Year: 2021

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We don’t want to hear, we’re not interested

I don’t know how to start this really and, to be be honest, by the nature of what I am about to say, many have already lost interest!

Is it a modern thing I wonder?

More and more recently I see some in society less and less interested in anything outside of their small interest zone. Attention spans seem very short too.

I am aware of ‘cancel culture’ and I know what it is and, how I generally feel now is like that. Others feel an entitlement to shut up anyone who says anything at all that they personally have no interest in or, which makes them think even if they agree with the conclusion. Now, that said, anything more than two lines and the self same people have stopped reading and, that’s fine, leave it there, not interested, turn away, subject closed but no!

Not only do they not read the piece but without completing it they then feel compelled to make it public they’ve not read it. it’s the same ‘boring rubbish’ and they don’t feel it has any place showing up in their lives.

Now, we are talking ‘online’ here, most of these same people wouldn’t dream of being so rude face to face or so brazen but, online, anything apparently goes and is acceptable.

Back in the early web we had these people, back then they were called ‘trolls’ and their only aim online was to pretend to play devils advocate or to put an opposing opinion whether they had any interested in the subject or not, no comment about anything no matter how mundane would be left unchallenged by them. The objective, in truth, was to shut down online discussion for or by certain people they had decided shouldn’t have an online persona.

One of the scary parts now is this … if we are told to ‘shut up (because we’re boring)’ we are not permitted to complain about that in any shape or form else it’ll only get worse. Those people take it as a personal affront should someone dare challenge their right to say ‘we’ are boring.

Example at the moment would be the virus. Discussion on it has become a big no go area it seems. So controversial is any opinion on the subject. I’ve been told I best shut up commenting that anyone is breaking the lockdown because ‘no one wants to hear you go on and on about it. let other people live their lives how they want’ (the irony).

Politics, they’re not interested because ‘it makes no difference who is in power so, why bother?’ and as such, any political conversation is slammed as boring or a waste of their time.

My view all along is, the more they say we should shut up because they’re not interested, the more we shouldn’t. I have some historical precedent there in that so many in the Jewish community in the 1930’s didn’t want to complain, didn’t want to rock the boat they turned a blind eye and it came back and slapped them in the face.

In the USA just now, so many sat by not wanting to get involved that they very nearly got themselves a dictatorship out of it, one of the most democratic countries in the world almost lost their way because of their culture of not getting involved.

You see, and this is just my opinion, those telling others to shut up are the very ones who create the conditions for disaster either to cover their own wrong doing (in the case of the far right) or, to a smaller extent, to not wear a mask. I’ve even been slammed down for being critical of cannabis and I’d be forgiven for believing that anyone and everyone reading believes that we should all be wanting to spend our entire lives with cannabis use being everywhere and legal whereas the truth, most likely, is they just don’t want to get involved so, when it comes down to it, what is likely to happen with cannabis use? Of course, those with the loudest voice, the users, will win through because the others who don’t want it legal just didn’t want to upset anyone, didn’t want to get involved.

Anyway, the decision I have made, reluctantly, is to shut up, not get involved, leave them to it. My age is rapidly making me irrelevant anyway so, few will notice. My one personal decision won’t change anything for anyone, it’ll just give me an easier life as I take less and less interest in the world around me other than those things which directly affect me because ‘me’ is what society is now, all about ‘me’ and ‘they & them’ are the ones to blame for everything but no one knows who ‘they or them’ are so they just stick with ‘me’.

Well, good luck with that, let me know how that works for you long term!

Actually don’t. I’m not interested!

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My retirement heaven

I am going to have to rely on a lot going right and some answered prayers to make this real and without compromise but, this is where I see my latter days being:

In a cute house like this, no, it wouldn’t have this much land, many just have the plot they are built on but that’s OK. The one below is probably more likely though just what is available for 6,500 a month is open to question! I’d probably say double it for a complete home (£185 a month). They seem to offer houses on an unfinished basis which has the bonus of giving a choice but, at the same time, by definition, isn’t finished and can’t be lived in until it is.

Spending my days doing crazy things like this

Or this

Seeing cuties like this

Chilling on a beach like this

Or splashing in waters like this

and the local architecture looks like this when I want it to

For a beautiful floating restaurant, this cannot be beaten.

When I want to do some retail therapy, this will do

If I want the UK familiar or, just flippin’ good take out, I’ve a great selection and this is just a tiny selection!

Getting about is easy (though pre-booking is sometimes a good idea)

Not sure what that is in £’s? Divide by 65 Which makes a Big Mac meal £2.95 for a medium.

