Over the past days I've been thinking greatly about the state of the world, and I came to the unsurprising conclusion that every major disaster that has happened throughout history has been due to someone wearing a particular item of clothing of one description or another. And rather than give an endless list of fashionable warmongering, empire building, people oppressing clothing, I thought it would be an idea to simply lump all of them into one form of clothing that largely symbolises the modern world, the suit.
On a particularly personal note, I will admit to having a few 'off the peg' suits because that's what my previous job required. However, I've never been comfortable in one and when reluctantly worn I always felt like a trussed up turkey dreading the Christmas meal. In real life I don't wear them and will almost certainly refuse to attend anything that requires me to wear one. I hate them with a passion, not because they are a suit, they are, after all, nothing more than a matching and coordinated pair of trousers and jacket. It's what they represent that I find particularly annoying and offensive.
At a shallow level of inspection, the suit is neither fashionable, looks particularly good when worn, or a means of inspiration. I can't think of anything less motivational or inspiring than a suit, and whenever I see suits being paraded around the only image that comes to mind is a mindless crowd of lemmings heading towards the edge of a cliff. Yes, I'm being contentious, rightly so, and yes, I'm being very biased in my comments, the more so because it seems to get anywhere in the world a suit is a requirement.
'Get where?' is a good question. Well if we break it down, that means if you want to appear 'professional', aspire and belong to the Masonic Brotherhood of Suiting Apparel, then you wear a suit. The suit then defines you, allows you to fit in with the modern day versions of the KKK. When wearing one you have identity and a licence to perfom any number of acts, which may be contrary to basic human decency. In other words, a suit enrobes you, empowers you, gives you a sense of superiority; but more than that it gives any old excuse to be excused any form of misbehaviour.
I'm not saying that every individual who wears a suit becomes a megalomaniac, or rabidly salivates with bared teeth, or wants to become a raving lunatic of dictatorial proportions, but I should imagine that 95% lean in that direction. Those 95% are the cause of my discontent today, because it is those who manage to screw up the world we live in. Think about it, it's always a 'suit' that causes financial markets to collapse, that sells things, that takes political decisions, that holds power, that makes laws, that does things hardly conducive to decency and uncorrupted. And for the life on me I've never been able to understand why anyone wants to buy a suit made by Armani, Boss et al, and put even more wealth into the pockets of the already wealthy, when there are people starving in the world. I just find it particularly difficult to find any justifiable reason for the vast difference and disparity between the money paid to those who produce the raw materials for a suit and its eventual grossly inflated and obscene price in the shops.
This particular tirade today stems from having seen Wall Street in 'the flesh' when I was in New York. I never took a photograph, largely due to my opposition to all it stands for, but also because this miniscule parody of enormous corruption has done more to blight the dreams and aspirations of decent people, who don't need to wear a suit, than any other organisation I can think of at the moment. And wherever you look in the history of the last two centuries, the connection between strife, war, poverty, inequality, cruelty, and pure injustice, it always seems to come back to Wall Street and the suits who inhabit it.
An individual stroll through life, often taking an amusing view, or sometimes a little more serious one, depending on the mood.
Showing posts with label New York. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New York. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
And so the American adventure continues!
And so the story of the 'virgin abroad' continues, and having spent a little time in Boston, Washington DC, Philadelphia and New York, each different yet each virtually the same, it's hard to imagine that I'd actually spent any time at all in any of the places.
Each of us will, individually, view such cities in our own unique way, and in doing so will likely be lumbered with the stock images of Hollywood, history and the media onslaught that's all too prevalent in a, sadly, consumerist and globally commercial world. I, personally, am no great lover of cities anywhere in the world, and their only real compensation is the ability to offer the refuge of anonymity for those so inclined, of which I'm one. There's something to be said for being alone in the thick of a crowd, if nothing else the madness of life becomes far more manageable and you simply extract the bits of direct interest. Of course, a new city is one found to be exciting for it offers the opportunity to compare and contrast, and even challenge the perceptions you may have, but in the end a city is a city and all function in the same way.
I realise that I may be offering a negative view, I'm not. Cities appeal to people because of their bustling nature, and the four mentioned above are perfectly capable of proving me wrong for those so inclined to argue with me. All I'm saying is that I'm no great lover of cities, and the best times I had visiting anywhere were either individual places of interest, or the coastal fishing ports. Perhaps the point I'm making is that modern cities look rarely different from each other because of the corporate need to blandly display their image in exactly the same way wherever they are; which to my mind sterilises the very unique nature of any city.
