Stop the differences

The subject I am about to approach is one that requires careful handling and could easily be misinterpreted. So let me say from the start it scares me but I think it needs to be said?

The media has a, well intentioned, predilection for promoting the differences between people and they especially write about black and ethnic groups or individuals who have broken through and made a name for themselves in their chosen field.

Only this morning I read an article on the BBC website that told the story of black players throughout professional football in the UK.. They used the acronym BAME, Black and Ethnic Minority, why?

So what you ask is my objection to such promotion and lauding of those players who were the first to play for England or broke transfer records etc? Nothing about them as people or players, I salute their success. I do not claim to understand what they had to overcome to succeed in their chosen profession or what it is like to not to be, other than, white in a society dominated by others. I am a 66 year old white middle class man, who has no personnal concept of prejudice, I know I hate it!

It is a tragedy, what so many have had to suffer and experience in order to achieve any form of equality, whatever their ethnicity, religion or gender, all forms of bias of that nature is abhorrent. Of course it still goes on and in some cases is getting worse. Prejudice is power and there is nowhere in the world where, however little, the power of prejudice is not practised. You cannot hide the many displaced people or minorities that are discriminated against, simply because they are different, whatever the reason might be.

So to my point and there is one.

The more the differences are promoted the longer they will be perpetuated and remain. It is fantastic to elevate success to encourage others and actively reinforce those successes, no matter who achieves them but it should be done without any mention of skin colour, ethnicity or gender. We all know it does not matter and yet we cannot seem to stop and it is from both sides, those prejudiced against, quite rightly, wish to stand up for themselves and use the differences to highlight the need for their rights and equality. They have more than a point. I could be accused of throwing gasoline on the fire simply for writing this piece and maybe I have?

Put simply and I am being simple and naïve I just want everyone to just be people and for the media to reflect that.

Shit!

BREXIT has anything in our modern political history been such a fuck up ? We have shot ourselves in both feet! The disruption, controversy, discord, unrest, mistrust, lies, accusations, misinformation, outright hostility, prejudice, and plain stupidity it has stirred up has made this country an unhappy and divided place to live, it has brought boiling to the surface bitter seething feelings that should have been left untouched in the hope that as the years passed they could be forgotten!
A whole generation of politicians have been derailed by it, divided by an inexorable tide of indecision and poor leadership. The divisiveness within political parties may take a long time to heal if it ever does, although frankly they are responsible for the whole mess in the first place!
I have no idea how will all resolve itself and I doubt that it will, certainly not for many years
Label the whole sordid episode under “fuck up”

Tweeting Trump

For those of you who may have read any of my rantings before you will know that like many I have a huge dislike for the current incumbent of the White House! There is nothing likeable about him and I suspect he loves it that way. His mode of operation, is to be deliberately divisive, insulting and to make people believe what he wants them to and he is very very good at it. He really has fooled enough support to vote him in as President, although it is difficult to unravel whether he truly believed he would become or wanted to be President or he just thought he'd have a go and see what happened.

I am not going to write about all the comings and goings in the West Wing or the ongoing legal battles and controversy that has beleaguered him since his inauguration and before, it's well documented and filled with truth, half-truths and outright lies, to the point where nobody actually knows what the hell is going on anyway!

I want to address one specific area of his Presidency, that no predecessor has ever used, in quite the way he does, Twitter. I am a Twitter user and I use it to spout my opinion on stuff or reply to others whose messages I generally either agree or disagree with but Trump is in a class all on his own. It seems that he cannot stop himself from Tweeting exactly what he thinks regardless of who it affects or upsets. He has no understanding of language or diplomacy. At a time when politicians need to be calm and understanding, he deliberately stirs up controversy and unrest, insulting people and in an attempt to push his agenda at home cares little for the conventions of international relations.

