Outrageous times
Herself likes listening to Joe Duffy on the radio.
For those who are blessed with ignorance of Holy Joe, he hosts an afternoon phone-in programme on RTE where people ring up and blather about their problems.
I have worked with Joe and he's an affable genial type of bloke, however for some reason I just cannot stand his manner or the sound of his voice on the radio. He has the same effect on my ears as a cat fight in an oil drum, or the screech of Bono singing. Herself likes him though and that's fine. We ain't joined at the hip.
She was telling me about today's programme and apparently there was a load of calls in from outraged listeners about Paddy Power [the bookies] taking bets on the outcome of some murder trial in South Africa. Some sports bloke is accused of murdering his wife or his girlfriend or something and I presume the verdict is imminent?
Now I am a complete loss to understand why people are getting het up over a bookie taking odds. Of the people who phone in to Holy Joe, how many are directly affected by the bet? None. If they find it distasteful [as I do], then why get worked up over it? Just fucking ignore it. Bookies odds are between the bookie and the punter and it is no one else's business, and if you don't like it, just ignore it.
Also there are a lot of people who have worked up a considerable head of steam over the choosing of Ireland's Eurovision entry. Why? I cannot fathom how people get so worked up over a contest that has descended to the level of farce. It has become a parody of itself and has about as much to do with music as a politician has to integrity or honesty. It is intensely boring and irrelevant but people still get worked up over it.
But then this seems to be the era of outrage. Someone types something inane on Twitter or someone pens so lyrics to a ghastly pop song and people are immediately outraged. I cannot give a flying shite what people say on twitter or screech into a microphone provided it isn't about me and isn't libelous and I am baffled by those who seem to think it's their business.
I do suffer from the odd occasional burst of outrage myself, I do confess, but only about things which affect me personally or those who I hold dear. And my circle of personal space certainly does not include sportsmen in South Africa or the Eurovision Song Contest. People can say or do what they like about those and I will ignore all, as it is none of my business.
I am quite outraged by all this petty phony outrage.
I think I'll complain to Holy Joe Duffy about it tomorrow.
All the outraged are sado/masochists.They ignore the off switch on the radio or whatever is causing the ire,they then insist on inflicting their "outrage" on anybody prepared to listen.
The masses must be kept occupied with "important" items like inane contests and celebrity trials, celebrity is used very loosely in this case. That keeps their minds off of inconvenient details like unemployment, armed invasions, massively corrupt politicians. I realize the description of politicians as been corrupt is redundant.
Indeed, game shows and celebrity trials in our time perform the same function as gladiatorial contests and throwing christians to the lions did during the good old days of the Roman Empire. Same goes for the razzmatazz Eurovision song contest.
Listeners who are outraged should switch off the darn radio, and tv for that matter, and go outside to listen to the singing of the wild birds. I like your equating the sound of cats fighting in a barrel with the sounds of Bono. One thing in favour of squalling cats is that they don't put their money in offshore accounts. If you don't care for Bono you could try Bach and Beethoven.
Who is Bono? /sarc. Not the world's best rock vocalist methinks.