Despite those comments, each of the cities visited revealed something surprising. There's been much play over the years that the USA is violent and that wondering around is perhaps not the best option. I wasn't in the slightest bit concerned on my travels, even when riding the subway. If I had any worries then it'd be on the roads where the order and lane discipline of European motorways has largely been abandoned in the States, but that's a tale of its own and best left to the likes of Hollywood's finest directors to gloss over. One might want to watch the madness of American driving as shown in the Steve Martin film 'Bowfinger', particularly the scene where Eddie Murphy tries to cross the interstate to get an idea. Riding the subway was an initial worry, I've no doubt due to the attention drawn to the problems of former years by the media, helped along by the stalwarts of the film industry. It may well be different late at night, or in the twilight hours, I don't know, but riding the subway from Brooklyn to Harlem in New York, a long subway journey, nothing was more worrying than getting off at the right stop.
The New York subway was perhaps more enlightening in terms of people, nobody made any kind of eye contact, which I gather from my dear friend Stefan is perfectly normal and he did inform me that every individual is in a world of their own, listening to an iPod, reading something or other, just generally minding their own business. Personal space was another thing I noticed, and no matter how packed the subway train was everyone managed to be surrounded by a 'force field'. Another misconception is that everybody ignores you in New York, and if you were to drop dead they'd simply step over you, walk around you, or cross the street simply to ignore you. During my time there people were helpful and answered any questions or queries I had, at 2am on Sunday morning in Times Square a delightful lady of Asian heritage started chatting to us without any prompting, a totally unexpected surprise given that New Yorkers have a reputation to the contrary. The same thing happened when I spent the day alone in Philadelphia, a nice lady came up to me asking if I was lost and needed a map; she was no doubt under the illusion that I needed some kind of help, wandering around as I was with camcorder in my hand, hopelessly looking like a tourist, completely lost in a world of my own making. For me, such a state is perfectly normal when I'm engaged with my environment, to an outsider I guess I might resemble something that might be better helped by being taken on a ride with two individuals wearing white coats.
None of the cities I visited were covered in any depth, and my visits brief. All I can say is that none of them dispelled any thoughts I might have about not liking cities. All were sufficiently different to engender an interest, none of them I'd like to live in. Boston and Philadelphia were historically interesting. Washington politically so, and New York is as garish as it is dull and grey. Each has its own unique flavour, each is as easy to get lost in as to find something to occupy the mind for a while. Boston has a sense of Europe about it, largely due to its history, Philadelphia a product of its own colonial history, Washington had the feeling of a working capital, closing after 6pm. New York, the 'Big Apple' nothing like 'Sex in the city'. For now I'll finish there, except to say that each of the four cities looked magnificent during the hours of darkness, when the skyscrapers took on their own particular identity, awash with lights, surreal and more exciting to the eye. Perhaps, when all said and done, American cities only become American cities at night, the various vistas will remain with me a lot longer than the daylight versions.
Each of us will, individually, view such cities in our own unique way, and in doing so will likely be lumbered with the stock images of Hollywood, history and the media onslaught that's all too prevalent in a, sadly, consumerist and globally commercial world. I, personally, am no great lover of cities anywhere in the world, and their only real compensation is the ability to offer the refuge of anonymity for those so inclined, of which I'm one. There's something to be said for being alone in the thick of a crowd, if nothing else the madness of life becomes far more manageable and you simply extract the bits of direct interest. Of course, a new city is one found to be exciting for it offers the opportunity to compare and contrast, and even challenge the perceptions you may have, but in the end a city is a city and all function in the same way.
I realise that I may be offering a negative view, I'm not. Cities appeal to people because of their bustling nature, and the four mentioned above are perfectly capable of proving me wrong for those so inclined to argue with me. All I'm saying is that I'm no great lover of cities, and the best times I had visiting anywhere were either individual places of interest, or the coastal fishing ports. Perhaps the point I'm making is that modern cities look rarely different from each other because of the corporate need to blandly display their image in exactly the same way wherever they are; which to my mind sterilises the very unique nature of any city.
