Today was July 3rd 2015. At 12 noon, everyone stopped what they were doing and stood for one minute, to remember the fallen from last Friday's massacre in Sousse, Tenerife.
So, why did we bother?
Over the past century, as a nation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has been getting better at valuing life. It began after The First World War; instead of dumping into mass graves the carcasses of soldiers slaughtered in battle, each was afforded his own individual plot and headstone. Fabian Ware and Neville Macready, after pointing out the blatant class distinction, when fallen officers were repatriated yet other ranks were buried unceremoniously in unmarked graves, founded the War Graves Commission. For the first time, each life lost was counted, documented and respectfully buried. At the end of the war, the Unknown Warrior was repatriated to represent all those fallen who could not be identified, and a day was set aside, each year, to remember them.
And so it continued, right up until the Falklands War in the early 1970s; British soldiers killed abroad were buried in military cemeteries, often created for the event.
Maybe it was the Northern Ireland conflict that changed this habit; soldiers were close enough to home to be repatriated. Whatever the reason, at major conflicts thereafter, those killed were repatriated, their deaths medically and forensically investigated, and their military graves began to appear in the churchyards of The United Kingdom, not on "some corner of a foreign field".
The loss off life became personal and public when, because a runway was being resurfaced, the fallen from the conflicts of the 21st century began to be repatriated through a little Wiltshire town called Wootton Bassett. Percy Miles, a British Legion member, was chatting with friends on the High Street when they noticed one of the first of these hearses pass by. They stopped their conversation, turned and stood in respectful silence as the hearse passed; and they decided then and there that they wanted to do more.
It could have been anywhere, but this small town, without a bypass to anonymise the repatriations, became a byword for honour and respect. Its name spread worldwide, and when the airbase at Lyneham closed in 2012, sending the repatriated coffins on a different route, the town was renamed by letters patent: Royal Wootton Bassett.
A later development has been the appeal from funeral directors for attendees at the funerals of old soldiers who have died with few or no known relatives to attend their funerals. Hundreds now turn out for these send-offs. Why, you might ask? Because those still living, whose lives are similarly adrift from all they once knew and loved, know that their kind are respected and honoured.
A belated, yet heartfelt review of other tragedies follows. Those whose lives were lost in a stadium, where careless neglect or ignorance of risk ended the lives of many and who were denied full closure, because of the fears of those responsible for their own well-being. We are learning, slowly but surely, that every life has incalculable worth, and where they are put at risk, or lost, answers must be given.
And now, to those who chose to go and fight, we add the hapless victims of conflict: targets, mown down on the beach where they were enjoying a much looked forward to holiday. Their families are changed forever. Their futures have been stolen; but the ripples of their existence will continue to touch lives for many years to come. Every single one is precious; and the World knows that we care.
And this is why, at 12 noon today, everyone stopped what they were doing and stood silently for one minute; because we will never be able to calculate the loss of these lives, to families, to communities and to the world.
Friday, 3 July 2015
Wednesday, 1 July 2015
The Beautiful People
We see them every now and then, here in Wiltshire: The Beautiful People. They are the ones who, if they populated the whole Earth, it would be safe.
Link: How many Earths would be needed if everyone had your lifestyle?
You can't recognise a Beautiful Person just by looking at them. Yes, many of them dress in a bohemian style, wear their hair at lengths that would get them on the 'reject' pile for many office jobs, and would have no idea what's in fashion this season; but there are too many imitators to be sure that the person you are looking at is One of the Beautiful People.
You will find both The Beautiful People and their imitators: The Ugly People, at Druidic High Holidays,such as the Summer and Winter Solstices, Beltane and Alban Elfed. The Beautiful People and The Ugly People will wander together around the stones of Stonehenge and the fires of Beltane, indistinguishable. But if you watch closely, you will soon see which is which.
The Beautiful People will stow their empty water bottle back in their bag. The Ugly People will toss theirs aside once it's empty. The Beautiful People will walk away and you will not know they have been. The Ugly People will walk away, leaving their trail of litter behind them. For the Ugly People, it's someone else's job to clean up after them.
