So it's been a while since I posted on here. It was inevitable really. I lose interest in things so easily. I'm terrible like that and I'm sorry.
But this week has been strange. A whole cluster bomb of news set to divide and spark anger. All of which being the kind of thing that tends to force me to retreat. To hide from things which are too much for me to confront. But I've been doing that for a year now. I feel you deserve an explanation at some point.
What appears to have become highly prevalent in the year or so of coalition government is that people are speaking very openly about everything. Perhaps "austerity" is getting to people, causing them to find someone they can punish. This is not to say that they blame these people, because I imagine everyone knows that the people to blame are our apparent representatives on every level of the political scale but that it is beyond our ability to appropriately punish these individuals. So everyone has looked lower, back within their reach. That's where the fighting starts. From celebrities blaming their indiscretions on the devious journalists that hack their phones, to Tottenham kids kicking out at everything around them that seemed to glitter in any way. And to either side, a whole mob of vocal enthusiasts ready to tweet bile at each other about the wrongs and rights of every instance, glad for someone new to condemn. It's becoming fairly cyclical.
The sad thing about all these divisive attitudes is it seems to be taking us backwards as a society. The war between private and public sectors threatens to return us to a culture where everything, every basic need, will come with a weighty bill attached. An apparently principled anger towards protesters points to a society no longer influenced by public needs and opinions. Racial tensions seem to be escalating again, threatening the return of Jim Davidson to television. All things I thought we had grown beyond. All things that I fear are creeping back. But then, I am ridiculously paranoid.
But this week sadly seems like part of an eventual proof supporting a historic text into the new Dark Ages. Event One was the sudden outburst by a woman in Croyden at the racially diverse set of passengers with whom she was sharing a tram. Alone, not a big deal. Crazy bint mouths off, gets caught and posted on YouTube, everyone gets the chance to condemn her and we all feel good about ourselves for being better than a horrible racist and a horrible mother. But, having delved a little into some of the reactions, I find a fair few that actually support this woman and her totally hateful ignorance. Again, this probably isn't a surprise or, indeed, anything to suggest that racism is on the rise. But it's the angry and ignorant that shout loudest and the clever and manipulative that listen to the louder shouts. If Sepp Blatter can be a racist and remain in charge of the governing body of world football, what deterrent is there for the racists?
Speaking of loud people. We come to Event Two: The public sector strikes. Now, with both parents being teachers, I bet you can guess what my opinion is of taking strike action. Unfortunately, I happened to be at work whilst my head was threatening to rip itself in two by the time the protest march parked itself outside the front door of the shop where I work, so I was mildly perturbed by the chanting and horns and whistles that I swear to any powers that will listen were tuned to the exact frequency of the pains in my head. But, some painkillers and a lunch break later and I was feeling a lot more supportive. A lot of people, it seems, are less supportive.
Now, I can understand why some people might be frustrated. Hell, I just described how my day was disrupted by the strikes. But, surely, once everything has died down, how can people not have some degree of sympathy for people who spend their entire working lives actively supporting the public, often unnoticed and even despite negative rewards, doing what they can to secure a fair life and future for themselves as well. But division has torn a great chasm between the public sector and private sector, sparking large-scale whinge-fests on both sides. Comparing wages, pension pots, working conditions etc., etc. It's just constant bickering, which makes the action to strike seem inevitable as clearly there has been no time for reasonable discussions, what with all the sniping at each other. But, through all this, I can't help but feel this divide is being crafted as a political tool and I worry where this possibility might lead us.
And, somewhat linked to this, Event Three. Jeremy Clarkson. A conflict which is, as I speak, still forming and mutating as people either defend (and more worryingly, agree with) his comments, or start constructing a set of gallows big enough to take down his ego. Now, I don't think Clarkson is totally flawless an entertainer, as this "joke" would seem to prove. His comments were callous, excessive, shallow and, more importantly for me, not edgy. In an attempt to jab deftly into the heart of whatever point he was making about the strikes or politics or the BBCs need to be impartial (which I suspect may have been his original aim, but I'm probably being insanely kind) he missed his mark by miles and, instead, flogged the dead horse of modern society's over-sensitivity with a shed-sized club. Just. Not surprisingly, then, many people missed the point and either flat out agreed with Clarkson's suggestion or began seeking his dismissal. Both of these responses are wrong, just in case you weren't sure.
The problem with "Jezza" is that, in essence, he is a very poorly constructed persona with limited scope. He is just a giant stick with which to prod people. But "Jeremy"; the sheltered, middle-class country-dweller, often peers through the paper-thin mask and offers something at least agreeable if not genuinely heartfelt. For all the Mexican-bashing and public-sector executing he spews out, there is, somewhere, the honest outpouring of admiration and respect for modern Vietnam. That's right Mr. Clarkson, I'm calling you out for the soppy lefty that you truly are!
It's a shame that, on yesterday's One Show, he was stuck in character, as he is now the hate figure for a section of society he may well hide, somewhere deep, an honest respect for. But in calling for his head, the striking unions have ensured that they will never get an apology or any support, because the great ego that he cloaks himself with can never be stained with regret. It must fly, untarnished, in order that his career, and maybe even his mental state, does not suddenly crumble.
On the other hand, however, those berating the unions for their inability to take a joke should surely question why they consider what he said to be funny. Yes, saying that strikers should be "taken out and shot" is an exaggeration intended for comic effect. But it's not funny. You could see it in Matt Baker's eyes after he said it. He wasn't laughing, he was cringing. It was a twisted thing to suggest, even if it was an exaggeration. But there are people laughing. People saying he is right. I assume Jeremy would, in secret, disagree with these people. But this is what people need to remember as they scream "Freedom of Speech." (It's funny how a lot of people who claim freedom of speech in defence of Clarkson would probably support banning the strikes and protests.) Yes, you have a right to say what you want, but it doesn't exempt you from criticism and it certainly doesn't free you from the responsibility of the consequences of what you say. Clarkson has a responsibility, if he truly was exaggerating, to quell whatever anger has risen against the Unions thanks to his remarks. Another reason, then, not to have him fired.
In the end, Clarkson's punishment should remain the knowledge that he has further fuelled the anger against a public sector that, in secret, he more than likely supports. If Unison force the matter further, they could end up making him a martyr for a movement that could quickly smother and isolate the public sector's cause.
This has been very rambly and poorly constructed. I apologise. Hopefully I will get better with practise.
Peace.
UPDATE: Jeremy Clarkson has since apologised, in that mildly reluctant way that TV personalities always seem to do, and I would suggest that what I sort of hinted at above, that his joke was aimed at the BBC's requirement to be impartial and the reactionist habits to attack the striking workers for purely selfish reasons. Whilst I believe he was exaggerating greatly and did not wish to offend, he still did and I think it would serve him well to make his next article a more honest, genuine approach to the strikes. Assuming I am right (which is a big assumption, granted) and that Jeremy is in some way supportive of the strike action, a pro-strike piece would be a fantastic step towards making amends as well as taking responsibility for how his comments might be taken by his own supporters who may now be even more unsupportive of the Unions and the strike action. Of course, this may just be wishful thinking and that the truth is that Jeremy is just that ignorant of the general public. On reflection, that may be more likely.
