COUNTER CULTURE

An observation from being out and about today. It seems that living a counter-intuitive life is becoming the norm. Hearing people choosing conflict rather than resolution as they talk loudly into their mobile phones, held away from their faces instead of next to their ear as intended.

Choosing an “every man/woman for themselves” approach at bus-stops rather than queueing politely.

Choosing to ride bikes/scooters on the pavement instead of the road thus causing pedestrians to dice with disaster.

Discarding litter carelessly rather than depositing it into the litter bins that are dotted around.

Listening to music on handheld devices without the use of headphones, not really caring if others don’t want to listen to your latest favourite high pitched squawkings.

Nonchalantly asking “got any spare change?” rather than doing or saying anything that would warrant complete strangers giving you their money.

By choosing to be inward looking and not engage with ones fellow city dwellers or even care about the impact of ones actions does nothing to add any quality to our lives. Choosing to be a selfish oaf brings no joy to the world.

Yes it’s a choice. Being a civilised member of society is a choice, but does it require a moral compass or just a bit of good old-fashioned manners. If it’s the latter, who is prepared to instil them?

BIG MOUTH STRIKES AGAIN AND AGAIN

"To beef or not to beef?" that is not really the question, because it only has one answer: "To beef!". There was a time when people kept their troubles to themselves, retained a bit of dignity and quietly tried to find resolution. There used to be a modus operandi when dealing with the council, the local authority, the Builder, Baker and Candlestick Maker. There was an ethos of keeping one's relationship problems within your friendship group.

Not anymore. Now it's the world of the loudspeaker, the face time and the foghorn. One has only to walk down the high street, sit on a bus or train and the agitated oral bombardment assaults the senses.

Intimate and private conversations are now a form of public speaking shouting, the thoroughfare is the new Speaker's corner, the passenger seat the new amphitheatre. So much drama, too much drama. People seem to thrive on drama; hysteria and outrage are the new gods.

How has it come to this? Social media is generally a convenient bad guy, as is technology. It's now easier to communicate, any time any place and those new found paths of  communication could, and should have been a new way to spread positivity. But, that's not the way of things. A new way to spread negativity was the choice. A new way to tell the world how dramatic and interesting your life is. A new way to show everyone else that you live the life of a reality 'star'. A new way to spread the word that you are a headline maker in your area, a character, a "what you see is what you get" merchant. An opportunity to establish that others have to "take me as you find me" , a means with which to confirm to all and sundry that you "don't suffer fools gladly"

And all at such handsfree, bluetooth, Facetime VOLUME!

Loudness prevails. We live in the age of the big mouth

LET'S BE CAREFUL OUT THERE

 

Saturday afternoon turned into Saturday night and a relatively quiet drink with friends watching the Arsenal put five goals past Burnley turned into an anthropologist's voyage of discovery. Unaccustomed as I am to going to bustling pubs and bars on a Saturday night I was most startled to walk into two hostelries that resembled one of those  painting by Hieronyous Bosch.

When was life so loud? I'm not talking about music but the sheer volume which emanated from each location, what I can only call shouting.That's right, not reasonable levelled discourse but shouting. I'm sure that the conversations being had were both interesting and illuminating but why those thoughts and opinions were being bellowed at a volume approaching the sound of a helicopter taking off is beyond me.

Let's talk about etiquette. For me, anyone who is taking up a  seat without having a drink in front of them should be summarily ejected from the establishment. So many seats occupied by those not drinking and so little care given about it from the staff team whose aptitude for bar work seemed questionable.

Spacial awareness also seems to have gone out the window. Bumping into people and knocking pint holding hands resulting in splashes and drips is not acknowledged or apologised for. How things have changed.

But, what did I learn on Saturday night? That I'm too old for this Saturday night lark? That I find the general public, by and large, very annoying? or that if I do find myself in a similar position in future i need to be better prepared? 

I'm not sure, but in the future, before heading out in London on a Saturday night I shall remember the immortal words of Sergeant Phil Esterhaus; "Let's be careful out there"