A Response to the Response to My Tram Experience
This is not a response to the video itself. A response to the video itself would be relatively short and its general message would be along the lines of: “How awful that people like this still exist”, “That poor child” and “She needs to be smacked upside her head.” And it’s a pretty standard response, thank God for that, because I do not want to live in a society where this kind of behaviour and these kinds of views are deemed acceptable.
No, it is not the video itself that I am writing about here; it is another “pretty standard” response which I feel needs to be questioned that I am writing about, and that response’s general message is along the lines of: “Stupid dumb chav”, “Her benefits should be taken away” and “Get back to your council estate, slag.”
First of all, what is a chav? Because I have heard some of my friends being referred to as “chavs” in the past, and I’m sure there have been occasions where the same has been thought of me, with my trainers and pulled-back hair and love of football. So are my friends chavs? Am I chav? If we are, does that make us racist?
Second of all, why is there the assumption that she is on benefits? She states herself in the video that she works. And even if she was on benefits, what does that fact have to do with anything? There are record-breaking levels of unemployment in this country at the moment. Again, I have friends on benefits; this time last year I was on benefits. Does this make us racist? Similarly, why is there the assumption that she lives on a council estate? It is not written into your tenancy agreement you must spout racist remarks on trams or else face eviction.
Thirdly and finally, why use the word “slag” (and yes, I did see this word used on more than one occasion on Twitter in reference to her)? What does her gender and her implied sexual promiscuity have to do with her being a racist? She is a racist. We do not need to attach labels such as “chav” and “slag” to a person, and draw them living in a council flat, “sponging” off the taxpayer in order to make it so.
The ironic part is that this video is a poor representation of working-class people today. Working-class people are far more integrated with other cultural and ethnic groups than middle-class people (who tend to “stick to their own” but might have one trophy black friend or hire a Polish housekeeper), the reason for this being because working-class people and those of an ethnic minority are far more likely to be neighbours, work in similar jobs and generally just have more in common. When Germany was falling to pieces after World War 1, who did Hitler blame? Jews. He said, “They’re the reason you can’t get a job. They’ve taken all of them”, and people were either too stupid or too afraid to question him. The same is true of this woman; someone, at some point in her life, has told her that black people, Polish people and immigrants are to blame for the fact that she can’t get a job or get a council house, and she has swallowed these narrow-minded views and let them shape her into a bigoted arsehole.
The trouble is, there are far too many people out there at risk of swallowing some other narrow-minded views and becoming bigoted arseholes themselves: the view that “chavs” are to blame for this economic recession, and not the banks; the view that there are those who will work, can’t work, or won’t work; the view that there is something intrinsically wrong with working-class people and that it is OK to blame them for every little problem, when in fact society needs working-class people. If it was a black man on a tram starting a fight, it would be considered outrageous to say that his actions were a result of him being black (at least, I like to hope we’d find it outrageous; then again, David Starkey would probably deem it a fair comment), and yet we seem to find it fair to say that this woman is racist, ultimately, because of her class.
She is not racist because of her class. She is simply racist.
Wednesday 30 November 2011
Saturday 26 November 2011
Series: Countdown To 2012
Series: The 12 Week Countdown
...5 Weeks To 2012: The Death of Music
This is how I know I'm getting on a bit: because I frequently find myself saying that "Music is not what it used to be."
I have a lot of issues with today's music; I have issues with the fact that everything sounds the same (and yes, I know every era has a sound, but I expect every era to have a range of genres, and not just one genre which every other pop, R&B and rock act tries to imitate: dance); I have issues with the fact that music videos are allowed to be so explicit and are not even put on post-watershed; but more than anything, my biggest issue is with the fact that you are no longer expected to have talent to be in the music industry, and that so long as you look the part, you're fine.
I know I blog about Rihanna far too often, and that every blog post is of a negative nature, but for me, she sums it all up. She can barely sing, as far as I'm aware she doesn't write her own music (where would she find the time? She tours the world, has a week holiday and then releases another album off the back of the last), and everything about her is centred around her image. I'll give her credit where it's due and say that she has a unique voice (interpret that as you will), catchy songs and works incredibly hard, but I can't help but think about other artists out there who also have that, as well as a good voice and songwriting skills to go with it, and that perhaps the only thing she has that they lack is the ability to shake her bum about and the desire to eat a banana or make out with another woman in her music videos.
This isn't have-a-pop-at-Rihanna day, though: she is not the only person guilty of taking a dump on music, and she is still young and probably very manipulated by those around her. Artists like Beyonce need to take more responsibility for the image that they they out out, because those are the artists with talent and who have a choice in the way they present themselves. Rihanna doesn't have a choice; if she chose to dress up as a nun and sing nursery rhymes, no one would be interested. If Beyonce dressed up as a nun and sang nursery rhymes... Well, perhaps she'd lose a few fans, but at least she'd still be able to sing. Then of course we've got artists like Nicki Minaj: a once-credible female hip-hop artist who wanted to go mainstream, so got butt implants the size of Jupiter, and then started "singing" - if you can call it that.
