of excess and idiots

Firstly, this morning as I was on the motorway, a driver or passenger in a car ahead of me threw out his cigarette which flicked onto our windscreen and my friend who was driving started cursing them because it is dangerous - natural human instinct is to avoid something coming fast towards you, which is not something you would want to do on a motorway travelling at 70mph!

I won't be ranting at smokers, that's definitely a pet hate (so ladies, if you're interested, make sure you kick the habit before seeing me :p) but litter bugs. Why do some people think it's perfectly ok to just throw away rubbish into public space? By all means I have nothing against you littering your private house, I won't be going inside there, but don't you dare punish me with your lack of decency. It's not difficult to hold onto waste until you find a bin, heck I carry food wrappers with me until I find a bin!

Litter just brings down the area and seeing rubbish blowing on the streets is unsightly and is also damaging to the environment. Wildlife suffers as vegetation is ruined with salty food, birds die from swallowing objects, pests such as rats are drawn to it. Just think, people!

Secondly, I think in this time of recession and cut-backs, my mum is single handedly trying to reinvigorate the economy!

So the other week I come home and my mum greets me in the usual manner by saying "you need socks right?" ... this is one of those questions that women so often ask that there is only one answer to... "yes".
Then she picks up a bag with ten packs of socks in them... each pack contains 10 socks... so mum has just bought 100 socks... I could wear a new pair of socks for a third of a year without needing to use the washing machine! I look at my mum questioningly and she replies with "guess how much they were"... "oh I don't know... £1?" ... mum looks well pleased as she tells me "no no... I got them for 10p per pack".

And two days ago, I come home to find 7 mops propped up in the hallway. Once again I'm thinking "oh mum!" but I think "no, I have 3 aunts and she could be giving 2 to each of them"... I wait for my mum to return from wherever she's gone and once she does, I immediately greet her with "what are those for?". My mum always knows how to surprise me, she says "they're for us".
Yes, that's right folks, we need 7 mops in our house, our huge 3 bedroom terraced house needs these many mops. Else I'm thinking that perhaps mum now thinks I am of age and need to be trained in the secret staff martial arts that have been passed down generation to generation, I always knew there was something cool about me but could never put my finger on it.

However that wasn't the case, once again mum asks "guess how much I got them for?!". I had seen the price tag for them was £4 so I guessed at £1 each but she has a mischievous smile and says "no, I got them for 2p each".

Seriously, I think my mum can run classes on Bargain Hunting!

Now this brings me on to the point, why do some people purchase things just because they're bargains? We don't even need all of these socks and mops but because they're at such a reduced price, my mum had to buy more and yet this same woman has instilled in me the virtues of spending only what I have, throwing away unused/unneeded items, using only what I need and not giving into excess but here she acts in the opposite.

Similarly with vouchers, why do you have to use them because you have them?! Just because you have a £10 voucher for John Lewis that expires at the end of the week doesn't mean that you have to buy something whether you actually need it or not! It is not a bargain if you buy it because it's reduced, it's only a bargain if you buy something that you need that is reduced!

Is this part of a woman's psyche? Do they just disengage their logical thinking and turn into impulsive buyers? I am not the tidiest of people, in fact I'm a bit of a hoarder but I'd like to think that compared to most guys that I'm pretty good and well trained. I like to maintain some sort of order and it's not chaotic and to help, I only purchase items that I need and so my stuff doesn't pile up. But I've found guys in general are similar in that we're sensible for bulk purchases and only go for necessary items whereas women just lose the plot.

All are created equal

This is a strange concept for many yet sought after by most... or as the cynic may say it is a strange concept for those in power but sought after by everyone beneath them. I'll only touch one aspect of this today as it's a rather broad topic to rant about!

I've always wondered why some people receive so much attention. Some 'celebrities' have, what appears, no talent but yet the media hunt and expose every portion of their lives, no matter how humdrum... and possibly worst still are the mindless zombies that read the 'gossip' and are wowed by how 'normal' the lives of these people are and all the while feeding the media monster with their money.

