Chavtastic July 15, 2008
Posted by Sharny in : Essay, Rants, Society , add a commentI was just reading this article and it kinda gave me a good talking point for something I’ve wanted to write about for a while because I had heard it elsewhere and really wanted to take issue with it.
Here’s my problem, the authors of this article basically make the point that the word Chav is about class hatred, from the middle (and possibly higher I suppose) to the working class. But the thing is, I’ve grown up as the whole concept of a Chav has been born, I’ve gone to school with them, I have been friends with them. Don’t try to tell me that some middle aged journalist has any kind of clue about what a Chav really is. I’m making a few assumptions here (I don’t know how old the writers are, or that they are necessarily journalists) but actually you can’t get that much closer to the experience than people my age so either way I’m more qualified.
A Chav is not, as this article seems to be saying, a derogatory term for the lower classes. No, it’s a social stereotype.
Now, the thing about a social stereotype is that it involves choice. Chavs choose to wear track suits and strangely angled baseball caps, ultimately they choose to do the things they are often criticized for (vandalism, teenage drinking etc), even though I know most of them have plenty of fucked up behind their actions.
Admittedly, the working class and chavness is far from mutually exclusive but it is not the same thing. So really I’m just sick of people who clearly have no clue what they are talking about putting forth their opinions to the world, trying to convince the politically correct that chav is some kind of no no. Discriminating against someone for something that is neither a fault nor within their control (eg Skin colour, social class) is completely wrong, there are no two ways about it. The examples in the article include Faggot, Pikey and Nigger. These are all words based around insulting someone based on something that is not only unchangeable but also is not wrong in any way. But a chav puts themselves into a stereotype, they weren’t born that way, they don’t have no choice and yes, there are a lot of negative connotations to the chav image, connotations that you have to accept when you take on that image.
As someone who is into metal, I wear darker clothes and band t shirts to indicate an allegiance, I buy into a stereotype in order to tell those around me something about myself. Usually it’s that I don’t like the same shit they listen to (which does include probably the majority of the general public’s view of metal but I deal with that). But I’m perfectly aware of the downsides of stereotyping myself, I choose to do it though, anyone who buys into any stereotype chooses to do it and if that choice results in criticism then you just have to deal with it.
No one should need political correctness to back up their choices, you can either try and explain to others your choice or ignore what you know is their ignorance. In this case, it would seem like the ignorance is coming from those that claim to be politically correct, which, isn’t very surprising to be honest. Personally, if I felt that I were lower class (I’m not rich but come from a reasonably middle class background so I’m not really one or the other) I would be offended by the fact that this article makes the assumption that Working Class = Chav, when in fact that’s just not the way things work.
Hi Big Brother May 22, 2008
Posted by Sharny in : Essay, Rants, World , add a commentSo I’ve just been reading this and it is worrying me greatly. I’m gonna quote a bit from the article and talk about it general because the whole idea is quite simply ridiculous and I definitely need to point it out.
The proposal will raise further alarm about a “Big Brother” society, as it follows plans for vast databases for the ID cards scheme and NHS patients.
Further alarms about a Big Brother society? No, this IS a Big Brother society. The moment that the government holds records of all digital activities a person makes is the moment that we become a Big Brother society. It’s quite simple.
And then of course, there is the governments excellent track record when it comes to data security. It’s actually more a case of What data security? This is the same people that lose disks filled with personal information on a regular basis and they think they can look after every detail of every communication any person makes? They must be fucking retarded.
Actually, on that note, I think they are fucking retarded. Other ingenious ideas for stopping crime and terrorism included putting microphones in lamp posts. I think I can sum up the problem with that in a single quote from satire quiz Mock the week (slightly paraphrased, it was a long time ago) “Lets go and discuss our evil plans in this brightly lit area”.
Exactly how stupid the government think terrorists and criminals are continues to astound me. Do they somehow think that just because they’re on the internet that they can openly discuss their next targets? Are they silly enough to think of email as a secure way of discussing their dastardly deeds? OF COURSE THEY DON’T. The literal bumbling idiocy of our aged and confused government officials never ceases to astound me.
I cannot see what right the government have to do this, not only would they be unlikely to keep the data secure but all it would do is breach the privacy of 60 billion people. Along side that you might catch Johnny who has been selling a bit of weed on street corners and Rob who vandalized a signpost. Yeah, that’s really worth the privacy of those people.
I don’t want this “safety”. Of course I don’t think that terrorism should be overlooked, of course people’s safety is important but lets face it, we’ve had a hand full of terrorist incidents in this country with relatively low death counts. Terrorism is only threatening if you let the fear control you. That is what terrorism is. Terrorists want to destroy our society and our freedoms and that is exactly what you are doing for them. They sacrifice a few bombers, kill 50 people and suddenly its time to watch every citizen of this country so closely that you can tell everything that’s happened to them.
