A voice in the wilderness
One of the things I find rather sad about the Interweb is that it deludes people into thinking they have a “voice”.
I know I can be accused of hypocrisy here, but I am under no illusions – I don’t for a moment think people are waiting on my word to change their lives. Maybe I give a chuckle here or a thought to ponder there but that’s it. I ain’t gonna change the world when only a billionth of the population reads my utterings.
There are various “movements” set up around the place however that seem to think they have the power to change the world.
There is a group somewhere [can’t remember its name. Avast? Something like that] that keeps mailing me telling me that I only have a couple of hours left to sign an on-line petition to save the whales, or the Gold Standard or the plight of women in Iran or whatever the fuck they think is the cause of the moment. Do these people really think this makes a difference? Do they really think that a couple of million clicks on a screen means anything?
Then there are the “causes”.
I did a quick sniff around and found quite a few of these rather vague and ephemeral causes. One is “World Bloggers Day”. I haven’t the faintest idea what its cause or purpose is. Apparently it took place last May without a mention anywhere it must have been a real earth-shattering event?
There is another one that happens sometime around now. I found mention of it somewhere but can’t find it now. If I remember correctly it is supposed to be a day when every “blogger” in the world writes about World Peace? Even supposing they/we/I do then what will be the outcome? Fuck all. Are the Taliban going to hang up their weapons because Grandad says that peace is better? Are the Israelis going to bin their nuclear weapons because someone in Guatemala wrote a poignant post about war being wrong? Are they hell!
One thing I know is happening now is the tackily named “Movember”. This is supposed to be an hilariously clever merging of the words “moustache” and “November”. This is the month where all men are supposed to grow moustaches in the name of charity. This is the month where men are supposed to “get in touch with their feminine side”. [My feminine side is currently pottering around in her shed and I have no wish to “get in touch” with her just at the moment. I’m enjoying the peace.] It is supposed to make me “aware” of prostate cancer and my general health. I would have them know that I am well aware of my health and the state of my prostate and the fact that I have a hirsute upper lip for over forty years has fuck all to do with anything.
I shall continue to stick my little scribbles up on this quiet little backwater of the Interweb. I don’t expect to change anything. I don’t expect my name to appear in the history books. This site will never be stored in some digital museum as “the site that saved the world”.
I know my place.
Good for you matey. Reality is a concept that seems to escape far too many people.
Rather unfortunately, the ones who actually have a voice (generally by dint of shouting loud and long) have a tendency to try to mould reality to their own idea of what it should be, rather than what it actually is. Usually to the detriment of others.
It's a conundrum. Those who garner the power to influence events seem always to be the ones who least deserve it.
And as for "Movember", and "getting in touch with your feminine side", who the fuck came up with that arsewipery? Jeez, there are obviously some people around with far too much time on their hands…
So growing a tash puts us men in touch with our feminine side? Seems a bit odd. My missus will be shaving hers off now.
'only a billionth of the population read my utterings.'
Oh, but what a billionth! The best and finest or the worlds most cantankerous gits and gitesses. As for the upper lip, mine has been known to make badgers fall in love at a thousand paces or more. Pure bloody girl bait! Oh, I can feel my feminine side right now, but it feels like the biggerst old load of B*ll*cks I have come across in a long time.
mo sista..*snork* shouldn't have read that while sipping my beer..
As long as you keep writing Gandad we who love ya will keep on reading.
Oh, and in a post a few weeks ago I said you were the only blog I read and you were pleased but a bit surprised and sceptical, so I just wanted to confirm that you are indeed the only blog I read. So please don't stop writing because you have a great effect on my life, for what it's worth.
I get the same type of things via email all the time. I tell ya' it makes me pine for the days when all this crap via snail mail. Then, at least, I could use the stuff for starting the wood stove in the Winter. Now, all you can do is delete it from your inbox.
Now, is it me or have your last 3 posts been rather vacant of comments? perhaps that new anti-spam plugin is working too good?
In case someone visits this page in the future [hah!] there is a slight discrepancy here.
The post claims there are 12 comments, but the more astute will notice that there are in fact only 7 [including this one]. You will also notice that I seem to have rudely ignored all the above comments.
In fact I did leave comments individually but the fucking server went and ate them all and I can't remember what I sad.
I blame the anti-smokers………