Will Martina Navratilova just go away? She is behaving like the stage Mom from hell, who will not cede the spotlight to her kid. Her latest project is campaigning to abolish grunts from tennis players after they hit the ball. Now here is a sports star that needs to find a purpose after the playing days have ended.
There is an element of sexism in the grunting objection. Jimmy Connors and Andre Agassi were grunters. But it is Monica Seles who is given credit for the rise of this tendency. The discomfort seems to be with rough little girls – Venus, Serena, Maria and others – who are ruining the image of a fine sport. This is after all, a game that still makes reference to “ladies” instead of “women” and requires players to wear white at its marquee event – Wimbledon.
The irony is that the movement for tennis purity is being led by out lesbian, Martina Navratilova. You would think that someone, whose sexual orientation worked against her in the past, would care less about another person’s right to hit a ball noisily. What is the harm that she is objecting to?
Martina’s new campaign is an example of how calls for diversity can later be revealed as self – serving projects. By openly declaring her sexuality, Navratilova challenged the traditional tennis world to make space for difference. Having helped to get good progress in this regard, it is Martina who now leads a dubious campaign to preserve an outdated view of what is proper for women. How sad is that?
Tuesday, 30 June 2009
Monday, 29 June 2009
Essential Brixton
Yesterday was one of the hottest days of summer. I went to an R&B party on a rooftop near Piccadilly Circus. The music mix was atypical of London – soulful contemporary house sprinkled over old R & B. I had too much to drink.
By the time I returned to Brixton, I needed to stave off an upset stomach. Alighting the bus around midnight, I went to a 24 hour Jamaican restaurant for chicken soup – the only one of its kind in these parts.
Walking home under the bright night skies, the huge Victorian flats with imposing columns seemed more impressive than ever. The odd passing car and few returning revelers – in my case, walking and eating soup – were the only movement. The streets weren’t filthy, though occasional liquid stain suggested otherwise.
At the first hint of daylight, this slow, faint hum rises into a steady buzz of suited city-types, rushing to catch the underground train. By mid-morning, the ‘hood settles into a thick collage of colours, sounds and scents. In any one day, Brixton shows many different faces.
By the time I returned to Brixton, I needed to stave off an upset stomach. Alighting the bus around midnight, I went to a 24 hour Jamaican restaurant for chicken soup – the only one of its kind in these parts.
Walking home under the bright night skies, the huge Victorian flats with imposing columns seemed more impressive than ever. The odd passing car and few returning revelers – in my case, walking and eating soup – were the only movement. The streets weren’t filthy, though occasional liquid stain suggested otherwise.
At the first hint of daylight, this slow, faint hum rises into a steady buzz of suited city-types, rushing to catch the underground train. By mid-morning, the ‘hood settles into a thick collage of colours, sounds and scents. In any one day, Brixton shows many different faces.
Friday, 26 June 2009
The MJ note
It is slowly sinking in that Michael Jackson is dead. More difficult however, is making sense of his life and my feelings toward him.
Like most people who grew up in the 70’s and 80’s, Michael’s music is the soundtrack of my youth. No other singer reminds me better of where I was and what I was doing, than the King of Pop. The gloves, moonwalk and distinct little yelp, are pieces of my personal history. His synthetic face, barely in place after multiple cosmetic surgeries, seems set to be part of his legacy too.
We will never figure out why MJ’s genius matched his capacity for self-destruction. Few of us will understand his obsession with remaining a child. Why couldn’t he adjust to the rules of propriety that govern relations between adults and children? Was psychic damage the cost he paid for being a prodigy? Michael’s tragic story leaves more questions than answers.
Like most people who grew up in the 70’s and 80’s, Michael’s music is the soundtrack of my youth. No other singer reminds me better of where I was and what I was doing, than the King of Pop. The gloves, moonwalk and distinct little yelp, are pieces of my personal history. His synthetic face, barely in place after multiple cosmetic surgeries, seems set to be part of his legacy too.
We will never figure out why MJ’s genius matched his capacity for self-destruction. Few of us will understand his obsession with remaining a child. Why couldn’t he adjust to the rules of propriety that govern relations between adults and children? Was psychic damage the cost he paid for being a prodigy? Michael’s tragic story leaves more questions than answers.
