zeitgeist

I cant possibly keep up with the glut of “current affairs commentary” blawgs but there have been so many stories swilling around the media today relevant to divided by law that it would be a shame not to make some representations...



First all-black cast of Eastenders? Branded as a momentous step in mainstream television. Make of it what you will: The issues that will apparently be discussed may be very interesting for some kind of contextualisation but in the reasons behind such stunts is probably not as attractive. Perhaps the first cast which is truly reflective of Poplar/ All Saints Estate multiculture might be a little less celebrated.

The implosion of Royal Mail? More on the employment side here. The postal service is losing out because its no longer the best form of communication. Think of the jobs that will be lost when people realise its becoming obsolete!... privatisation may actually be the best way for the economy to realise the relevance of a dying form of communication however harsh it might seem in the mid-short term. Everyone’s looking at what we can do to save it – rather than why it needs to be saved (or rather why it needs to be allowed to slip away over the next 20 years or so).

Does University Challenge really test intelligence? Well done the Sun. You’ve established that an academically acclaimed individual is not a swot on pop-culture. Ironically anyone who doesn’t read the Sun with a pinch of salt is probably not in a good position to judge intelligence. But still what an arbitrary question to be posed by the BBC. They forget that there is a massive difference between intelligence and knowledge. I detect a bit of jealousy, or this new uneducated class snobbery (university of life etc). Everyone knows redbrick’s have no place on UC, not everyone cares.

Culture of aparteid? Another damning indictment. The list in this article is pretty revealing. The police seems to be a bit of an anomaly for racism. Probably because it’s hierarchy and slang culture are rather similar to the army. It says something about the racist minority who seek to become police officers too. It’s a pity that Scotland Yard are so ardently defensive. The cost of their pride in an exposure is easily outweighed by the benefits of proper and thorough inquiry: How old is this story going to get?

Summer of rage? I cant get “28 days later” out of my head now. I’ll start hoarding tinned food and keeping a hatchet by my bed then... or invest in a remote Scottish house…