After all, these places are for everyone. Many just want to say they've been there, to witness The Summer Solstice; to see The Northern Lights; to watch the total eclipse of the sun; and that's fine; if they can learn to behave like The Beautiful People, or already do, then they are not The Ugly People. If they let go of so much as a toffee wrapper at one of our precious, ancient sites, then walk away leaving someone else to pick it up, they are, most definitely, one of The Ugly People.
When the festivities are done, many of The Beautiful People will stay behind, to help clean up the mess left by The Ugly People, even knowing that The Ugly People will turn up again, next time, to soil and pollute the sacred sites again. The Beautiful People don't complain; they are too busy caring.
I love The Beautiful People.
I just wish that The Ugly People wore their ugliness on the outside, so we could bar them at the gate.
Link: Litter at Stonehenge
Link: How many Earths would be needed if everyone had your lifestyle?
You can't recognise a Beautiful Person just by looking at them. Yes, many of them dress in a bohemian style, wear their hair at lengths that would get them on the 'reject' pile for many office jobs, and would have no idea what's in fashion this season; but there are too many imitators to be sure that the person you are looking at is One of the Beautiful People.
You will find both The Beautiful People and their imitators: The Ugly People, at Druidic High Holidays,such as the Summer and Winter Solstices, Beltane and Alban Elfed. The Beautiful People and The Ugly People will wander together around the stones of Stonehenge and the fires of Beltane, indistinguishable. But if you watch closely, you will soon see which is which.
The Beautiful People will stow their empty water bottle back in their bag. The Ugly People will toss theirs aside once it's empty. The Beautiful People will walk away and you will not know they have been. The Ugly People will walk away, leaving their trail of litter behind them. For the Ugly People, it's someone else's job to clean up after them.
After all, these places are for everyone. Many just want to say they've been there, to witness The Summer Solstice; to see The Northern Lights; to watch the total eclipse of the sun; and that's fine; if they can learn to behave like The Beautiful People, or already do, then they are not The Ugly People. If they let go of so much as a toffee wrapper at one of our precious, ancient sites, then walk away leaving someone else to pick it up, they are, most definitely, one of The Ugly People.
When the festivities are done, many of The Beautiful People will stay behind, to help clean up the mess left by The Ugly People, even knowing that The Ugly People will turn up again, next time, to soil and pollute the sacred sites again. The Beautiful People don't complain; they are too busy caring.
I love The Beautiful People.
I just wish that The Ugly People wore their ugliness on the outside, so we could bar them at the gate.
Link: Litter at Stonehenge
Saturday, 10 January 2015
Keeping Women In Their Place
Charlie Hebdo
As I write, the horrific Charlie Hebdo killings are still on the TV news. The male gang members are dead, and the female is still at large. What prompted me to write today, was the BBC News narrator's description of the female, after having said she was armed and highly dangerous, he said she was the girlfriend of one of the gang members. I wondered whether, if the male in the relationship was at large instead of her, he would have been described as "the boyfriend of...". I doubt it, especially as such relationships are frowned upon in Islam.
There are Women where once there were only Men
The BBC has women fronting the news, the sports and narrating documentaries, where once there would have been only men. Sports viewers were quick to complain when Mark Lawrenson said Sergio Romero "should have put a skirt on" after Romero's weak attempt on goal. The BBC wisely spiked Colin Murray's sexist comment about Jessica Ennis, which prompted calls for more positive coverage of women in sport.
I pick on the BBC's usage, rather than the commercial channels, because it is our BBC. We pay for it. Its mission statement is to inform, educate and entertain whilst being independent, impartial and honest.
There's been some progress
In the promotion of equal treatment for women, the BBC produces some excellent documentaries and, I am sure, strives to be even-handed in recruitment and selection (though I have not researched this); though there have been reports that once female presenters start to look old, they are kicked into touch; and while ageing, balding, grey-haired men continue to front the news, the women who sit alongside them seem to be younger, trim-bodied and wrinkle-free. Maybe, to quote W.S. Gilbert, they just wear well.
