Shameful Shame

Shame seems to be one of the most common emotions people experience within this society. It seems that we are being forever being made to feel shame for the things we do by some omnipresent but unknown being or beings that can even affect us when we are alone. So many actions condemned without anything outright ever being said. A plethora of social laws nobody has ever written but exist in the air in the form of whispers. We must feel shame, shame for everything. Shame for having sex, shame for not having it, shame for being shy, shame for being too loud, shame for merely enjoying ourselves. This almost unnatural yet instinctive reaction to our own actions fuelled by the damnation we cast upon others for doing whatever they are doing even if it’s the same as us. But why should we be ashamed of the things we do? Sure there may be occasions where we should rightly feel shame for the wrongs that we have done but why must we feel this emotion for the experience of life and why should we cast it upon others. When did life become so controlled by how we think others think about us, at what point did we become so concerned with the actions of others. There are many places to point the blame, religion, media, education, society any given person is to blame in their own right. But what can we do about it? We can choose to not judge, to see something and ignore it, maybe even give it a try. And when we do something we can tell shame to go fuck itself. We should feel free to shout proudly the things we do. This is life and we are living it, there is no reason to feel shame for that.

Student Radio, No One Listening

Last year I had a fairly solid career with my student radio and I hope to continue it this year with two shows. However a big question comes up for me; is anyone actually listening. In todays age of technology and access it seems like no one has reason to tune in to the radio or even to TV music channels because they can all simpley access their portable music machines. Why should they listen to innane chatter and songs they might not even like? Well the fact is sometimes that innane chatter is funny or interesting, sometimes those songs are great songs you haven't heard before, sometimes it's good to support your local student radio. So as we begin to entre fresher's week across the United Kingdom look out for events and shows from your student radio, you never know, you might find something you like.

I'd Like To Comment But Apparently I Am Not Allowed

So I have recieved roughly 4-6 comments across the range of my blogs, and you have no idea how greatful I am for these comments. I would love to be able to respond to you wonderful people who are posting comments, especially where there is potential for debate and discussion as there are few things I love more. Alas apparently blogger, or maybe the computers I am using, will not let me. I click view blog, I click comment, but it doesn't recoignise me, I select google account for my profile and it tells me I am not allowed to view this page. A thousand appologies to those who have been good enough to comment, hopefully I will get to the bottom of this.

Why so Many?

It has been brought to my attention that some people do not like the way I have organised my Blogs. My answer? It's my party and I'll cry if I want to! The fact of the matter is for all the suggestions others might make I like the organisation of having a number of several seperate Blogs, rather than one Blog packed with numerous different entries. My posts are fairly distinct from one another in topic so why clump them all together? there are many advantages to having several different Blogs. For myself I find it easier to organise and progress with seperate different Blogs, but beyond that it allows for readers to simply choose what they want to read. I understand that my blogs are not to everyones tastes, and some people may not care for my liberal perspectives, but they may be interested in my film reviews. There is also the fact that if someone stumbles upon one of my Blogs they will be lead to my other Blogs giving me a greater online profile. But still the main reason here is that these are my Blogs and this is how I like them. I also know other who appreciate the setup i have. it has dawned on me that some people may simply dislike that I spam up their facebook news feed with my many links, but in truth if I put all my posts on one Blog I'd still post links for each individual article. So please stop complaining, it's not that bad, and it's not going to change.

A Lovely Little Liberal Lefty Leaflet

Ok, ok, I lie it's not a leaflet it is infact a magazine but I like alliteration. So the other day I was out shopping with vouchers I had won at work for being a good little capatalist slave and making evil corperation guy loads of monies, or something like that. Having bought a number of items at HMV whilst on sale I was left with just one five pound voucher, good at most stores. I decided that I would purchase an art magazine, Juxtapose or Art Box, at WHSmiths and maybe a bar of chocolate. Diverging from this plan whilst searching for my creative containers I stumbled upon ADBUSTERS (united kingdom). This issue held the title "The polotis of post anarchism: How to live without dead time. Snapping it up along with some galaxy I failed to appreciate the irony of buying an anti-corporation magazine with vouchers awarded to me for being a good corporation minion. I will admit now that I have yet to fully read all the articles within between it's covers though I imagine I will. Of those I did read they where full of damning comments on the society of today, on capatalism and the fascist right that clearly rule. Within it's pages where some undeniabley fantastic quotes, some interesting imagery and some well written peotry. And if it had been a person I would have grabbed it's cheek and in a manner more common to pre-school TV presenters have said: "AWWW aren't you so cute! YES YOU ARE! YES YOU ARE!" and then maybe pulled some faces.

