Okay, so maybe it is me and I am officially getting old. The problem seems to be that I am increasingly at odds with the current manifestations of modern society. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still pretty computer savvy and fairly techno-literate, I like to think that I have a reasonable grasp of current events, politics and the current economic disaster that is Labour party politics. It’s just that as soon as I turn on my television, or radio, I seem to be seeing and hearing a picture of a society that I no longer recognise.
Firstly I no longer agree with what I perceive to be the modern interpretation or definition of “celebrity”. As I said in an earlier Blog, I believe that there is a definite distinction between the modern concepts of celebrity and, what I believe used to be called fame. With fame, those people who are acknowledged, and indeed may be lauded, for their talent and/or abilities should always have a place in our society. Those who contribute to politics, the arts, science, sport or entertainment etc. deserve recognition, acclimation and applause. For me the problem is that we are now deluged with an increasing raft of people who appear to be “famous” for no more than being famous. What have these people actually done; what is their achievement; where is the evidence of their having paid their dues to the actual effort of learning their craft or profession?
Which leads me on to “The Apprentice”; I’m sorry, but I just don’t get it. From the little I have seen of this sorry excuse for a so called ‘Entertainment’ program is filled with a pathetic bunch of sad “Wannabes” who think that they are “Already-ares”. I thought the whole concept of an apprentice was of someone who wanted to learn the skills of the master, i.e. someone who was prepared, in humility, to acknowledge their ignorance in order to be taught. What I seem to be seeing is a bunch of people who want to demonstrate that they already know it all and that they are better than the other know –it-alls against which they are competing. For me this program is not about who would make the best apprentice, it’s about who has the greater hubris. What I don’t understand is, when did hubris become a virtue?
The second thing that is exercising my mind at the moment is the total erosion of our civil liberties. Those who know me, even a little will testify that I am not, by any means, a bleeding heart liberal. I am however at a loss to understand how we have arrived at a state where the police can kick down anyone’s door at 4 a.m. and then be incarcerated for 28 days without, apparently, any evidence of any crime or offence having been committed. Over the last couple of years literally hundreds of people have suffered this trauma, all in the name of the fight against terrorism. Then they have been released without charge. I find this confusing. If the police or the intelligence services believed that these people were guilty of an offence then surely they should have been charged and prosecuted. If, after 28 days the authorities have failed to find any evidence of wrongdoing then surely we should be told what the evidence was that caused them to act in the first place? What happened to the concept of “wrongful arrest”?
I know that we can’t turn the clock back and all go and live in St. Mary Meade next door to Miss Marple but can’t these excessive swings of the social pendulum be addressed and adjusted?
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