I was reading http://www.spiked-online.com/Articles/0000000CA518.htm. I loved the line [Michael Howard] jumps on any bandwagon that seems to be going somewhere, then promptly falls off on the first bend. I think this describes most of our political elite. What I find amusing is that the lack of credible opposition was also a feature of the whole Thatcher era but everyone seems to have forgotten it.

At Powergen we get copies of the local Nottingham newspaper. Over the past couple of weeks we’ve had:

  1. Students nearly drove me to suicide
  2. Let’s fine youngsters who are causing trouble
  3. Police swoop on yobs on stolen motorbikes
  4. Lots and lots of gun crime stories

I worry about the journalists who write for this rag. They are what would used to be called reactionary and very backward looking. They promote some kind of victim culture where all people do is whine about how bad the world has treated them and call for someone else to do something. Why not:

Confront other people’s lack of consideration (in a friendly, open way)?

Show others how you feel and actually talk to them? Most people are very reasonable and contrite if you approach them in a spirit of friendliness and openness, allowing them to realise that they are perhaps in the wrong without shouting it at them.

No, just complain to some raggedy-arsed journo who uses your whining story to paint you into victimhood. Then the Chief Plod can start screaming for fines for 8 year olds. The other problem with victimhood is that it doesn’t move you on; you just stay a victim and the “other” person stays an enemy – not a lot of use, is it?

I didn’t see, anywhwere, calls for creating community programmes that would give these kids a positive focus. Oh no, that would mean doing something other than complain that someone else isn’t doing something, but you don’t know what. That said, a positive approach could mean spending some cash, and it’ll all be in the wrong fuckwit budget. For example, I know that one of the local schools has a brand-new sports hall that they can’t use because heating and staffing it is too expensive. They lost half of their playing fields getting it built and it’s a white elephant. Oddly, this hasn’t appeared in the local paper, maybe I need to go on a victim hunt for them.

I’m not defending louts – I can’t stand them either. But if people have somewhere to go and something to do they might stop being loutish and excluded. How does fining kids achieve anything? Well, I suppose it allows Chief Plod to be seen do be doing something, but solving nothing. Solving problems, being kind, being human; it’s not hard, but it’s not fashionable.

Another blog – gender issues without the anti-men thing

I found http://battlinbog.blog-city.com really interesting. In particular have a look at the article he links to: http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/2000/05/sommers.htm.