Wednesday, 24 June 2009
Duty vs Desire: the Mark Sanford story
I feel bad for Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina. Yes, I know, he is kinda weird and self-absorbed. I mean, this is a fella who had to be compelled by his State’s supreme court to accept Obama’s stimulus money – all owing to an objection he made for quirky ideological reasons.
Sanford is also a little silly for thinking he could go AWOL all of 8 days, while visiting his sweetheart in Argentina. What was his story again? Hiking in the Appalachian Trail? The guy probably doesn’t have his faculties together with him.
Except that that is precisely what makes him intriguing. By his own account, he developed an 8 year friendship with this Argentinean woman quite “innocently.” See http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/23/sanfords-story-questioned_n_219809.html. They bonded around pain: she was contemplating divorcing her husband at the time and he offered counsel. Over the years (presumably by email), they provided each other mutual support in life’s challenges. She was his sounding board, outside of South Carolina politics, his wife and 4 boys. This woman many hundreds of miles away, allowed him to escape his reality. They morphed into an intimate relationship over the last year, meeting 3 times during this period.
The entire episode speaks volumes of the governor’s imagination. It takes a helluva lot to create a connection such as he did with his lady friend. No doubt, this woman was idealized into something that Sanford felt he needed in his life. It makes you wonder what was missing in his personal circumstances. What drove the construction of this costly desire? By the time of his press conference admitting the affair, Sanford was so besotted that he had risked his family, faith and the governorship of South Carolina.
In a classic way, this story is quite romantic. But Sanford, as governor of a state buffeted by a nasty recession, gets few of the allowances that could be made for ordinary citizens in a comparable situation. Mature adults appreciate that duty constantly butts up against desire. It is an exquisite balance that must be maintained, and sometimes, duty simply trumps desire. As a christian, Sanford of all people, should know that.
It’s always sad to witness anyone fail in a spectacular way. This is so, even if those who are falling from grace, are people who would not be as compassionate if the shoe were not on their own foot.
Sanford is also a little silly for thinking he could go AWOL all of 8 days, while visiting his sweetheart in Argentina. What was his story again? Hiking in the Appalachian Trail? The guy probably doesn’t have his faculties together with him.
Except that that is precisely what makes him intriguing. By his own account, he developed an 8 year friendship with this Argentinean woman quite “innocently.” See http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/23/sanfords-story-questioned_n_219809.html. They bonded around pain: she was contemplating divorcing her husband at the time and he offered counsel. Over the years (presumably by email), they provided each other mutual support in life’s challenges. She was his sounding board, outside of South Carolina politics, his wife and 4 boys. This woman many hundreds of miles away, allowed him to escape his reality. They morphed into an intimate relationship over the last year, meeting 3 times during this period.
The entire episode speaks volumes of the governor’s imagination. It takes a helluva lot to create a connection such as he did with his lady friend. No doubt, this woman was idealized into something that Sanford felt he needed in his life. It makes you wonder what was missing in his personal circumstances. What drove the construction of this costly desire? By the time of his press conference admitting the affair, Sanford was so besotted that he had risked his family, faith and the governorship of South Carolina.
In a classic way, this story is quite romantic. But Sanford, as governor of a state buffeted by a nasty recession, gets few of the allowances that could be made for ordinary citizens in a comparable situation. Mature adults appreciate that duty constantly butts up against desire. It is an exquisite balance that must be maintained, and sometimes, duty simply trumps desire. As a christian, Sanford of all people, should know that.
It’s always sad to witness anyone fail in a spectacular way. This is so, even if those who are falling from grace, are people who would not be as compassionate if the shoe were not on their own foot.
The day Perez Hilton spoke non-violence
Perez Hilton’s chickens have come home to roost. The blogger, who has made his name as a bitchy, no-holds-barred commentator, is now calling on high principle and moral rectitude to condemn an attack against his person.
