We went out for drinks and dinner in Soho last night and it was very pleasant - quiet, but not too quiet.
http://www.idiottoys.com/2005/07/post-a ... d-and.html

Sad and pointless as the death, injury and destruction are, I find the media overload here sickening. The tiny media world love the spectacle and seem intent on causing as much psychological trauma on the populace as possible.

It is great to hear that you're all good and safe.

I find the media overload here sickening

Hi Sparky, I like you. I'm really not looking for a ruck but that does sound like a bit of a received opinion. There has been a major terrorist attack on the largest city in Europe with potentially three digit fatalities and over seven hundred injured. When it comes to the media I'm a cynical, black-hearted little fuck most of the time but I've found the broadcast news (BBC, Channel Four) to be bold and mostly tastefully restrained in reigning in sensational or sentimental coverage. I mean the tabloid reporting is erring to the usual self-satisfied references to Dunkirk spirit but there's nothing we shouldn't have expected about that.

I think that blog is trivial and actually quite vile in parts, publishing it does the author no favours at all. If you're going to do irreverent at least have the balls to go the distance rather than a few snide remarks about a man's haircut. And make it funny.

Again, no hard feelings bruv.

Pax!

Chris

Be well, all of you.

cjh wrote:

I find the media overload here sickening

Hi Sparky, I like you. I'm really not looking for a ruck but that does sound like a bit of a received opinion. There has been a major terrorist attack on the largest city in Europe with potentially three digit fatalities and over seven hundred injured. When it comes to the media I'm a cynical, black-hearted little fuck most of the time but I've found the broadcast news (BBC, Channel Four) to be bold and mostly tastefully restrained in reigning in sensational or sentimental coverage. I mean the tabloid reporting is erring to the usual self-satisfied references to Dunkirk spirit but there's nothing we shouldn't have expected about that.

I think that blog is trivial and actually quite vile in parts, publishing it does the author no favours at all. If you're going to do irreverent at least have the balls to go the distance rather than a few snide remarks about a man's haircut. And make it funny.

Again, no hard feelings bruv.

Pax!

Chris

No offense taken Chris. I must confess that I didn't watch any of the television coverage; I'm reacting to the newspaper headlines that I was seeing (Dunkirk spirit et al). Now this is just my opinion, but my impression is that there is a gory fixation in the media over this stuff. It was a major terrorist attack, but we seem to have been relatively fortunate and perhaps even well-organised - it looks like the fatalities will be below 100, and much of our transport system is working the day after.

What little of a point I actually have is that whilst the attacks were horrible, most of London's inhabitants have been able to continue working, joking, getting on with their lives, and the screaming headlines and shots of bloodied victims seem to serve no purpose but to try to engender panic, revulsion, hate and other negative emotions. I do acknowledge that this does betray a horrendous level of naivety on my part - of course they were going to show these pictures.

I'm tempted to do a trite comparison between the frequency of road accident fatalities and other travel disruptions and the effect of the attacks, but that's probably offensive at this time. I have a (possibly fucked up) feeling of pride about this city and its ability to continue after these and previous bombs, and my whingeing about the media is perhaps an expression of hurt pride. I don't like our city being made to look a victim.

Christ, do I have a point? Don't know.

I didn't find the blog vile, though I did find it trivial. I like the shots of Oxford St and Regent St. I've got a cheap sense of humour and didn't mind the inane zombie references (though the laddish tone grated) and the rest.

Have a good one

Mark

your french friends are with you .

we are all londoners now

sparky wrote:
I didn't find the blog vile, though I did find it trivial. I like the shots of Oxford St and Regent St.

here's a vile little blog http://remedial.blogdrive.com/ - or at least one that is trying its very hardest.

woo! counterculture.

I have a (possibly fucked up) feeling of pride about this city and its ability to continue after these and previous bombs, and my whingeing about the media is perhaps an expression of hurt pride. I don't like our city being made to look a victim.

I understand entirely Mark and I'm sorry if I neglected your feelings in all of this, for the record a lot of my London-based friends feel the same way. I think everyone has bounced back today with amazing resolve and you're right we should be happy it wasn't so much worse and move on rather than rubbernecking and wallowing in what happened. That said, I think a lot of the teevee reporting has been in perspective with the magnitude of events, balanced and generally hard to fault.

I really like the photos in the blog. It's a unique event and worth documenting. I just thought that 'Look at that bald fuckwit' or whatever, while admirable flippant under the circumstances, was a little bit lame. Maybe that's just me.

As for pride and defiant humour, the best thing I've read about so far is a hand-written sign in the back of a bus this morning saying '2/10 Must try harder'.

*dismounts high horse*

Fondest regards

Chris

conduit wrote:Uhm, is this a thread about explosions that occur in Baghdad on a daily basis?
Oh, it isn't? It's about some other city? Sorry. I see, so this is a place where people mourn the noble ones, not the poor ones.
It takes a special kind of explosion to become aware of something. Anything.
Some lives ARE bigger than others.

Twat.