by Jim Grundy
Throughout history, at least British history as I read it, the debate about the great issues of the day has always been rendered down to little more than identifying an ‘other,’ often a selection of others, and loading upon it/them all our fears, hatreds and general discontent with the state of society. There was – and is – an infinite appetite to blame all our ills upon an ever-changing gallery of ‘bad guys.’ If only ‘they’ did something about ‘them’ then, the logic (sic) goes, everything would be all right.
The speed, lately the increasing speed, with which the latest group dragging us down is identified and vilified should make us all stop and question whether our lives are really being destroyed by ‘them,’ particularly when last week it was someone else entirely. It should. But the focus of our attention would be more profitably directed towards the one constant in this fast moving blame game – and that is the origin of practically all stories telling us who to hate next. Step forward our ruling elite (they have other names but that’ll do for now).
We’re now facing a referendum on our future in Europe. And the E.U., not without genuine cause, does come in for a lot of criticism. But anyone arguing that simply (ahem) leaving the European Union would mean that, for example, councils would not be withdrawing care for those struggling with terminal illnesses is one of the dafter examples of wishful thinking anyone is ever going to come up with.
Whatever the rights and wrongs of the E.U. (and, let’s be honest, there is a huge subtext about nasty foreigners and immigration underlying it all), does anyone, can anyone believe that Britain out of the E.U. is about to be transformed into a paradise for the benefit of the average person living in these islands?
It seems to me that the more involved and intangible our problems, the harder to understand their root causes, the greater the need to find simplistic, impressionistic answers to them becomes.
I wish simple, easy to implement, solutions would appear. I also wish the hard-wired instinct to find a scapegoat would disappear. But I am bound to remember one conversation around the time the ‘Birmingham Six’ were released. One very angry man said, quite simply, that he didn’t care whether they were, in his words “so-called” innocent, “some bastard’s got to pay.”
Sadly, that ‘bastard’, when you travel along that road, is always going to be us. Not them.
Think Left 
Spot on and well said, Jim Grundy
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Orwell in 1984 was spot on with the mandatory 5 minutes of hate. where the assembled citizens had to pour out their hate & negativity on the named hate object that day. As an (unwilling) nominee at various times of several of the hate groups identified as scapegoats by out current “big brothers” I can only concur with Jim. That is a road too many travel only to find out, too late, they are then new scapegoats.
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My new play ‘The Grandeur of Delusions’, is being censored by the official theatrical world at the behest of the Trade Union Siptu.
See my open letter to Aosdana which names those in the Arts responsible for this detestable action, and the Trade Union postings on my profile page.
They will not sue me because I tell the truth, but hide behind the last refuge of the coward, silence. This is because I’ve written a play, ‘The Judas Goat, a true story which shows the Union Chairman in Belfast joining forces with the employers and persecuting its own members.
Proof of this can be seen on http://www.siptupresidentjackoconnorexposed.com – Jack O’Connor is the present president of Siptu and is covering up this 40 year old scandal.
However, ‘The Grandeur of Delusions’ finished a short tour on Saturday the 19th September, in Town Hall Theatre, Co Mayo, Ireland. The run included, Civic Theatre, Tallaght, Dublin. The Mill Theatre, Dundrum and Drioght, with the actors getting a well deserved standing ovation on the last night.
The play shows exactly how and why anyone – given the inappropriate childhood circumstances, can become addicted to Alcohol or indeed to any mind altering substance. This I know is a mind blowing statement to make but as shown is sadly true – and is uniquely a monologue for two people – which is an obvious contradiction but unfortunately in this case entirely true as it depicts an Alcoholic talking to himself through the medium of his Delusion – a beautiful young Girl.
It was staged by actors from the Heart & Soul Theatre who hope to take it into secondary schools to show and inform our children exactly what addiction to mind altering drugs can lead to. See the Heart & Soul Theatre Facebook and Twitter pages.
This play deals with, in a dramatic fashion, the circumstances surrounding alcohol abuse, and the downward spiral which alcoholics inflict on themselves and their families. The delusional aspects of ‘Terry’, the alcoholic in the play, not only affects his thinking but also corrupts the thinking of all who surround him.
Unless treatment is sought there can only be one inevitable end – and because Addiction knows no class or age barrier, this play will reach all ages and across every spectrum of society.
In fact, because of learned behaviour, the younger a child is when exposed to addictive, destructive alcoholic trauma – the more likely they are to form an addictive personality and become addicted to some form of escapism themselves, rather than face the rigours of life.
The only way children of those who suffer from the disease of addiction, can protect themselves – is to abstain from all mind and mood altering drink and drugs – and If they do partake – are almost guaranteed to become addicted.
Regards
Hugh
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