I have no trouble admitting that I am a member of the Liberal left and if made to make a choice Marx would be my man. However I am not so blind to see the faults, unfortunately these writers are that blind. The views they pump out are naive and not exactly ground breaking. I will also admit that some articles where better than others, and I praise the attempt to push the Left agenda but there is so much laking. For example many articles attacked narcissism, yet where with out challenge or depth, and put to a background of arty photography, articles put there for the sake of themselves and a pride in that view, a narcissism of it's self. There is no counter argument and no attempt to put the argument in a way of trying to convince someone but rather they have already accepted their superiority and the fact that they are right. There is at it's heart some great ideas and concepts, things I whole heartedly agree with, but with them is pushed ideoligies that have little basis and views that are ill thought out. There is no joy in a discussion if everyone simply agrees. It would also be easy to attack the magazine for having pretentious nature however I feel that most magazines could be labelled such. So this is a magazine that has some real good things about it, if at the very least the ability to inspire the dicussion and debate it lacks, but the execution is poor. More importanlty though despite it's high quality I fail to see how at four pounds someone somewhere isn't making a tidy little profit, though maybe that is a cynacism in me. Perhaps the best thing about this magazine is that it is hopefull despite it's negativity towards the current situation.

Beauty and the Body

Through out the ages of mankind and across the diverse and varied forms of culture the image of perfection shape shifts through extremes of the many spectrums surrounding the human body. Since the earliest of cultures images of man and woman have been sketched, carved, described and created over and over. A thousand differing concepts to which we should aspire, often concepts that are either immensely difficult to achieve or in some cases impossible. From the larger than life fertility dolls of ancient civilisations to the stick thin models of modern catwalks, the feminine yet powerful beauties of the renaissance to the rugged muscled men of today’s action films.
This strange obsession with image is something that has haunted humanity for a long time and will undoubtedly haunt it further changing with the trends, sometimes several times within relatively short periods of time. For some this focus on looks dominates our lives and for all of us it plays at least some part. Far be it from me to question those minds that create and shape these images, from the artists who portray them to those that follow them. However the ugly other side to this view for beauty is the effect it has on us and our perspectives of those that will no or cannot keep up with the ever-changing visions of right. Too not follow is sacrilege and is responded to with bullying and disgust from outside and from the inside. Often the strains of reaching for the concepts of beauty lead to self-doubt and hate. And what is there that might stop? Over hopeful is the view that we might topple those agents that push pictures of perfection into our lives, though chance that we might dissuade them from one sole image or from the extremes they might reach to. Simpler though is part of the solution as it lies in a simple choice that must be made by all of us. To judge a little less. It is near unfeasible that we could stop judging others as we do moment from moment, partly because some of our judgements occur without our knowledge, however it is possible to judge and question ourselves. To make an acceptance of others, and of ourselves, by accepting that a different way is not a wrong or necessarily a worse way.
The more we come to realise that one image is not the perfect image and that more over it may be an impossible dream, the more we will find happiness in ourselves and others. If we were blind would we care so much that someone’s nose was out of place? Or that a feature was missing? If we were deaf would a peculiarity of voice concern us? Is it not the person that is important? We are incredible, complicated creatures and those things that make us amazing are not our features. Some might argue should we not strive to be healthy in our lives and in this argument there may lie truths and wise words, but the photo-shopped image of the “perfect” people in the glossy pages of magazines and the ever multiplying advertisements that surround us are not always healthy. We live in a world were so much is taken at face value stopping us from looking beneath the surface even just a little. So guided are we by vanity that we all follow rituals in a desperate attempt to fit in somewhere. It does not matter whom your friends are, or what someone might say, nor does the images we see so often hold truth. What matters is who you are and what you are like. Fat, thin, tall or short the many aspects of the physical image, these should not be the prime concerns of our lives. The body in all its forms is beautiful. Everyone has an aspect of beauty within him or her. We must grow to appreciate each other as each other.
Perhaps with a view to a better view of everyone, a focus on personality over physical person the images artists and others carve will become not images of body but of abstract concepts of better humanity.

Unsociable Society

I will admit that of the posts I make in which I may seem to damn some actions I am not myself always innocent, and when it calls will happily admit my guilt. Of this post and the things I shall discuss of many of them I am extremely guilty with. Some might ask if I am so guilty what is my right to preach, my right lies in the acceptance of my guilt and my honest whole hearted desire and action to make right my wrongs.