David Guetta needs to be smacked round the back of the head with a wet fish, too. STOP MAKING SHITTY ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC. No, in fact, I wouldn't mind him being around if it was just him doing his own thing, but the fact of the matter is that he's taking every single credible artist there ever was, producing their tracks and ruining them. In the last year, everyone has jumped on the David Guetta bandwagon, and as a result, the sound of 2011 has been the soundtrack to ecstasy. I don't want to imagine what the sound of 2012 will be, but we're on a downward slope at the moment, and I don't know how many manufactured, auto-tuned sounds my eardrums can take.
...5 Weeks To 2012: The Death of Music
This is how I know I'm getting on a bit: because I frequently find myself saying that "Music is not what it used to be."
I have a lot of issues with today's music; I have issues with the fact that everything sounds the same (and yes, I know every era has a sound, but I expect every era to have a range of genres, and not just one genre which every other pop, R&B and rock act tries to imitate: dance); I have issues with the fact that music videos are allowed to be so explicit and are not even put on post-watershed; but more than anything, my biggest issue is with the fact that you are no longer expected to have talent to be in the music industry, and that so long as you look the part, you're fine.
I know I blog about Rihanna far too often, and that every blog post is of a negative nature, but for me, she sums it all up. She can barely sing, as far as I'm aware she doesn't write her own music (where would she find the time? She tours the world, has a week holiday and then releases another album off the back of the last), and everything about her is centred around her image. I'll give her credit where it's due and say that she has a unique voice (interpret that as you will), catchy songs and works incredibly hard, but I can't help but think about other artists out there who also have that, as well as a good voice and songwriting skills to go with it, and that perhaps the only thing she has that they lack is the ability to shake her bum about and the desire to eat a banana or make out with another woman in her music videos.
This isn't have-a-pop-at-Rihanna day, though: she is not the only person guilty of taking a dump on music, and she is still young and probably very manipulated by those around her. Artists like Beyonce need to take more responsibility for the image that they they out out, because those are the artists with talent and who have a choice in the way they present themselves. Rihanna doesn't have a choice; if she chose to dress up as a nun and sing nursery rhymes, no one would be interested. If Beyonce dressed up as a nun and sang nursery rhymes... Well, perhaps she'd lose a few fans, but at least she'd still be able to sing. Then of course we've got artists like Nicki Minaj: a once-credible female hip-hop artist who wanted to go mainstream, so got butt implants the size of Jupiter, and then started "singing" - if you can call it that.
David Guetta needs to be smacked round the back of the head with a wet fish, too. STOP MAKING SHITTY ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC. No, in fact, I wouldn't mind him being around if it was just him doing his own thing, but the fact of the matter is that he's taking every single credible artist there ever was, producing their tracks and ruining them. In the last year, everyone has jumped on the David Guetta bandwagon, and as a result, the sound of 2011 has been the soundtrack to ecstasy. I don't want to imagine what the sound of 2012 will be, but we're on a downward slope at the moment, and I don't know how many manufactured, auto-tuned sounds my eardrums can take.
Saturday 19 November 2011
Series: Countdown To 2012
Series: The 12 Week Countdown
...6 Weeks To 2012: Movie Mania
Really, I should be getting Jonathan Ross to take over my blog this week, due to the fact that I don't know that much about film. In fact, I know so little about film that, until a few years ago, I thought Tom Hanks had starred in Shaving Ryan's Private. Unfortunately, I don't know Jonathan Ross, and even if I did, he would probably choose not to be affliated with my blog, what with the url having the word blogspot in it, and the number of followers standing resolutely at two. But still. Just imagine that my hair is about eight inches shorter, my head a foot higher, my belly 90lbs heavier (sorry, Jonathan - if it's any consolation, I do have fab abs. Pre-cake, anyway.) and that I keep missing the R key on the keyboard and hitting W instead - because apparently that is a symptom of rhotacism.
...6 Weeks To 2012: Movie Mania
In 2012 we have a number of movie franchises hitting the big screens, including Scary Movie V in April, Men in Black III in May, The Amazing Spider-Man and Step Up IV in July, Paranormal Activity IV, and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part II in November. Based on these series' existing movies, here's what can expect to find in these exciting releases:
Scary Movie V
Someone in a Scream mask going around killing innocent, yet naive, people. Somehow, it will be fairly amusing, and you're likely to feel rather sadistic and disturbed as you watch someone get hacked down in cold blood. Not to worry: we're meant to laugh at this film; it's the Scream franchise which is meant to scare you shitless. Not that it does, however...
Men In Black III
Is Will Smith still in this? I don't even know. If he is, expect to see a moustache! And black suits. And aliens being a little bit strange and kooky and not-at-all terrifying. At the end of the film, someone in a black suit (e.g. Will Smith) will kill one of the bad aliens, and then get jiggy with it.
The Amazing Spider-Man
I'm not really sure why they're remaking this movie, bearing in mind the last Spider-Man trilogy ended just a few years ago and did relatively well. I know technology and CGI and all that shizz has come on a bit since then, but I don't predict a discrepancy like we saw between the two King Kong films. Nerdy teenage boy gets bitten by a spider and develops spider-y powers. I never understood why Peter Parker didn't develop a sudden hunger for flies; after all, isn't that what spiders where made for?
