Watching TV with aged relatives over the last few days, as that is what they still do, it became obvious to me what a miserable existence we have left our elderly with in this aspect. Unable to do such things as subscribe to Netflix and listen to podcasts, instead they are subject to the banality of terrestrial free to air TV, or as I like to call it, HarveyNormanLand. Endless adverts repeating time and time again, banging on about discounts on lounge suites and vacuum cleaners, the same earnest but irritating voices urging consumers to buy, buy, buy, at never to be repeated low prices, interspersed with short breaks between adverts of miserable news about rapes, murders, car accidents, wars, and an inevitable story about a cat who likes to bring home socks.
It is banality hell, and yet wandering through the old people’s homes, past their bedrooms, they are all tuned to TVNZ One, watching the Chase every night, waiting for the News but dreading the News, listening to the Bradley Walsh set them a target that that they cannot catch, shortly followed by a Chaser that wipes the floor with the team of four, and their dreams of winning cash and a holiday to see far off countries slides gently down the tubes of despair and irrelevancy, before unleashing another bulletin of yet more rapes, murders, car accidents, wars, and some obligatory story about how Christmas has been rained out up North, but this hasn’t spoiled the fun for Fred and Rose, stranded in a camp site and rained out, but still happy, and now its time for some more stories about rapes, murders, car accidents, wars, after this break for some commercials featuring sausages on sale at Pack n Save. It is a living hell, only to be relieved, hopefully, one day when the torment of growing old and being kept alive by endless pharmaceuticals ends and their poor old ancient bodies can rest at last.
It’s hell, on earth. And yet the people on TV sing songs of Joy to the World in a Christmas special from Westminster Abbey, with Wills and Kate, and inevitable stories of plucky disabled children who have risen and shone despite their adversity.
And yet I find it hard to concentrate on Bradley and the Chase while all around the world people are being treated appallingly, or are treating others appallingly, or literally bombing the shit out of each other, endlessly, either by merciless dictators in Russia or evil bastards in Israel or stupid Senators in the USA who are too stupid to vote for anyone other than that orange-faced buffoon with a pathological inability to do anything else other than lie and bullshit, and sometimes I really just do need to have a nice story about a cat who steals socks because the real world is just all too hard and nasty. Peace on Earth. Wouldn’t that be a nice thing to have…
No more please. Time for some Peace, on Earth.
Happy New Year to you, Cap’n, and thanks for all the chum. We’re an odd school of fish swimming about in your wake, but I’m looking forward to another few leagues yet.
I suggest you top up your ballast and descend below periscope depth for a few leagues. By then the Thumb, Vlad and the giant orange squid might have drifted away – or at least shrunk a bit in the wash..
Good advice Starkive ! I’m making a break for the border – the beach being the UN approved demilitarized zone between surf and turf. As you say, periscope down, and bubble away beneath the waves, listening to the fish fart and the birds banter. Time for a break away from the old folks home. I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.
Try again
Fail again
Fail better
Cheer up, misery tits – it’s better than Palmerston North according to a Mr J Cleese
You most likely have full use of your limbs and are living in a first world country (yes, debatable) employed in a knowledge industry, freed from breaking your body physically on the wheel of capitalism
The world has been going to hell in a handcart since Roman times
World population looks to be stabilising,less people are living in poverty every year
Sure, they are blowing the shit out of each other in various places but it’s not everywhere, remember Gaza is only about as big as the Hutt Valley and wouldn’t any rational person be happy to see the Hutt get detonated?
If there could be a side skirmish in Karori such that it got irradiated, that would be the icing on the cake
Nuke it from orbit, it’s the only way to be sure
Everyone dies – not everyone lives
Thanks 60 for those bracing words – like a slap in the face to wake me up to reality. Yes, I was thinking to go out to the beach and sit in the sun for a while but when I woke up it was fog / low cloud, so I might just continue hiding under a rock for a few more days yet… but as you say, I’ve got all my limbs and fins and will be just fine.
Good luck for the New Year. I hope you get something you want.
Oh bugger. Bloody spammers. That’s the first one of those that has got through for a while – I’d better kill it pronto !!
Meanwhile in the public policy saltmines, a rather good article about NZ planning for housing, transport, et al
Personally I prefer a land tax to a wealth tax per se but a good bit of thinking for those who are starved of real news in this silly season
https://www.interest.co.nz/public-policy/125989/brendon-harre-circles-back-and-expands-his-analysis-why-central-and-local