Despite those comments, each of the cities visited revealed something surprising. There's been much play over the years that the USA is violent and that wondering around is perhaps not the best option. I wasn't in the slightest bit concerned on my travels, even when riding the subway. If I had any worries then it'd be on the roads where the order and lane discipline of European motorways has largely been abandoned in the States, but that's a tale of its own and best left to the likes of Hollywood's finest directors to gloss over. One might want to watch the madness of American driving as shown in the Steve Martin film 'Bowfinger', particularly the scene where Eddie Murphy tries to cross the interstate to get an idea. Riding the subway was an initial worry, I've no doubt due to the attention drawn to the problems of former years by the media, helped along by the stalwarts of the film industry. It may well be different late at night, or in the twilight hours, I don't know, but riding the subway from Brooklyn to Harlem in New York, a long subway journey, nothing was more worrying than getting off at the right stop.
The New York subway was perhaps more enlightening in terms of people, nobody made any kind of eye contact, which I gather from my dear friend Stefan is perfectly normal and he did inform me that every individual is in a world of their own, listening to an iPod, reading something or other, just generally minding their own business. Personal space was another thing I noticed, and no matter how packed the subway train was everyone managed to be surrounded by a 'force field'. Another misconception is that everybody ignores you in New York, and if you were to drop dead they'd simply step over you, walk around you, or cross the street simply to ignore you. During my time there people were helpful and answered any questions or queries I had, at 2am on Sunday morning in Times Square a delightful lady of Asian heritage started chatting to us without any prompting, a totally unexpected surprise given that New Yorkers have a reputation to the contrary. The same thing happened when I spent the day alone in Philadelphia, a nice lady came up to me asking if I was lost and needed a map; she was no doubt under the illusion that I needed some kind of help, wandering around as I was with camcorder in my hand, hopelessly looking like a tourist, completely lost in a world of my own making. For me, such a state is perfectly normal when I'm engaged with my environment, to an outsider I guess I might resemble something that might be better helped by being taken on a ride with two individuals wearing white coats.
None of the cities I visited were covered in any depth, and my visits brief. All I can say is that none of them dispelled any thoughts I might have about not liking cities. All were sufficiently different to engender an interest, none of them I'd like to live in. Boston and Philadelphia were historically interesting. Washington politically so, and New York is as garish as it is dull and grey. Each has its own unique flavour, each is as easy to get lost in as to find something to occupy the mind for a while. Boston has a sense of Europe about it, largely due to its history, Philadelphia a product of its own colonial history, Washington had the feeling of a working capital, closing after 6pm. New York, the 'Big Apple' nothing like 'Sex in the city'. For now I'll finish there, except to say that each of the four cities looked magnificent during the hours of darkness, when the skyscrapers took on their own particular identity, awash with lights, surreal and more exciting to the eye. Perhaps, when all said and done, American cities only become American cities at night, the various vistas will remain with me a lot longer than the daylight versions.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Friendship and the Pond.
Well lots happened this week, and life became much clearer, ending up on Saturday with moving my friend 'D' to his new place. After many years of slumming it as a cosmopolitan wannabee, he's now happily looking forward to life on the edge of town, overlooking a small wood and the golf course; with tongue in cheek I wish him every happiness in his new found quest to becoming even more middle class than he already is; something he strongly protests he's not....Can't help wondering why my leg is acting as though it's being pulled for some reason. Seriously though, just for a moment, I've watched him these past few months entering another stage in his life, and I've never seen him happier. I'm equally happy to say that without his support, care and kindness at a particularly bad moment in my life, who know's where I would have ended up. And whilst it's perhaps not the 'manly' thing to say, my affection for him is without limit, even if I either don't show it enough, or don't say it; one of the joys of writing a blog is you can say it openly, thanks matey! But the next time you ask me to help you move, I'll be unavailable due to a forgotten meeting I'm supposed to be attending.
On Friday I had a final interview for a job and was accepted, which in the great scheme of things is nice to know that somebody wants me; especially in these times of economic uncertainty. I'm scheduled to start at the beginning of February due to my being happily in the USA over Christmas & New Year for a well deserved rest. Whether I keep the blog updated, whilst I'm away, or to wait until I get back to write it is open to debate, but the feeling at the moment is to escape any form of electronic communication and have a complete rest from it all. I'm well aware that I spend far too much time piddling about on the Internet and laptop, and it would be very nice to avoid both whilst away; we shall see. At the moment I'm focused on getting finished what I need to before I go, which means ever longer hours on the keyboard, not that I really mind, at least I'm busy and that's the most important thing.