No. That’s not what’s going to happen. As a people we must be stronger than this, as easy as it is to piss away your personal freedoms and let Mr Big Government protect you with their shiny database and nifty lamp post mics we can’t let it happen. Why would we want to live in a country where every innocent person lives in fear of being dragged away because of a joke in an email?
Again, I’m not saying we shouldn’t try and stop terrorism. I’m just saying that there is no reason for us to lose personal freedoms over it. In fact, the best way to beat it is a united front of positivity.
Take away your fear and the terrorists lose.
The Cause of Global Warming is Irrelevant October 22, 2007
Posted by Sharny in : Environment, Essay, Rants, Thoughts , 2 commentsOk. I’ll admit it. I am a bit of an environmentalist. I am concerned about the future of this planet. I am worried about the amount of fossil fuels we use and the wasteful attitudes of our society.
But if there is one thing I am really sick of, it’s this on going fight between lazy assed people and hippies about what the cause of global warming is. I’m here to tell you right now. IT DOESN’T FUCKING MATTER.
Of course, to start with, no one knows what is the cause of this increase in global temperature that we are having. The systems of this planet are very complex and we have difficulty really knowing what the fuck is going on with them. Ultimately it doesn’t matter what side of the line you stand, you still don’t know. I personally think it is a bit too convenient a coincidence that as we start releasing a load of locked up carbon and destroying the things that get rid of it the world starts getting hotter. But at the same time, I perfectly understand that this is by no means proof and really I don’t want to discuss the whole are we/aren’t we causing global warming.
If we are the cause of global warming then our burning of fossil fuels probably comes top of the reasons for this. All we really use this stuff for is fuel: to make our electricity; to run our cars and to cook our meals. Perhaps one of the biggest worries for some of us westerners is the ever increasing price of oil and how much of an effect this can have on our lives.
Now, no matter how you look at it, this is a simple issue of supply and demand. As more nations industrialise and populations increase demand (as it currently stands) can really do nothing but go up. On the other hand, supply is constantly going down. There is most definitely a finite amount of fossil fuels. This means that the price of this fuels will rise over the long term.
On an individual basis
Most of the things the average person can do to reduce what is currently becoming known as your “carbon footprint” involve saving energy in many different ways. A lot of these things are very easy and can be done without some massive overhaul. Ok, lets see less energy used = less money spent. As the money required for energy goes up this is going to be more noticeable in terms of the chunk coming out of your pocket.
Lets recap: Easy ways to save energy -> less energy used -> more money to spend on other things.
Now, I don’t even see how global warming needs to come anywhere near this. It’s just common sense. Yet for some reason lots of people object to the mere suggestion of this. I know you’re stubborn and demand for everything to be your way but this really has no downside. Well, it might cut 1 minute out of your day that you could be spending reading motivational lists on self improvement blogs. Damn, wouldn’t that be a shame.
On a national level
Ok, so I’ve covered why the causes of global warming are irrelevant and in fact why global warming needn’t even play a part in this stuff. Now its time for coverage of this irrelevance at a national level. Again, we mostly rely on fossil fuels and they will run out, some of them potentially within my lifetime. This leaves at the point - what are we going to do when the fuel all runs out? Renewable energy of course. Now, given that potentially we are the cause of global warming, wouldn’t it make sense to get on with the whole renewable energy plan before we actually run out?
So the idea is simple. America - end the war in Iraq, it is costing you millions upon millions every single day. Not only is it a waste of young life out there in the army but that money could be used to treat the sick, to get scholarships into college, to end hunger and make the world a more stable place. So, with all that money you save you can start researching ways to produce energy without the need of any fossil fuels.
Many solutions already exist. It is already very theoretically possible to power the whole of the UK on a series of wind compressing turbines out in the sea. Good because compressed air is easy to transport, easy to store and also good because some pompous middle class woman in a country village somewhere can’t complain about those “ugly” wind turbines ruining her view. Relatively inexpensive changes by the government could pay themselves off very quickly in terms of energy saving.
A further bonus for governments of acting on this crisis is that it would greatly lessen the hold that some countries influence on the west due to their sources of fossil fuels. Really, it’s our reliance on these things that makes us weak in our opinion. It would really take very little to bring the west to its knees, just take away it’s energy. You’re worried about looking weak to terrorists? Well guess what, you already look weak because you rely so heavily on something that’s running out.
Conclusion
If you want to keep up this pointless argument just because your ego makes it that important then you can. But ultimately, stop using your lack of “belief” in global warming as an excuse for your laziness. Get off your ass and make some changes, you are effectively throwing away money. Get off your ass and put pressure on your government to make changes to the sources of its energy in order to have indefinite energy and greater security due to not needing foreign oil. No, this is not someone else’s job. This is for you to do and I am sick of everyone pretending that it’s not.
Edit: Just stumbled on an interesting post that has done some of the maths along the lines of what I outlined (spending the money the US spent on Iraq on solving energy problems). Link: How Far could 68B go in securing our energy independence? Over here in the UK I think there is much more promise in wind energy rather than solar but for a country like the US (certainly large parts of it) there’s a lot to be said for solar power.