The most recent event that has made me write this entry is the news that Jade Goody (of Big Brother fame) has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. I heard about this a week ago and felt sorry for her and her family but only with the sympathy one would show to a complete stranger however the media have leapt on this and the news has blazed on the front pages for several days.

I noticed on Facebook a group was created in support of Jade and there was one entry by someone who was astonished at the hypocrisy of how so many people who were baying for her blood not even a year ago were now supporting her with so much affection... of course he was gunned down for his comments.

I fully stand behind that guy and before I get similarly shot down, let me put my defense up.

Jade Goody came to fame through participating on Big Brother 3. She is probably one of the most famous contestants to have come out of Big Brother in all it's years ... out of notoriety. In her time inside the house, she proved herself beyond the accolade of Stupid, if I was the editor of the Oxford dictionary, I would sincerely consider creating a new word to describe the ignorance shown by her - I felt embarrassed being human, being of the same species.

An example of her level of 'intelligence' (courtesy of our mutual friend, Wikipedia):
Goody thought that the English city of Cambridge was in London. On being told that Cambridge is in East Anglia, she assumed that to be abroad, and referred to it as "East Angular".

As my friends know, geography isn't my best subject. Well, I lie a little... I know more about other countries and position in the world than I do of the geography of the UK. If someone were to tell me a city, I could hazard a cardinal direction but that would probably be the extent of my knowledge... but even I know that East Anglia is in England!

There are countless other examples that show her lack of intelligence... and to think she used to be a dental nurse!

The media were a frenzy of disdain towards her and didn't miss a chance to mock her yet she survived Big Brother for a long time and came out with the most publicity. During her time out of the house, she did what all these reality tv 'stars' do, hose shows and write books. And as most reality tv stars, she was fading out the limelight and would have fizzled out completely if she had not been constantly in womens magazines at least once a month, probably due to Max Clifford, her PR agent who must be the best person at that job, ever.

Then came a celebrity Big Brother a year or so ago where she once again showed her lack of intelligence and said some racial slurs against an Indian actress. I don't doubt that she did not mean them in the way that was emphasised by the media however one must know that certain words are at least taboo. Due to the international aspect of this, news travelled far and wide, effigies of Jade were burnt in India and there were fears for her life. So once again she became infamous.

What little she had in business was reduced as shops would not stock her goods but she remained in the limelight by doing public apologies and trying to become more cultured.

So all in all, my eulogy of Jade would be: ill-educated young woman who rose to fame through public humiliation and brought no worthwile gain to society. Not worth the paper her news is printed on.

However... the tables have turned. The public absolutely adore her and are just bursting with affection and sympathy now. She was diagnosed with cervical cancer and recently found it was terminal and she only had months to live. Obviously devestated, she revealed that she didn't want to die unwed and her boyfriend propsed to her and she was married today in a whirlwind wedding.

The heartstrings of women nationwide were plucked and played by the Pied Piper: Max Clifford, who has once again shown his brilliance in PR and generated a fortune for Jade (who in fairness has said that she's only doing this to support the two young children she'll leave behind) and there will be tv interviews and a documentary on her life now... how morbid are the legions of women? I understand the solidarity of women but must you really support this? And most importantly, why her?

She, who has shown tremendous lack of skill, is affected by a life threatening disease and is put as a poster-girl for people in her plight? Why is her life that much more important that any of the other countless women who are/have suffered with cervical cancer? Where are the millions of pounds for the woman down the road with cancer and children? Do you really need a celebrity to highlight the cause and to stir your emotions, are you that fickle? Why do people become angry at those of us who do not share the same unreasonable sympathy because we see all humans as equal?

I await to go down in flames.

Where Darwin Went Wrong

Survival of the fittest, evolving with the world to become more efficient and rising above the other animals. Sounds so simple and natural and as a race, we seem to definitely be at the top but I fear we've opened our parachute and are descending slowly.

