This edition of The Clog provides a collection of different themes from current affairs to TV and sport.
Guns - Democratic Right or Danger?
In the last couple of years, the
world has witnessed some shocking massacres take place in the USA. These
shootings have been all the more shocking as they haven’t been gang turf wars
in the Bronx but random acts of violence against innocent people going about
their everyday business. The notorious killings of the primary school children
and teachers in Conneticut as well as cinema goers in Colorado, have shook the
world.
President Obama let the veneer of
statesmanship slip by giving an emotionally charged response to the Sandy Hook
tragedy, addressing the nation more like a father than the leader of the free
world. The tone of his address seemed to chime with the mood that something had
to change and that strickter new gun controls may be necessary. President Obama
was officially sworn in for his second term, a time when leaders have an eye on
creating a political legacy and it is speculated that one of his keynote
reforms will be to toughen up laws surrounding the public sale of certain
categories of guns. This quest may be fraught with difficulties due to some
powerful vested interests.
The National Rifle Association (NRA)
represent are the self-styled defenders of the Second Amendment, a cherished
part of the constitution that gives citizens the right to bear arms. The NRA
are a powerful force in the USA, with over 4 million members, and the
organisation has the ability to make or break political careers. They have
sensed a threat to their power and have found themselves a target for their hate
in the shape of Piers Morgan following his calls for a ban on certain
categories of guns. Disliking Mr Morgan is something that is not especially
unusual in some quarters, indeed he was once physically attacked by motoring
journalist, Jeremy Clarkson, at an awards ceremony. Anti-Morgan sentiment was
taken to a new level when NRA spokesperson, Alex Reid, started a petition to
deport the broadcaster.
Mr Reid was then invited onto The
Piers Morgan Tonight show where he unleashed an astonishing 9 minute tirade
that covered everything from support of the Second Amendment to ranting that
1776 will happen again if they try and take guns. Many left wing commentators
would have be rubbing their hands and getting ready to trot out their usual
line on neo-conservative conspiracies until his astonishing rant that suggested
an Establishment cover up over the 9/11 attacks. This showed that those on the
far right and far left are so far round the circle from one another that they
are practically standing next to one another.
The interview was also the first
time in media history where Piers Morgan could have been considered as a
measured, voice of reason. It also called attention to the fact that ease of
access to powerful semi-automatic weapons. There was a mention of “shoot ‘em
up” video games being to blame for some of the recent massacres in the USA. This
may be a point for debate although the profile of the shooter in many recent
massacres has been that of a disenfranchised, socially awkward loner who wanted
to take revenge on society for their own inadequacies. An American indie band,
Foster the People capture this in their Grammy winning song, Pumped Up Kicks, where the refrain goes:
All the other kids in their pumped up kicks, you better run, better
run, outrun my gun. All the other kids with their pumped up kicks, you better
run, better run, faster than my bullet.
This song captures the sense of
grievance that these guys carry and the cold blooded thirst for vengeance that
wells up from within to destroy those who are apparently more successful.
Following on from last years’
tragedies, there has already been an attempted massacre at another school that
was only averted through the decisive actions of a brave teacher who stood up
to the gunman and talked him out of it. This has bolstered the viewpoint of critics
who are keen to see more stringent gun laws.
The USA are a force for good in
their position as the world’s eminent superpower and there is no doubt that personal
freedom and self sufficiency are cornerstones of their society. It is perhaps
understandable that there is a resentment in some quarters that they are taking
lectures from a controversial foreign journalist like Piers Morgan but equally,
recent tragedies have made people ask profound questions on how far freedom should
go. Some of the rampage shooters may have found another means of slaughter if
guns were banned but there is also the question about the value of a life and
if easier access to weapons helped to bring about the tragedy.
Churchill was credited with
saying that Americans will always do the right thing, after they have exhausted
all other possibilities. All other possibilities have now been exhausted, it is
surely time for this great nation to stand up and do what is right for future
generations.
TV: Africa
The most wondrous programme that
I have viewed this year has to be the latest David Attenborough production, Africa. This production draws you in
with stunning camera work from sweeping panoramas of the desert to close up
shots of the fleas on a lions back. In the last few weeks, we have seen things
like two giraffes fight for territorial rights, a shoebill chick attack its
sibling and the injured younger chick gets rejected by its mother and a herd of
elephants walk on as a mother waits beside her poorly youngster as it takes it
breathes its last. We often try and attribute human feelings and emotions to
animals but we should remember the words of Ludwig Wittgenstein: “if a lion
could speak, we could not understand him”. One thing that the programme has
demonstrated is that nature is red in tooth and claw.
Sport
Superbowl
This weekend heralds the arrival
of one of the great sporting weekends as the grand finale of the American
Football season takes place and the Superbowl is contested between the San
Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens on Sunday evening from 2300 (UK time). The
event is due to take place at the Superdome in New Orleans, a venue that many
will recognise as it acted as a place of shelter during the time of Hurricane
Katrina though it has been said that much depravity took place within its
confines as desperation and fight for survival ensued. The venue has now been
repaired and is a world class sporting arena which is now given an extra veneer
of class through its sponsorship by Mercedes Benz. Grid Iron has a growing
following in the UK, this is helped by an NFL game being held at Wembley
Stadium every year.
Unlike soccer, American Football
takes place over four quarters of 15 minutes although the game is often drawn
out over a 2-3 hour period due to time outs and teams changing rotating between
offense and defence. Another unique feature is that the Superbowl is often
famed for its advertisement breaks – there certainly won’t be any soccer fans
tuning into the Champions League final to see the latest Ford or Continental
advert. North American sports fans also enjoy collecting statistics and
commentators will often pour over things like the length of passes, yards run
and number of blocks. The best advice that this blog can give is to leave your
cynicism at the door and come into enjoy one of the world’s great sporting
events – well at least as much of it as you can, as you may have to get up
early on Monday.
Football
David Beckham deserves praise for
deciding to donate his £150K per week salary from his new club, Paris St
German, to a childrens charity. Cynics will no doubt point to the fact that he
can well afford to do this because of his sponsorship income, but in an era
where we have seen many examples of footballers behaving like spoilt brats, his
gesture represents a shining beacon of generosity.
Rugby Union
The Six Nations championship
begins once more on Saturday 2nd February. The England v Scotland match takes place at
Twickenham. Many Rugby fans will go into the tournament with hope that their
team may do quite well but the mindset of Scotland fans can be defined by the
1998 football world cup song by Del Amitri, “Don’t come home too soon”, a lament that hopes for the best but prepares
for the worst.
Form is also against Scotland who
have not won at the home of English rugby for three decades but once again we
wrap ourselves in tartan, muster the spirit of the 1990 Grand Slam and march
into battle against the Auld Enemy. As those great philosophers sang back in
1998:
So go then, out into history and show them how easy it can be, you
might not believe it yet but pretty soon you’ll see, even long shots make it...
