Posts by George Darroch
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i still think 'babe flu' or piglet flu' would sound much nicer
In Indonesian, it's flu babi. (pron - bahbi) It makes me smile every time I hear it.
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I had the impression that the Trans era was widely hated by critics, fans, etc but there was this very informed write up in Rolling Stone...
That Neil Young was quite something!
The internet is a boon for re-examining the past, examining the documents directly rather than reviving memories of what we thought we read.
I'm looking at US newspapers from the early 19th century today. Weird.
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A great voice is a great voice, even if it's not my type of music.
It's was a very good choice of song (and I"m assuming this was her choice), with its triumphant theme and major keys.
In my other life I've done a bit of performance recently, including one that involved a couple of Down's syndrome guys. It opened my eyes and made me realise that I still held a few prejudices towards mental disabilities, despite, or because of, having a Down's syndrome uncle.
It should go without saying that being a valued member of the community shouldn't be on the basis of your appearance or mental ability, but it won't happen if we don't actively make it that way.
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Why can't anything just be good and nice and fluffy and that's all?
It was beautiful, I enjoyed it thoroughly. I also think that extrinsic to her performance, good will come of this in ever so slightly reduced discrimination against those who aren't the beautiful people.
Nothing's value-free in the world for better or worse. There's always significance in words, and power. Speaking of which, I think that one of the reasons the performance was just so attractive was the way she spoke back to Simon Cowell, and asserted her value forthrightly. It set her as an equal. I'd like to think it wasn't scripted...
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Hmm, I need to proof my comments. Or possibly spend less time bashing out comments and more writing my thesis.
Further, I meant to say that she 'proves the stereotype wrong', but the unspoken assumption is that the vast majority prove the stereotype right.
It's like the colonial native who amazes the colonisers with his talent. The power relationship is still firmly in the hands of the coloniser to recognise the worth of the person being judged.
George, we get the same thing with disability in the media all the time - watch for flag words like "despite" and "overcome" and "inspiring".
Quite.
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I found the comment on The Hand Mirror interesting - people are saying that she's succeeded despite her appearance (which is undeniable).
But it's rather that she's succeeded because of here appearance. People are saying "wow, a fat ugly slightly dim woman who can sing like an angel" (although in not so certain terms). The show takes the stereotype, holds it up, smashes it, and says 'look, this woman proves the stereotype wrong'.
From the HuffPost article quoted:
The unspoken message of this whole episode is that, since Susan Boyle has a wonderful talent, we were wrong to judge her based on her looks and demeanor. Meaning what? That if she couldn't sing so well, we were correct to judge her on that basis?
It's beautiful, because it plays on expectations while simultaneously reinforcing them.
However, I'm not being cynical. I think she's wonderful, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if she has a number one album in a number of countries (not least the UK) by the end of the year.
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Well, in Trotter's defence, not everyone is as familiar with the way blogging is understood to work as a platform. If he's thinking of it not as a whitewash but simply no longer distributing a particular (internet) publication, then what he's doing makes a manner of sense.
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Most writers don't display their drafts, notebooks etc - why should something on a blog be treated differently?
Well, once you've blogged something, it's published. Anyone can read a blog. If you want a private blog, you can restrict login, but short of that your thoughts are now public property.
I do feel some sympathy for him; I've changed my mind on various issues over time, sometimes a few weeks or days later, on the basis of new information or just thinking it over more.
But when that happens, and you've published the former opinion, the only thing to do is admit you've changed your mind, and say why. I respect that, and I suspect most right-thinking people would too. Pretending you never had the previous opinion is just lame.
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some people with dpression build up an excelent ability to mask and lie.
Totally agree. It's my experience that a decent number of those dealing with depression find life easier if they can deal with their depression in private, and not have it make the rest of their life any more complicated.
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Wouldn't it be wonderful, if tomorrow, or Monday, or this week, the nation focussed again on ending violence among people we know? And pledging not to let it happen?
Some contemplation would be nice. Instead of the reactionary thoughtlessness that spreads across the nation.