At first it is the abilities that make you stand out from the others:- strength, agility, intelligence, size, dexterity ... but when you become so far above the rest, those traits become redundant. Can anyone honestly say they can take on a lion bare handed? With a spear? How about with your neighbours? I would put money that most wouldn't yet our Neanderthal ancestors were breathing this stuff. So we're superior to them?

We have traded most of the traits to rise above other animals through intelligence, we don't need greater numbers or strength if we can outsmart the opponent. Next time a lion comes to attack you, a shotgun will decide the outcome and will deter any other wannabe hero lions.

Intelligence is how we have survived. We have the ability to create the most wondrous inventions which can be used for good or ill depending on the morals of the user. We have become physically more lazy and take many things for granted, without even pausing to blink but has our greater intelligence actually retarded many people?

With our technology, the need to learn to progress isn't seen as a necessary drive as there is nothing to threaten us. There are plenty of able bodied people wearing white coats and pocket-protectors who are working for us and creating the goods that we will purchase to entertain us, to prevent disease and to transport us wherever we wish... so why should we bother with such mental work? We can simply work 9-5 in any fashion and bring in the money to enjoy ourselves. Heck, we don't even actually have to work! The state will pay us to be able to enjoy ourselves! All the other workers can pay us!

Slowly the moral pillars holding society decay. Most of the progress made is through good intentions - scientists and engineers enjoy their work and love to bring their creations to life because they are beneficial and helpful. Morality should be a compass that guides us to be the best of creatures and to create a better world for all.

However the other week I thought the world was coming to an end. The end of humankind. Not immediately, but definitely on the horizon.

It didn't involve nuclear weapons, natural disasters, chemicals or aliens but was my loss of faith in humanity and how we could possibly go on.

My faith in humanity is optimistic, some of my friends would call me overly optimistic, but I truly believe that goodness will prevail, morals will stand and righteousness will win... but every so often, something will hit me and make me close my eyes and wonder if I'm right.

Last week the news blazed with shock at a father, which is nothing exciting, except for the fact he was 13 years old. The mother was a 15 year old.

Just writing that has momentarily left me speechless again as I just boil with outrage at the collapse of morality that is slowly pervading our society.

The story was that the boy, Alfie, was actually 12 years of age when Chantelle became pregnant. No matter how you view that, seen from whatever angle, orientation and squinting through jam jars, none would make you see that as a normal thing to happen.

A 12 year old boy who doesn't even look as if he's even reached puberty has fathered a baby with a girl that is rumoured to be as promiscuous as a box of chocolates.

Just what do you expect the baby will grow up to? How can you have hope for future generations if they are in an environment where such events can occur? What were the parents of these children thinking? How can they allow such behaviour? Why did they think this was acceptable?

So many questions and more but all of which will remain unanswered as it seems events such as this is not that uncommon and the outrage of people do not even register on their moral radar, perhaps nowadays they are born defective.

A few days later, reports come out suggesting that the boy may not in fact be the father but there are several other potential boys not that much older and it was Chantelle's parents who had suggested to frame Alfie for the shock value and increased media revenue.

Again, I have paused in stunned silence at this and cannot write the emotions that I feel. Despicable is probably the most diplomatic of language that I can say and I daren't say anymore.

Back to my point, would such people be successful in natural selection? One would hope not but with the increasing rate of such incidents, one has to wonder. Have people just degenerated into greed to such an extent that morality has no governance or even any presence? What will these people bring to the future generations, the future of our world? What kind of example are they setting to the young and impressionable? Have we gone so far with our intelligence that we are degrading the people into mindless drones that are falling back to primal urges who do not think of consequences?

Our morality has broken evolution. If we were to follow it's course, such people would have been culled and sometimes I wish that I were like these people, without morals and with a shotgun. What can we do to stem this? In my frustration, I would simply neuter children at birth and reverse it on assessment of the child as they turn 18 and so selectively progress mankind through the genes of those who wish to touch the heavens.

I'm sighing as I am coming to an end of my rant, the injustice of the world must be weathered and just hope that it doesn't chip away at your own morals.