The weather I hear you ask (he lies because this is the internet)

But, to keep this real because, nowhere is perfect …

There can also be flooring and the occasional Typhoon causing mass destruction oh, and earthquakes but, nothing to you know, worry about!

If we have the right property in the right place we’re safe, the wrong one and we need a boat and a storm shelter nearby!

In context, an earthquake in the Philippines of around 5 can cause total devastation because of the poor construction of many of the properties in poverty hit areas. In the UK, our largest recorded earthquake was a 6.1 with 3.5-5.7 a lot more common somewhere in the country than many of us realise. The last two Bohol quakes were in 1990 & 1996 and were similar to those we get here.

What we do not have here are the strongest cyclones of anywhere on the planet so best not to take those too lightly.

In context again …. I have been in a 6+ quake in Los Angeles, Florida has regular hurricanes and we just missed Sandy hit New York by days which decimated wide areas all around the state.

On the plus side, there are no active volcanoes on Bohol or Panglao!

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Holiday time!

No, I cannot actually go on holiday, it isn’t even worth booking one but, I need to get into holiday mode because all these stuff going around us stinks don’t it?

So, I am winding down ready for the hot weather, for the end of this dumb arsed lockdown, to being vaccinated, to enjoying life properly again.

With the help of these fellas, who are really some great guys, we’re going to have an awesome outdoor social space to share with anyone we want to, we’ll even be able to cook out there too, get cold drinks and listen to music, it’s going to be great.

Now, I admit ,I need to get Bob a better pogo stick as this one really didn’t work but I can look into that.

Roll on the big change 🙂

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Gayly Going

https://twitter.com/i/status/1348888134931648514

I am not comfortable with sexuality playing a part in acting. Likewise, I don’t much care for political correctness being overdone either.

It seems to me that an actor has the responsibility to act as opposed to being themselves. Most of the time when we are watching a character on the screen we have no clue what sort of person they get off on, it’s simply not the reason we’re watching what we’re watching.

Now, Russell T made some comparisons that we wouldn’t expect a white actor to ‘black up’. Well, no, of course not and here is the reason:

If the character portrayed has to be a black person then there are a significant amount of black actors who will match the writers, producers and directors expectations of the role. Getting in a white actor and overdoing the make up just doesn’t make sense and this is a very simple fact, being black, white or any other colour is result of genetics which translate to a given appearance, ie, the person happens to be the colour they are and much acting is visual so, it matters. Of course, were it a voice actor, it matters not one jot as the part doesn’t require a certain look. It’s about choosing the right person for the part and, for that, appearances matter.

Political correctness gone mad

So many movies, TV shows and plays seem to think it is essential to be truly representative so as not to offend someone. That a black person should perhaps be able to play Charles Dickens merely because they are a fine actor and can act well forgetting one very important and vital fact, Dickens was very white! It’s just wrong and anyone who gets offended needs to do some heavy soul searching whether the problem is, perhaps, theirs?

Likewise, some have objected to an actor playing a black role, a role of a person who was black for a fact because they are not the right shade of black and, come on now, that’s totally unimportant and shows a certain degree of racism in itself. For a great many years white people of all shades have played other white people of all shades. For an example look here:

Every one of them a different complexion, different face shape yet. with the use of make up, as convincing as they need to be, especially the last one who actually was Sir Winston of course!

Did they need to find exactly the right shade of white? Of course not because it doesn’t matter when it is ‘close enough’ like these are.

How about these two because, I betcha that there will be someone, somewhere who argues ‘hell no’, he’s totally the wrong sort of black:

Denzel Washington perhaps could play President Barack Obama

I think with a little make up and some damn fine acting, sure, why not?

Anyway, back to Russell T, only gays should play gays

Luke Evans

The ‘straightest’ role in the remake of Beauty & The Beast is played by gay actor, Luke Evans, the love interest of this man:

Josh Gad

Here is the most gay of gay characters ever in a Disney movie, Josh Gad playing LeFou and guess what, he’s not gay!

Two guys playing the opposite of their sexuality and no one gives a damn, indeed, there were more complaints that LeFou was obviously gay than there were about someone who is actually gay in the film!

So, enough of the BS, acting is acting, let’s look at that definition:

Some who pretends to be someone else while performing in a film, play, television or radio programme

That’s it in a nutshell. If it is essential that someone is an exact replica of the person they portray, sadly, that is incredibly unlikely. Whilst there are some striking physical body doubles, they rarely can act the part, the inability to reproduce a ‘close enough’ likeness would be a real loss to acting and this mentality has to stop.

Woke is a political term that originated in the United States, and it refers to a perceived awareness of issues that concern social justice and racial justice. It derives from the African-American Vernacular English expression “stay woke”, whose grammatical aspect refers to a continuing awareness of these issues.