It is said that the things that made humans the successful creatures (because we are just animals and don’t you forget) is that we interacted with each other in a way sublimely unique. Communication. Though some will point to the menagerie of the world an exclaim “but they have communication!” it is true to an extent, and part of me even wishes to believe that secretly they are in far advance of us, however their communication pails in the face of our abilities. Some might argue that we are at a level of communication never known before with tools once unimaginable at our disposal. So why is it that we seem so incapable of being sociable? It seems more and more as we become fixated with the latest inventions and versions of old technologies the less we care about each other. So happy to sit and watch a computer screen waiting for some one to update rather that going to that person and asking the what they’re up to. This technology almost steals the pleasure of real converse and crudely attempts to replicate it. Texts and tweets lead to abhorrent abuse of language, chopping and changing wherever possible. Face to face is replaced by facebook to facebook and discussion is replaced with chat. With these imposing possibilities to further our online selves our real life selves die and as we develop computer skills we forget the skills of human interaction. I am not going to condemn these technologies because in many ways they are a gift, and they have an amazing potential to help us become more it is merely with misuse (or at least misguided use) that they limit us. The internet and mobile phones and all the other gadgets that force their way into our lives are there to make our lives easier and they can, it is just trying to make them part of our lives than ruling over them. However my concern lies in the evident problems arising in people.

I would like to blame technology for all the issues that are present with communication and social interaction but it is impossible and irresponsible for me to do so. This is because no matter what it is people who are choosing to not interact face to face, to not greet strangers, to not talk. A question of why comes to mind and the only answer I can muster is that there is an infection of today’s society and culture. This infection is the irrational distrust and dislike of anyone you don’t know. It varies in its reasons but it is basically the same in that: I won’t talk to someone because they will undoubtedly react in some way I don’t know. We don’t trust them to react well and we don’t like them for it. And how do we deal with this dilemma? But the simple acceptance that it might not go so badly, in the hope that something good might come from it, and from the simple decision to leave your computer and not answer you phone for fifteen minutes whilst you enjoy a conversation.

This is a topic I am fascinated with and would greatly appreciate comments back on this, or should you see me on the street feel free to just talk to me as I will be endeavouring to talk to more people myself. I also intend to write further on this topic and other similar topics so keep an eye out.

Rights and Riots

The riots have come to an end, what started with a peaceful protest over the questionable shooting of a man in a poor area of London lead to wide spread rioting and Luton in a number of cities within England. It seems that finally nights of burning buildings and violence have come to an end and courts are pushing on through day and night to get convictions with police raiding houses and making arrests. As we look back over the last few days the papers and politicians and those of the general public cry out in disgust at the offenders, words bandy about of their “mindless” and “opportunistic” ways. Few look to the reasons behind them or for the best solution, all most care of is that youths were violent and retribution is required. I do not intend to deny that the violence, rioting, looting and arson are crimes worthy of punishment, I do not intend to wish any less sympathy upon those who have been affected directly or indirectly. I do, however, intend to argue that these incidents arise from situation not mere chance, I do intend to argue that the solutions are complicated and require understanding, and I do intend to argue that these rioters are far from the criminal masterminds or sources of evil as they have been made out to be.

It would very easy to claim as many have that all that has happened has been for gain and the thrill of violence, but I won’t. Though I doubt the majority of the rioters had socio-political and theoretical perspectives burning in their hearts as they burnt down Lidl, I also doubt that there aren’t undercurrents that drive these things, because if the riots were for purely non-political and social reasoning, or at least uninfluenced, then why have they not happened before? When we look at the areas where the rioting flared up they were the poorest of places, when we look at those being filed through courts some are homeless, drug addicts, previous offenders or from generally unenviable backgrounds. We are living in a society where even though there are benefits they don’t necessarily get to the right people, the education system is in a poor manner and the support for those who need is non-existent. Commercialism seems to rule our lives and you cannot help but see an advertisement for that thing that you really need or you life is worthless. Papers are full of stories of celebrities and high flyers and even more advertisements. When actual news is reported it often demonises and ostracises the youth and those who are poorer. The war on the poor remains it’s just a lot more underhanded than when Thatcher was on the attack. People are claiming that these youths have destroyed communities but for them there never was a community. I do not condone their acts but the fact remains we are in a sorry state of affairs that is not their fault.

So how do we react to these thugs and villains? Many call for their imprisonments, a naïve view as prisons only breed criminality, especially as they are currently crowded as it is and won’t get better for the extra hundreds of frustrated youths. There are even calls to cut the life lines that they have, one council is looking to oust any who were involved from their council flats and housing. Because forcing them onto the streets will improve things. And what about these new laws the politicians want to push through. I can understand I guess that police might want to be able to tell potential criminals to pull down their hoods or face masks, but to ban them out right? New restraints to be put on social networking because the minority used them to organise themselves a little, the permanent allowance of the police to use greater force and riot bullets. Those involved must be punished, in cases prison will be the most viable but in many would it not make more sense to have them work unpaid for the government, to rebuild the damaged areas?

