SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME




If you haven't had the chance to check any of Adam Curtis's documentaries out, I would recommend either 'The Power of Nightmares' and 'The Trap: What happened to our dream of freedom'.

I feel not only, that I have learned a great deal of things, but my evaluations of such concepts as Neo-conservatism, which I had hitherto placed firmly in the EVIL POLITICAL RIGHT box was actually filled probably mostly with idealists and those obsessed with money (though some are still evil).

I think I am coming round to Doug Stanhope's view:

"I watch an assload of documentaries when I'm home and generally it's because I hope to enjoy them - unlike regular television which I often times watch just to hate. Hate is entertainment too."

(http://www.dougstanhope.com/)

So I want to watch more documentaries.  Documentaries are at least are trying to teach us something, even if it is just about sharks or Nazis while other programmes which proclaim to be about 'reality' are fake.  As Charlie Brooker pointed out here http://youtu.be/BBwepkVurCI reality tv events are not as 'real' as they may seem.

When I watch so-called 'reality-tv' (S loves such shows) I find myself thinking very strange thoughts:

1 - 'What not to wear' - Well, she looks comfortable in what she is wearing but perhaps she could...oh wow she looks much better.  Isn't it amazing what you can do if you put some effort in?  I should put some more effort in (some hours later, having put NO effort in my appearance other than having a cup of tea in my hand) Yep, she looks frumpy, she should wear something more suited to her figure, yep that is exactly what I said Trinny, weren't you listening?

2 - 'Location, location location'/'Relocation relocation' - Hmmm, what would it be like living there I wonder?  No, the bathroom is too small, the stairs are too steep, the whole thing looks haunted.  What do you mean you want a period house WITHOUT any period features?  That makes no sense!  That is not the best house you saw, you people are idiots!  They would be lost without Phil.

3 - 'So you think you can dance?' - So you THINK you can dance?  I don't think you can dance and as you have to compete for my vote, I CAN judge you (nb. I am of course aware outside of these thoughts that such votes are near meaningless in an artifically induced narrative and I have never voted as part of any of the phone-in shows)

4 - 'Britain's got talent' - Oh jeez, no, no, no, you can't sing/dance/perform.  Your son/daughter is NOT a prodigy.  Yes you have talent but is it good enough to perform before the QUEEN?

Now, I know that these programmes are quickly edited to create a false narrative designed to promote a story in an hour slot but are they also designed to make me feel superior to everyone who goes on them?  Is Doug right and reality shows are not designed for my enjoyment, not created to make me feel love for my fellow man but hatred and superiority?

TRUE FRIENDSHIP



I am often fascinated by the many dynamic ways friendship can form, develop and change.  Take for example those friends you don't see as often as you would like but you feel are really important to you.  There are some friendships that can be picked up as soon as you meet once more, chatting as if no time has passed at all.

Others, take time to re-adjust.  Some are awkward but in the case of people we genuinely like this is overcome.  Sometimes this is easy, sometimes not.

My Father recently went to a school re-union where he met people he had not seen for 40 years and after the initial re-aquaintence conversations everything was easy.

Friendships, to my mind move in tides.  I will spend weeks regularly meeting group x, before, for no reason I can distinguish move to group y and see little of x until that tide comes back.  I see little conscious reason for this yet it happens.

I have, over the years drifted for no reason I saw at the time from close friendship group into other close friendship groups.

Take for example my transition from a friendship group within my Form group at Secondary school, into a close friendship group with another group.  I went from spending my lunch break in my form room, to spending it in another form room.  I did not lose friendships along the way, but the focus shifted.

Now, as an adult we have groups whom we consider ourselves members.  I once heard this described at a friend's funeral as the 'Spheres of being'.  These spheres sometimes meet but often they do not, only the most priviledged members of our monkey-sphere (the 100 or so people one can actively maintain friendships with at any one time - allegedly) can move between these spheres.

Personally, I have always considered that the most priviledged of these should be one's partner.  I hold it in high regard to show someone I love every aspect of my world and in turn I would like to see more of their world.  But then there are the magical times when friends you suspected would get on, meet and hit it off as if they were old friends.  This happened to me at a party of mine about 5 years ago.

This brief pause has little to no reason for it either, merely the jotting down of some ideas for the sake of it.