However, I'm now beginning to feel a little excited with the passing of time, and the holiday ever closer. It'll be a number of firsts for me, and so a great adventure. It'll be the first time I've flown from one continent to another, the first time I've flown transatlantic, the first time in the USA, and the first time I've occupied the same seat for around 7 hours. Then when I get there it'll be the first time I've eaten a real 'dog', hotdog before anyone starts complaining, the first lobster, pastrami on rye, apple pie like mom used to make, and numerous other things along the way. Culturally, there's lots to take in, and despite an often slightly jaundiced view of the US, I'll have an open mind when I get there, and one of the things here is to accept that whatever perception I may have, it is driven by the media, whereas my personal relationships with Americans are completely the opposite.
History has always been of interest, so there will much to cover and see with visits to Boston, New York and Washington. Of course my time will be fairly limited, so whatever I see will be done with a purpose in mind. I've no real desire to be wandering down 5th Avenue, Wall Street or hanging around Times Square, but hopefully I can get to visit the Apollo Theatre in New York. Washington will be taken up with a visit to Capitol Hill, the Smithsonian and other sights. Boston is likely to be freezing, but unlikely to deter from visiting the Harbour area etc. Of course on a much lighter note, I'm playing with the idea of popping into the local IRS office and demanding, without menace, the repayment of taxes not paid to the British people since the revolution!
Hopefully, one of the highlights will be time spent on a beach, it'll take me back to those rare happy childhood days of wandering alone along the seafront during the winter months, which I've always said is the best time to visit a beach and see it in all's its glory, and at its supremely natural best.
A final remark about this trip, of a lifetime some might say, it might prove eventful in many, as yet unknown, ways, particularly as I'm no great lover of big bustling cities. But the one thing it's already shown before I set sail across the pond, is the value of friendship. And so 'S', from the bottom of my heart, thank you matey for making this possible.
On Friday I had a final interview for a job and was accepted, which in the great scheme of things is nice to know that somebody wants me; especially in these times of economic uncertainty. I'm scheduled to start at the beginning of February due to my being happily in the USA over Christmas & New Year for a well deserved rest. Whether I keep the blog updated, whilst I'm away, or to wait until I get back to write it is open to debate, but the feeling at the moment is to escape any form of electronic communication and have a complete rest from it all. I'm well aware that I spend far too much time piddling about on the Internet and laptop, and it would be very nice to avoid both whilst away; we shall see. At the moment I'm focused on getting finished what I need to before I go, which means ever longer hours on the keyboard, not that I really mind, at least I'm busy and that's the most important thing.
However, I'm now beginning to feel a little excited with the passing of time, and the holiday ever closer. It'll be a number of firsts for me, and so a great adventure. It'll be the first time I've flown from one continent to another, the first time I've flown transatlantic, the first time in the USA, and the first time I've occupied the same seat for around 7 hours. Then when I get there it'll be the first time I've eaten a real 'dog', hotdog before anyone starts complaining, the first lobster, pastrami on rye, apple pie like mom used to make, and numerous other things along the way. Culturally, there's lots to take in, and despite an often slightly jaundiced view of the US, I'll have an open mind when I get there, and one of the things here is to accept that whatever perception I may have, it is driven by the media, whereas my personal relationships with Americans are completely the opposite.
History has always been of interest, so there will much to cover and see with visits to Boston, New York and Washington. Of course my time will be fairly limited, so whatever I see will be done with a purpose in mind. I've no real desire to be wandering down 5th Avenue, Wall Street or hanging around Times Square, but hopefully I can get to visit the Apollo Theatre in New York. Washington will be taken up with a visit to Capitol Hill, the Smithsonian and other sights. Boston is likely to be freezing, but unlikely to deter from visiting the Harbour area etc. Of course on a much lighter note, I'm playing with the idea of popping into the local IRS office and demanding, without menace, the repayment of taxes not paid to the British people since the revolution!
Hopefully, one of the highlights will be time spent on a beach, it'll take me back to those rare happy childhood days of wandering alone along the seafront during the winter months, which I've always said is the best time to visit a beach and see it in all's its glory, and at its supremely natural best.
A final remark about this trip, of a lifetime some might say, it might prove eventful in many, as yet unknown, ways, particularly as I'm no great lover of big bustling cities. But the one thing it's already shown before I set sail across the pond, is the value of friendship. And so 'S', from the bottom of my heart, thank you matey for making this possible.
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