Jennifer Aniston think?

Illogical as it was to focus on a woman who divorced the man 11 years ago, is happily married herself and presumably couldn’t care less, this was the focus of coverage.

Until 24 hours later when the same outlets proclaimed... Leave Jennifer out of it!

Cue cloud of thin moralistic rage focusing on er.. Jennifer. Presumably they were jealous of her hair.

Meanwhile, London Fashion Week has been underway and the high horses have been mounted with vigour.

Maybe it’s that we are all a bit peeved at the fact that these young boys and girls can swan around on catwalks, looking good in anything, even if it resembles – or actually is – a sack.

Definitely it is because social media is steaming with envy at the glamorous lives of those frequenting the front rows of every show. Don’t they have jobs to go to?

Subsequently, the scandalised clickbait has been at an all-time high.

Are they too thin? Too rich? On drugs? Their family lives must be miserable.

Jealousy takes all forms.

Of course, that’s not to say that some commentary ISN’T valid.

The channels for indignation have focused a gender lens on inequality and normalised human difference. So not all bad.

Just outrageous.