Breeding ignorance and feeding radiation.

Another weekend, another trip to Birmingham. In order not to turn into a complete corporate slob I eschewed the taxi ride to the hotel and walked there instead. On the back of the town hall (no less) I was struck again by the faint absurdity of having an enormous television mounted there. Every day, apparently, they just have the tele on, as if it was someone’s front room rather than a public square. When I passed it this afternoon there was some inane BBC late afternoon game show playing. I watched several fat arsed morons turn their chubby faces towards the screen, transfixed by the inanity of it. Just watching it for no reason other than it was there and it was on.

What I want to know is why this public space has to be dominated by a great big television – playing the same sort of ordinary mind numbing rubbish that millions of people watch on TV at home. Does the mayor of Birmingham think that the populace is unable to sit in a public square without a television to babysit them? Isn’t it bad enough that millions of otherwise productive hours are wasted by the population watching nonsense every year at home? Does this ignorance have to be foisted on those who’ve managed to drag themselves off the couch and onto the street as well?

Of all the things that irritate me (and yes, there are lots – I am a grumpy sod) television (at least, 99% of it and, more specifically, the way people over-rely on it) is probably up there at the top of the list. It is very definitely, as The Disposable Heroes of Hiphopracy called it, the drug of the nation.


(lyrics - Disposable Heroes of Hiphopricy)


30 march 19:00