Maybe some of you are questioning my liberal perspective, angry with what you have seen. You see the issue here is the crimes are easily seen, the damage real and physical. But if these criminals deserve all that some would have them face what about the bankers who led to the economic crisis and cost more than these riots ever could? What about the many MPs who took money from the tax man to fund their lifestyle? What about the huge amount of tax evasion by the rich? True these people have done damage and hurt people, but they are people themselves.

STRUMPETS!!!!

Sluts in streets not just in Canada and America or London but now in Delhi. Feminism continues it’s relentless push for equality and the abolishment of sexism. Yay and hooray. But quite frankly some of it seems to be pushing for inequality and the encouragement of sexism. Now before one of you psycho bitches tries to take my balls as a trophy I am all in favour of equality of rights and to some extent the abolishment of sexism. I say to some extent because quite frankly sexist comedy is hilarious and in truth at the moment it’s more touted by women against men. So back to the issue at hand, these slut walks are interesting to me on a number of levels. One thing I noted about a number of pictures were the placards claiming the men are apparently all rapists and need to be taught different and that bad fathering will also lead sons to the only inevitable conclusion of rape. Now all this started when a police officer from Toronto said that the provocative clothing worn by some women encourages rape. He was not saying it made rape ok just more likely, and I will firmly say now rape is under no circumstances acceptable or good unless you have a magical cock and to exorcise a demon you need to rape that projectile vomiting 12 year old to send it straight to hell. A large number of people marching though were parading against the more common crime of molesting or making unwanted advances. Also again things I do not condone though on occasion I may be guilty of.

 But I have to take a stand here against the burgeoning power sex feminism (or as it’s some times called sexy feminism or feminism 200) in that it has become the thing it hates just from a different point of view. That’s right, I’m calling you out ladies, and you are becoming as sexist as the Victorian upper classes. I hate to be the one to brake this to you but quit frankly some of you are guilty of molesting and the such, some of you comments are down right discriminatory and quite frankly I’ve had enough of you retarded blame game. Yes you know the one I’m talking about. Men are neither guilty nor responsible for everything bad that’s ever happened to you ever. Now some men certainly are, but I’ve never raped anyone, I’ve never denied a woman what I’ve allowed a man, I am not a sexist, MEN are not sexists, there are individuals who are sexist. More to the point there are men and women who are sexist. And so we come to the bigger point, now I don’t want to attack you, I believe in equality, for all people, and that’s how it should be, not feminism but gender equality. In the modern western society a large number of things are equal and I truly believe we are getting to the stage of tweaking, there are still some things that need changing and the future generations can still advance further than us but there are no longer the huge gaps there once where.

But wait, there are still areas for feminism, just more in Delhi, so to those I say more to their power, just don’t forget men aren’t all bad. I also want to take a minute and make a far more dangerous comment to my personal health. Aren’t provocative items of clothing supposed to provoke interest?

Happiness is Childs Play

Today having seen Beginners I was put in a somewhat contemplative mood. Mainly about what is happiness, and how do we get. Also today I read an interesting report on what countries have the highest ratings of happiness. What came as no big surprise to me was that in many cases poorer countries had higher levels of happiness. But why? There could be many possible reasons, with out the stress and strain of heavy commercialisation it may be easier to appreciate the simple things, maybe there are greater pressure to do well within these societies.

 

During the film it seemed to me that some of the things that made me smiled where simple and silly. Through this I have come to one conclusion about a certain saying: ignorance is bliss. I personally believe this to be a fallacy, ignorance can be painful for you and others, so perhaps a better phrase would be innocence is bliss. Now many might argue that to be innocent is to be ignorant. This isn’t true, nor is it necessary to look at the world through rose tinted glasses. But to take joy in the little and the silly, in truth childish would be a better word but quiet frankly it doesn’t work so well as a phrase.

 

So the next time you’re out and you see something silly, or fancy something fun, do it. There is nothing wrong with being happy despite what impression some people might give you.

Hmmm I am Thinking

The things that I think, my interests and wonderings. Eclectic considerations is where I hope to post daily on the things I have thought or seen and where I hope to post many a link to things I like and news that grabbed my attention and pictures of kittens dyed to look like pikachu. Enjoy the ramblings of a mad horny easily distracted man in his early twenties.