November 2006
You are currently browsing the articles from United By Yucca written in the month of November 2006.
It was my extreme misfortune to see and then hear (on Radio 4’s the Today Program), Esther Stanford talking (read shouting) about how the British government should not only apologise for the slave trade (abolished 200 years ago next year) but should also pay compensation to the descendents of the victims.
You’d have to be some kind of revisionist nutter to try and pretend that the disgusting trade in human beings was anything less than one of the most shameful episodes in human history. I say ‘human history’ because I do not think that white northern Europeans can or should be singled out for the dubious honour of being entirely responsible for the deaths and abuses committed during that period. As the historian who was sitting next to Ms Stanford on Breakfast pointed out, the slave trade would not have been possible without those Africans who were already selling their enemies and fellow countrymen to the Arab traders (who had been operating since the 9th century). This point was refuted by the lawyer, Esther Stanford, who went on to say that a minority of ‘collaborators’ should not be used to damn an entire people. (an irony that must have passed her by, as she was damning the whole of British society by holding it accountable for the 200 year old crime).
I guess the problem I have with Esther is her enormous anger - which she has directed at the white section of our society. I wonder what wrong was done to her to make her so angry at a group of people whose only defining feature is the colour of their skin.
I do not believe that the majority of black people feel that they are owed a debt (either morally of financially) by British people with white skin. I would like to believe that most sensible people who hear her divisive rhetoric would laugh her off as an angry racist nutter, however I think that there are enough disaffected and angry people in this country who will listen to her and agree with her beliefs as to make her a figure with some influence.
She made me feel angry this morning, shouting down reasonable debate on TV and radio - and I’m a left liberal type - what will all those right wing Daily Mail readers ‘think’? Well done Ms Stanford - You have just helped the BNP get another council seat - give yourself a big pat on your back (but be careful not to dislodge that enormous chip…)
Written by exmonkey on November 27th, 2006 with 11 comments.
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I am pretty much in favour of the latest incarnation of Doctor Who, and I like the Captain Jack Harkness character. So I was quite looking forward to the much hyped spin-off, Torchwood.
We watched the first episode, and allowed it those awkward moments that all new TV series go through. The second episode showed some promise, even though the swearing and sexual references seemed weirdly out of place and uncomfortable. It was as if a bunch of eleven year-olds had been given a film crew and told to be as naughty as possible. Lots of swearing because that what’s adults do - with a couple of ‘blurring the sexual boundaries’ moments thrown in for good measure.
The most recent episode has, for me, consigned the series to the ‘watch it if I happen to turn over and have nothing to read and my toe-nails don’t need cutting‘. The dialogue was cringe-worthy. The horror was horrible. And the sudden sexual tension between the odd looking circus freak Owen and Gwen, the naive ex-police woman was just bizaar.
The above things make it difficult to watch. These next things make it impossible for a pedant like me to enjoy.
1 - If they are a top secret extra governmental organisation, why do they have TORCHWOOD engraved all over their car?
2 - When they decided to camp out to catch this week’s monster, they unpacked canvas tents and 60 year old tea chests from the back of their high-tech, computer filled car.
3 - Gwen, the ex-wpc has a really big head grafted onto the body of a small person.
I wonder what the ratings are doing?
Written by exmonkey on November 20th, 2006 with 2 comments.
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I am trying to find out the name of the actor who played innumerable henchmen roles in a variety of 70s and 80s films and TV series. He would have been in The A Team, Columbo etc
He was pretty distinctive - Full black beard and shaved bald head. I never saw him star, and only rarely did he have a speaking role.
This has nothing to do with the fact that I have grown a bead and shaved my head.
Written by exmonkey on November 15th, 2006 with 2 comments.
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I don’t know why, but the older I get the more I find religion upsets me.
I don’t expect anyone to find anything I say particularly original, as I am sure that nothing I have to say hasn’t already been said a thousand times before by people far more eloquent than I.
Anyway…. I went to the funeral of our next door neighbor, Mabel. It was a sad affair - we were one of only a handful of people who attended. Mabel was one of life’s blameless individuals. She lived her 80 odd years barely making any waves, simply happy to fill her time drinking shakily held cups of tea with her husband of 50 years, Jack and making occasional outrageous comments about the ‘darkies’ next door. Unfortunately Jack died two years ago, and since then Mabel has been this little lost thing, simply counting the days until she could join him. They left no children, few living friends and just a few sticks of cheep 70’s furniture that appeared in a skip a few days later.
What’s this got to do with religion? Well, the service in the crematorium was the normal short, fill in the blanks type thing. It was clear that the vicar didn’t know Mabel (just as he hadn’t known Jack two years ago) and just trotted out some tired old platitudes about a woman who never even went to church. I was a little bored, as I am prone to getting in church so I actually listened to the funeral service words, just to pass the time.
The vicar was reading the ceremony (you know, the one where your have to say ‘amen’ or ‘hear our prayers’ or some such bollocks) from the book. The gist of it was this: You are sinners. You must beg God’s forgiveness. God in his infinite mercy will grant this forgiveness and you will go to heaven.
A couple of points here.
1 - I do not believe in sin per se. I really resent being told that I need to ask forgiveness of something in which I don’t believe in order to get my place in a concept that I also don’t believe. On the whole I try to live a fairly good life. In that I mean I don’t deliberately fuck people over and I generally expect people not to fuck me over.
2 - Milo (who is unbaptised) is certainly not a sinner - even if he does hit the cats sometimes. So how dare this bloke tell me that my child is going to his concept of eternal damnation, or Limbo (actually I think the Catholic church has change their minds on this one) unless he repents a bunch of sins he has never committed.
Basically religion is like the cosmetic industry.
To sell more cosmetics, creams and lotions, the cosmetic people are constantly finding new things for us to be scared of. Fine lines and wrinkles, age spots, old looking hands etc etc. Then, miraculously, they offer us a cure. They make it look like they are doing us a favor - They are busy finding new things for us to be scared of and then selling us a way to feel slightly less scared.
Religions (in general) start with the premise that we are going to hell or going to be reincarnated as a goat or spend eternity having our livers pecked out.
Shit, we think. We’re all fucked.
Ah ha! says religion - we can offer you a solution. Believe in our slightly different version of this 4000 year old text and we will cure you of an eternity of bad stuff happening. They generally will underline this incredible deal by reminding you of the searing fire in the pit of hell.
So what’s my point?
Grow up. Start rejoicing in the shear wonderment of existance and stop looking to some millenia old fairy story to give you meaning where there is none.
Why are we here? Does it matter? - we just are. Make the most of it. Get some cats, raise some kids (if that’s what you want), grow some potatoes… and just get on with life without letting some bloke in a frock make you feel crappy about it.
Written by exmonkey on November 4th, 2006 with 3 comments.
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