Getting the wording right
The BBC is skilled at avoiding sexist phrases. Talking about women's work, the weaker sex, or expressions of surprise at a woman's achievements are, it seems, things of the past. The word "girl" has been banned as a description of an adult female. However, the sexism persists. I doubt many viewers noted that the woman in the terrorist gang in Paris was assigned the role of "girlfriend" despite being Muslim (no girlfriends allowed), an adult female, an apparent full member of the gang, armed, dangerous and at large.
BBC Sports Coverage
What surprises me more is how the BBC gets away with announcing sports on its main channels and in the news. "The football results" consist entirely of the men's game, unless the women's national team happen to have got to a World Cup quarter final. Rugby, cricket, golf, football, are all, by default, the men's games. Footballer of the Year is actually Male Footballer of the Year. The last time it was awarded, not to a Briton, footage of his grinning face receiving the trophy was followed (without visuals) by "the women's title went to..."
But this is not a given. Any sport that has taken the trouble to include men's and women's competition within one tournament has gained equal coverage and status for males and females alike. Where this has not happened, only the male competition receives serious interest, and the BBC happily goes along with that sport's agenda of ignoring (and, in consequence, underpaying) its female participants. They give prime time, prime channel space to the men's competitions, consigning the women to an online channel, BBC3, or ignoring them entirely.
Caring and Sharing and Bad Journalism
It is an inescapable fact that, across society, women do the majority of the caring while men gain most of the status and tangible rewards. However, whilst acknowledging this, and applauding those who do both of these well, things could change. The current situation should not be the base that informs how the media portrays women, but should be a goad to promote change. Commenting on women's bodies and dress sense, while commenting on men's goals and achievements should be viewed as bad journalism and bad for one's CV. The Olympic Committee has forced countries that oppress females to allow women to enter The Games, or be excluded entirely. Golf clubs hosting the British Open have been shamed into allowing women members. Why not extend this principle to UK politics? Political parties with any affiliated club or group that excludes women, or any other innate characteristic, should not be permitted to stand for election. That would wake them up.
When Racism was Normal
There was a time when it was acceptable, even normal, to use racist language, not only in conversation, but on the media and in sit-coms. Before that, there was a time when it was acceptable, even normal, to refuse entry, or lodgings, to blacks, gypsies, Irish, etc. None of this is now acceptable or normal. It didn't happen overnight. The change came about because one or two people began to challenge what was acceptable, what was normal; they often did this at some risk to their reputations, careers and their own safety.
Thankfully, racist behaviours are no longer acceptable; no longer considered normal; and no political party that harbours hope of gaining power would dream of allowing their representatives to say or do anything that implies anyone, apart from their political opponents, is of lesser worth.
I'm Watching!
I shall continue to watch and monitor the progress of sexism in broadcasting. I doubt anyone will pay any attention to my sarcastic tweets about BBC sports coverage, or my occasional rant her on the Blogger; but sometimes, one drop more water sets the bucket moving; one more straw breaks the camel's back; one small stone starts and avalanche. This is a long battle; while voices are crying out about the oppression of Islamic women being forced to cover up, a hotel manager forces a breastfeeding mother to put a tablecloth over her baby's head, and only men may remove their tops unless they are on a beach, without fear of arrest. It's a funny old world; so why aren't I laughing?
As I write, the horrific Charlie Hebdo killings are still on the TV news. The male gang members are dead, and the female is still at large. What prompted me to write today, was the BBC News narrator's description of the female, after having said she was armed and highly dangerous, he said she was the girlfriend of one of the gang members. I wondered whether, if the male in the relationship was at large instead of her, he would have been described as "the boyfriend of...". I doubt it, especially as such relationships are frowned upon in Islam.
There are Women where once there were only Men
The BBC has women fronting the news, the sports and narrating documentaries, where once there would have been only men. Sports viewers were quick to complain when Mark Lawrenson said Sergio Romero "should have put a skirt on" after Romero's weak attempt on goal. The BBC wisely spiked Colin Murray's sexist comment about Jessica Ennis, which prompted calls for more positive coverage of women in sport.