Now to play devils advocate, we have for years complained that our politicians and leaders do not tell us exactly what they think or mean, as they wrap up their answers or comments with double talk and language designed to say nothing but Trump as President, is perfectly entitled to say what ever he wishes and boy does he! When the many mass shootings or natural disasters that have happened during his term, he is quick to comment but always with some barb or insensitive comment. Then he quickly follows up with a Tweet with more sympathy but by then you cannot believe he is being sincere. Trump really only cares about himself and his self-promotion. That he is an egotistical buffoon surely cannot be disputed but to so actively promote that in the many messages he writes shows a complete disregard for the office that he holds.

Drawings

Drawings

Surgery

I have a trapped nerve in my vertebrae and surgery is required to alleviate this problem. I have been suffering leg pain for some time and finally it has been confirmed that this is the cause. A skilled surgeon is going to insert a clip in my backbone to widen it and therefore relieve the pressure and hopefully this will stop the pain. As the consultant said he cannot give me a new engine but can perform an MOT! There will be at least 12 weeks recovery and at present I am trying to get as fit as possible to maximise the speed of that recovery.

I have no fear regarding this procedure though no doubt there will be some when it happens, at a date yet to be given. I am almost 66 and the consultant brought home my impending mortality when he said, if successful, I should have no need to concern myself about a recurrence in my lifetime!

And there you have it a little terse but my normal verbosity is not required, it is plain and simple,so wish me luck. 

I'm awake buy barely!

I have been remiss in visiting this medium for some considerable time. Nothing in the world has changed that much and if anything has become worse. The UK is in a mess over Brexit, Mr Trump continues to harangue everybody and anybody with his blustering ugly presence, we have had a heatwave,which I have mostly enjoyed, and so life goes on. Many philosophical comments or clever sophistry could be written but frankly I'm not sure I really give a shit anymore! The world will keep on turning and people will come to predominance and disappear, they always do.
One should appreciate the little things in life and enjoy them to the full!
And there you have it!

I cannot tell you how disappointed I am currently with our American cousins!Its bad enough that they voted Trump to become President, a worse choice cannot have been conceived than this monstrosity of a man! and now after yet another school massacre by another crazed individual with an assault rifle, do we get universal horror and some traction to stop it ever happening again or at least the will to lesson the chances, no. the same rhetoric is wheeled out.
The NRA start once more with their ceaseless bollocks regarding the constitutional right to bear arms. which century are they living in? Do they need to defend their homesteads? Is the USA going to be invaded? How much hunting can you do? If they are so worried about defending themselves then perhaps they should have an army and perhaps armed law enforcement! It is simple give people guns and they will shoot each other

Sick

It appears that I have been absent from this medium since last year. Its not from a lack of things to comment on just not been able to motivate myself to do so. Even now with so much happening in the world I feel as though I am just repeating myself as the events themselves seem to do. I've written much about many of the current headlines because ....well they keep happening!
I have over the last two weeks be very ill with a particularly nasty chest infection which although I am improved, I know is going to hamper me for some time yet. Naturally like anyone I hate being sick. It is miserable and debilitating. No appetite, listless, depressing and physically tiring, just to mention some of the effects. I have lost weight perhaps a good thing if not the way one would wish to.
It has kept me in the house and I admit I have watched far to much television, an accompanying consequence of too much enforced inactivity. I have subscriptions to both Netflix and Amazon so I have not been entirely reliant on the normal mass boredom of channels that have proliferated over the last 20 years. 
I have discovered some gems that I might not have otherwise watched, chief among them is Jerry Seinfields Comedians in Cars getting Coffee. He drives a varied selection of cars, anything from an Aston Martin to a VW. He picks up another comedian and they drive to have coffee. Simple, each programme is only about 15 minutes in length and there is an intimacy to each, that you very rarely get from the more formal talk show. I now understand the phrase "binge watch" because I have watched almost four series! 
The second series which has fascinated me, SKY's Portrait Artist of the year. I like art am a bit of an amateur artist myself, though nowhere near these artists level, the process that these amateur and professional artists go through to produce their portraits is an education. There are as many different techniques as there are participants and the results vary accordingly, it is certainly true that art is very much in the eye of the beholder 
Rather not have been incapacitated but there is always a silver lining!