When dominant ideologies are challenged...
It's instructive to observed the reaction of adherents to dominant ideologies when their orthodoxy is challenged. They not merely don't like it, they like to pretend that they're defending a minority position, and are assailed from all sides by legions. Thus, we can have racist bigots pretending they are simply defending their "right" to be "politically incorrect" when people complain.
Or, more trivially, we can have pop singers whinging. This week, Louise Wener, the former singer with 90s student band, Sleeper, was given a column in the Guardian to defend parenthood. Now I don't know about anyone else, but I haven't seen parenthood under attack much. There's plenty of books from "lifestyle" columnists about how to cope with having babies and writing newspaper columns, and so on (precious little about how to be a single mum and hold down a job in Tescos, with possibly a second job somewhere else, since your first one isn't paying you enough to bring up your child, but that's a whole different kettle of squirrels).
However, amongst all these books, Louise took offense at two, which called into question whether parenthood was all that great. That's right, two books amongst countless show that parents are an oppressed minority.
Well boo-fucking-hoo, Louise. I really feel for you. I feel for you, as your child screams its way over Europe on my plane. I feel for you as your child races up and down the railway carriage, stealing everything and yelling, as I'm trying to have a conversation. I feel for you as your child mugs another pensioner. But please, leave the fucking victimhood to those who it really applies to...
Or, more trivially, we can have pop singers whinging. This week, Louise Wener, the former singer with 90s student band, Sleeper, was given a column in the Guardian to defend parenthood. Now I don't know about anyone else, but I haven't seen parenthood under attack much. There's plenty of books from "lifestyle" columnists about how to cope with having babies and writing newspaper columns, and so on (precious little about how to be a single mum and hold down a job in Tescos, with possibly a second job somewhere else, since your first one isn't paying you enough to bring up your child, but that's a whole different kettle of squirrels).
However, amongst all these books, Louise took offense at two, which called into question whether parenthood was all that great. That's right, two books amongst countless show that parents are an oppressed minority.
Well boo-fucking-hoo, Louise. I really feel for you. I feel for you, as your child screams its way over Europe on my plane. I feel for you as your child races up and down the railway carriage, stealing everything and yelling, as I'm trying to have a conversation. I feel for you as your child mugs another pensioner. But please, leave the fucking victimhood to those who it really applies to...
2 Comments:
I can't understand someone getting a column on parenthood, or why anyone would want to read one. Lifestyle columns are always fatuous.
Give Puskas his own column in the Guardian!
I read the piece by Louise Werner (however her name is spelt) and thought it was much, much better than the average 'adjusting to parenthood' column. It was well written and touching. (Btw, I usually hate this kind of Mummy For Old Rope bullshit). I also read the letters page the next day, where someone said her piece was a brilliant piece of satire. I had another look at the original piece and can't image how anyone would read it was satire.
A columnist who should be sacked is Bel Mooney. You should see the kind of horseshit she writes if you thought Lousie's was bad (fortunately, she's in The Times).
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