Journal Entries
Sick of Slogans
Posted Mar 15, 2003
The whole "War with Iraq" thing has got me realising something else I am sick to the back teeth of - political slogans. Not only are they incredibly irritating, but seem like a feeble excuse to not have your own opinion or insight into a situation. Don't understand the complexities of Middle East politics? - chant "NO WAR FOR OIL". No thinking required, just a nice, easy-to-understand slogan you can shout. A soma-pill for the head.
Although I think there *is* some good in the anti-war movement (It's certainly not malicious, and it's good that someone is standing up to Blair's cynical autocracy) the amount of sloganeering involved is depressing. Many of those interviewed at these demos are asked their opinion and end up simply spinning these slogans into a sentence - "We are here today because we want to tell Blair and Bush that we do not want *a war for oil*. This is *not in our name*". The politics are also hand-me-down simplistic - war is always bad, Palestinians are only ever victims, America is the world's only aggressor. At the recent London rally, Reverend Jesse Jackson dispensed with old fashioned rhetoric altogether and instead chanted some simple pacifist slogans to the crowd. The crowd simply chanted along with him. Once, these sort of things were about free-thinking and new ideas. Now they are like benign Nurenburg Rallys - a place to merge into a psychological collective, without having to think for yourself.
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Latest reply: Mar 15, 2003
Zagreb's ill-feeling for snow
Posted Feb 4, 2003
We were hit by great big walloping amounts of snow the other day. Living in Glasgow, I hardly get to see it any more but we had a fair blanket of it the other day.
When I was a kid, I loved snow, now I hate it. It's fine for about four hours and then the constant passing of people grinds it down to a hard, pack-ice which serves no purpose except to make most of the pavements impassible. Glasgow City Council, efficient as ever, don't bother gritting/salting half the streets so you have to deftly pick your way among the dry-bits (if there are any), slide, or walk in the usually-clear road and risk being hit by an accelerator-happy Glaswegian driver. If you're elderly or have difficulty walking, presumably you just have to stay at home.
Oh, and of course it takes about a week for the blasted stuff to thaw!
Bah!
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Latest reply: Feb 4, 2003
How long did that take?
Posted Jan 29, 2003
At long last, our staff canteen has stopped singling out the vegetarian meals as "healthy choice". Even when it was a deep-friend vegetable burger or something.
Now they're "vegetarian choice". Exactly what they were all the time.
The canteen has a policy of not serving chip on their own because it's "not healthy". However, judging by their tuna-mayo baked-potato filling they think it's perfectly healthy to stick far too much salt into stuff.
"Oooooh, and it makes me wonder" - Led Zeppelin.
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Latest reply: Jan 29, 2003
When exactly did I start living in Greenland?
Posted Jan 8, 2003
If it gets any colder in this country the next time I breathe out I will be accompanied by the tinkle of my breath droplets hitting the ground as particles of ice.
It really is cold. Freezing in fact. So bad that our beloved First Minister slipped on the ice in Edinburgh and bumped his head. You won't see that happening to the President of Egypt or some other country where they have this thing called WARMTH!
Bah!
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Latest reply: Jan 8, 2003
Funny people, Christians....
Posted Jan 4, 2003
I saw this on the notice board of a church in Glasgow:
THE STORY OF JESUS: HIS CIRCUMCISION!
Blimey 
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Latest reply: Jan 4, 2003
Mister Matty
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