I pick on the BBC's usage, rather than the commercial channels, because it is our BBC. We pay for it. Its mission statement is to inform, educate and entertain whilst being independent, impartial and honest.
There's been some progress
In the promotion of equal treatment for women, the BBC produces some excellent documentaries and, I am sure, strives to be even-handed in recruitment and selection (though I have not researched this); though there have been reports that once female presenters start to look old, they are kicked into touch; and while ageing, balding, grey-haired men continue to front the news, the women who sit alongside them seem to be younger, trim-bodied and wrinkle-free. Maybe, to quote W.S. Gilbert, they just wear well.
Getting the wording right
The BBC is skilled at avoiding sexist phrases. Talking about women's work, the weaker sex, or expressions of surprise at a woman's achievements are, it seems, things of the past. The word "girl" has been banned as a description of an adult female. However, the sexism persists. I doubt many viewers noted that the woman in the terrorist gang in Paris was assigned the role of "girlfriend" despite being Muslim (no girlfriends allowed), an adult female, an apparent full member of the gang, armed, dangerous and at large.
BBC Sports Coverage
What surprises me more is how the BBC gets away with announcing sports on its main channels and in the news. "The football results" consist entirely of the men's game, unless the women's national team happen to have got to a World Cup quarter final. Rugby, cricket, golf, football, are all, by default, the men's games. Footballer of the Year is actually Male Footballer of the Year. The last time it was awarded, not to a Briton, footage of his grinning face receiving the trophy was followed (without visuals) by "the women's title went to..."
But this is not a given. Any sport that has taken the trouble to include men's and women's competition within one tournament has gained equal coverage and status for males and females alike. Where this has not happened, only the male competition receives serious interest, and the BBC happily goes along with that sport's agenda of ignoring (and, in consequence, underpaying) its female participants. They give prime time, prime channel space to the men's competitions, consigning the women to an online channel, BBC3, or ignoring them entirely.
Caring and Sharing and Bad Journalism
It is an inescapable fact that, across society, women do the majority of the caring while men gain most of the status and tangible rewards. However, whilst acknowledging this, and applauding those who do both of these well, things could change. The current situation should not be the base that informs how the media portrays women, but should be a goad to promote change. Commenting on women's bodies and dress sense, while commenting on men's goals and achievements should be viewed as bad journalism and bad for one's CV. The Olympic Committee has forced countries that oppress females to allow women to enter The Games, or be excluded entirely. Golf clubs hosting the British Open have been shamed into allowing women members. Why not extend this principle to UK politics? Political parties with any affiliated club or group that excludes women, or any other innate characteristic, should not be permitted to stand for election. That would wake them up.
When Racism was Normal
There was a time when it was acceptable, even normal, to use racist language, not only in conversation, but on the media and in sit-coms. Before that, there was a time when it was acceptable, even normal, to refuse entry, or lodgings, to blacks, gypsies, Irish, etc. None of this is now acceptable or normal. It didn't happen overnight. The change came about because one or two people began to challenge what was acceptable, what was normal; they often did this at some risk to their reputations, careers and their own safety.
Thankfully, racist behaviours are no longer acceptable; no longer considered normal; and no political party that harbours hope of gaining power would dream of allowing their representatives to say or do anything that implies anyone, apart from their political opponents, is of lesser worth.
I'm Watching!
I shall continue to watch and monitor the progress of sexism in broadcasting. I doubt anyone will pay any attention to my sarcastic tweets about BBC sports coverage, or my occasional rant her on the Blogger; but sometimes, one drop more water sets the bucket moving; one more straw breaks the camel's back; one small stone starts and avalanche. This is a long battle; while voices are crying out about the oppression of Islamic women being forced to cover up, a hotel manager forces a breastfeeding mother to put a tablecloth over her baby's head, and only men may remove their tops unless they are on a beach, without fear of arrest. It's a funny old world; so why aren't I laughing?
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