I often think the world would be a better place if we simply didn't open our mouths and speak at all. Or at least if and when we did there was an enforced period of silence where we were forced to work out whether there might be something offensive or triggering in what we are about to say. Or even just a general check for stupidity, dip the litmus paper on your tongue and check it for levels of acidity. If for any reason you're feeling unsure just stay silent as a church mouse.
We all carry our own gripes. For example when a fat person tells a skinny person “it's alright for you, you can eat what you want,” they're often missing the fact that most skinny people are that way because of eating disorders that they're really not keen on other people finding out about. Or when the skinny person tells that story to someone they trust and in turn fat shame them are they at least the better person for not saying that they think they're fat to their face? Are they both as bad as one another for showing zero level of empathy for their terrible relationship to food? As always as a pairing they have more in common than they might care to admit and both will be found at points on the same straight line just as you'll find with love and hate. As Frank once sang you can't have one without the other. Don't worry I'm not asking you to be the moral judge and jury.
We live in a world which is becoming all the more Punch and Judy which is ironic given we've become less analogue and all the more reliant on technologies in the era of digital. Bad news travels fast though doesn't it Mr Punch? Who's been a naughty boy then? TUT… TUT… TUT…
Some clearly believe that life is simple though. I blame social media and reality TV. Any level of talent no matter how entry level is appreciated by those who don't possess it. How many times have you heard or maybe even said to someone this art is incredible, your talent is wasted here. Why aren't you doing this for a living? One day that other person will point out that if Van Gogh of all people couldn't make a living from it during their lifetime, what chance do you think I have of doing it? Will you bail me out when I take your advice and I'm living on fresh air? I appreciate the compliment but you'll forgive me if I don't take the advice. Same goes for writers. Oh you think I'm an incredible writer? That's great. I got you to read one piece but reading two is clearly a stretch and I'm not asking you to fucking pay to read it. If you genuinely liked it then great. If you didn't then say it's not your cup of tea. Always feel free to offer some constructive criticism. We're not your child. We don't aim to get our work pinned onto your fridge, be that a sketch or a short story. Any form of creative work only gets better with the help of accepting critique and practice. If you're fortunate enough, maybe one day the right person will spot your talents. In the meantime be prepared for people with zero talent to somehow be recognised because their gene pool blessed them with a symmetrical face but very little between their ears.
We used to revere the literary genius of say a Shakespeare or a Charles Dickens. Now what passes for entertainment is a group of twenty somethings sat around a pool going shut up and oh my god. You know maybe the creatives are doing the non-creatives a massive disservice because when you think about it there's their reasoning for where their thinking that someone with an ounce of actual talent should be able to get a leg up stems from.
George Lucas and Steven Spielberg would probably have been royally fucked if they were born 40 years later.
As I say though we all say stupid shit. Maybe if I'd stopped to think for 30 seconds you'd not have read any of this at all.
Comments
Post a Comment