Step Up IV
Dancing. I think. I've not seen any of them. Probably some cheesy music, too.
Paranormal Activity IV
Deliberately bad camera work and someone being possessed and/or inanimate objects becoming, well... animate. You may jump. Just phase the jump into a cough and people won't think you're a big wuss.
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part II
A load of pale people looking pensive (that sounds like me: pale and pensive... Hey, maybe I'm a vampire!), while a teenage werewolf forgets how to put a shirt on. A lot of red contact lenses, some intense kissing and arty-farty fight scenes. Besides wondering why Peter Parker doesn't hunger for flies, why doesn't Edward Cullen hunger for Bella's period? I mean, it's free blood just going to waste; he may as well....
Saturday 12 November 2011
Series: Countdown To 2012
Series: The 12 Week Countdown
...7 Weeks To 2012: The End of the World
...7 Weeks To 2012: The End of the World
That's it. I may as well give up now. Forget the blog: I have not made it as a writer in the full 22 years of my life, nor in the 17 years I've been writing, nor in the four years I've been identifying myself as a "writer" - realistically, I'm not going to make it in the 13 months that remain for us all. And even if, by whatever small modicum of a possibility I did suddenly strike gold tomorrow and land a book deal, or have some lucky theatre agree to put on my play, I'm not going to get a chance to experience any of the glory of being "a writer", am I? The fanmail and autograph requests and prestigious awards aren't going to come in so swiftly, are they? So I may as well give up now. I may as well give up seeking a career, blow all my wages on parties and clothes, and start drinking 50 units of alcohol a night because my liver doesn't need to hold out for that much longer.
There's a problem with the philosophy "Live like there's no tomorrow", and it is that, 9.9999999999999999999 times out of 10, there is a tomorrow, and tomorrow we have to deal with the consequences of yesterday. Call me a sensible old lady, but I don't particularly want to wake up on the 1st January 2013 and think to myself, "Oh shit. My life is a mess. I'm not supposed to still be here!"
I hope that even those who choose to give the Mayan theory the benefit of the doubt still apply a suitably cautious approach to life. Watch your diet. Don't drink too much. Don't smoke (at all: it's gross). Use a condom. Don't commit any "victimless" crimes. Because if you do any of these things, chances are your 2013 and the many, many years that follow will be blessed with some of the following: obesity, diabetes, heart disease, liver damage, lung cancer, STIs, unwanted pregnancies and/or time behind bars. And that just wouldn't be fun at all.
Sincerely,
Your cheery, optimistic Agony Aunt.
Sunday 6 November 2011
Series: Countdown To 2012
Series: The 12 Week Countdown
...8 Weeks To 2012: Euro 2012
...8 Weeks To 2012: Euro 2012
For such an avid football fan, competitions like the World Cup and the Euros don't really excite me. They used to; I have a vivid memory of being nine-years-old and, having been fully inducted into the world of Arsenal following their double-winning exploits just weeks before, I wanted to see what happened to the likes of Tony Adams and Nigel Winterburn in the summer. My mother bought me and my brothers each a coin book, where you had to collect coins with the faces of the England team on - somewhat similar to sticker books, but a little bit more up-market. So I happily collected the faces of Teddy Sherringham and the Alan Shearer, and swapped my spare Martin Keowns and David Seamans with my brothers for Gary Neville and Paul Scholes. I hadn't been a fan long enough to develop an overwhelming sense of hatred towards anyone who was not Arsenal and who was not an Arsenal player, and so I saw no problem in supporting my country and the men who played for it.
So what's changed? Simply put, I'm far too big an Arsenal fan to make room for anyone else. Such is my commitment and loyalty to the Gunners that it would be cardinal sin for me to roar for Rooney, whoop for Terry or spur on Spurs players. I'd feel like someone who goes on holiday with the girls in the middle of the summer, forgets all about her husband and spends two weeks drooling over some shiny-chested Italian guy who probably runs through a car wash every morning in order to achieve maximum gleam. Supporting England became particularly difficult several years ago when England's only Arsenal representative (Theo Walcott) spent all his time on the bench, picking his nose and flicking the retrieved boogers at the back of Aaron Lennon's head (well done); admittedly it is easier now to find a little bit of love for England when you see Theo Walcott with the ball at his feet, standing beside Jack Wilshere and Kieran Gibbs. It's still hard - just not impossible to support them. Especially when they're playing Germany.
I think I spend most of these international competitions chewing my lip and refreshing Twitter in the hope that I don't read something about Arsenal's frailer players (ahem: Robin van Persie) picking up "a little knock" which always, always keeps him out of the Arsenal team for the rest of the season. In fact, I think I spend most of these international competitions cursing the Arsenal players' respective national teams, while at the same time secretly hoping that they do well because aww, it would be nice for them to win something.
There might be a tiny part of me looking forward to Euro 2012, but the majority of my body is overtaken by total fear. If certain players can get through the experience unscathed (*knocks wood*), then we should be in for some good football.
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