Risking Your Life for Fun – Western Madness

Most people in the world spend their lives fighting various real dangerous situations.  If you were to explain to them that westerners create fake danger they would think those Westerners are mad.  And they would be right.

How many times have you seen an ad for some TV show where some idiot puts themselves in a dangerous situation and then tries to get themselves out of it to the oohs and aaaahs of a spellbound audience as moron X finally frees themselves from their glass sarcophagus?

Then there are the endless sky diving expeditions and bungee jumping jaunts.  What is wrong with people?  Why don’t you take your hard earned money and limited time and do something useful at least and leave the medical professionals who have to be on standby in case the Darwin laws injure you or take you out, get on with treating sick people?

You want the thrill of danger and to put your life at risk?  Go save some Yazidi women from Isis rapists.

Want to feel a frisson of excitement at putting your health in danger? Go to a mosquito infested region and distribute some netting!  Job done!

The fascination westerners have with creating fake dangerous situations that they then get out of and then congratulate themselves on their ‘bravery and ingenuity; a serious kind of privilege.

At Least He Tried?

Well, it’s over and of course there is much debate about the surprising result.  Before the campaign started Ed Miliband was oddly seen as both a wimp and a ruthless brother stabber (in the back or front depending on who you talk to).

Then during the last four or five weeks of the campaign something seemed to change – in terms of Mr Miliband’s public perception.  People seemed to like him.  Young women seemed to think he was attractive.  He came across quite well in the ‘debates.’ He actually seemed a lot more comfortable with himself and answered some very rude questions from Paxman quite well. 

However, when it came to the crunch they didn’t seem to like his policies.  But then again maybe it came down to perception.  Perhaps they didn’t like what they perceived to be his policies.  And on this occasion is wasn’t enough that he at least tried.