According to Perez, he was accosted by the Black Eyed Peas’ Will.i.am at a celebrity party in Toronto. Will.i.am felt that he was being dissed by things that the blogger had been saying. Perez said he felt “threatened” by Will.i.am and in self-defense, referred to the singer as a “faggot,” flinging an insult that was sure to lacerate. In furtherance of the quarrel, Perez claims that Will.i.am’s manager later punched him in the face.
Through a video post on his website, Perez Hilton renders an impassioned rebuke of this “assault,” reminding the blogosphere that no one, regardless of how provocative or incendiary they are, should be hit. http://perezhilton.com/tv/index.php?ptvid=0cd5e5f27f759. He calls Will.i.am every name in the book. A viewer is left anxious of Perez using the one epithet that would make himself the indisputable moron.
Perez’ assertion that no one should ever be hit is correct. But this message bears a hard-to-swallow irony. With his daily 10 million plus hits, the blogger’s schtick is his shading of the rules and ability to piss people off. If the blogosphere is a jungle where anything goes, he is the reigning queen. More than most, Perez knows that there is rich reward for the shocking, tasteless and below-the-belt.
If we resist the call on sympathy for Perez Hilton, his stocks will still rise. His website is breaking with hits from surfers curious to witness this latest spectacle. Far from anything he said in his video post, Perez will not have reaffirmed any commitment to non-violent principles. Through incidents like this, he simply burnishes a claim as the unelected dean of blog pop.
According to Perez, he was accosted by the Black Eyed Peas’ Will.i.am at a celebrity party in Toronto. Will.i.am felt that he was being dissed by things that the blogger had been saying. Perez said he felt “threatened” by Will.i.am and in self-defense, referred to the singer as a “faggot,” flinging an insult that was sure to lacerate. In furtherance of the quarrel, Perez claims that Will.i.am’s manager later punched him in the face.
Through a video post on his website, Perez Hilton renders an impassioned rebuke of this “assault,” reminding the blogosphere that no one, regardless of how provocative or incendiary they are, should be hit. http://perezhilton.com/tv/index.php?ptvid=0cd5e5f27f759. He calls Will.i.am every name in the book. A viewer is left anxious of Perez using the one epithet that would make himself the indisputable moron.
Perez’ assertion that no one should ever be hit is correct. But this message bears a hard-to-swallow irony. With his daily 10 million plus hits, the blogger’s schtick is his shading of the rules and ability to piss people off. If the blogosphere is a jungle where anything goes, he is the reigning queen. More than most, Perez knows that there is rich reward for the shocking, tasteless and below-the-belt.
If we resist the call on sympathy for Perez Hilton, his stocks will still rise. His website is breaking with hits from surfers curious to witness this latest spectacle. Far from anything he said in his video post, Perez will not have reaffirmed any commitment to non-violent principles. Through incidents like this, he simply burnishes a claim as the unelected dean of blog pop.
Friday, 19 June 2009
Boon or Bust ?
According to Nigel in the movie The Devil Wears Prada, if you are doing well at work, chances are that your life at home is going down the toilet. For those who don’t know, The Devil Wears Prada is a fountain of wisdom. [Meryl Streep is also a Goddess, but that will be the subject of a separate post].
Is it true that no alignment is possible between work-life and romance? What if you try both together in the same space? I ask because a friend of mine recently announced that he is going into business with his partner. The idea seems sexy and scary at the same time – all the sheen of an exotic derivative before the AIG meltdown. Individually, a relationship or business is a demanding venture. Putting both together must at the very least be complicating.
There might be an economic reason however, why lovers in business could constitute the purest form of synergy. We obviously think deeply about our financial well-being. Anchoring a relationship with those cares reinforces commitment to all the things that make an investment work – like driving value and ensuring sustainability. There is every incentive to get things right. And that’s a good thing. Either that, or things just go belly-flopping bust.
Is it true that no alignment is possible between work-life and romance? What if you try both together in the same space? I ask because a friend of mine recently announced that he is going into business with his partner. The idea seems sexy and scary at the same time – all the sheen of an exotic derivative before the AIG meltdown. Individually, a relationship or business is a demanding venture. Putting both together must at the very least be complicating.
There might be an economic reason however, why lovers in business could constitute the purest form of synergy. We obviously think deeply about our financial well-being. Anchoring a relationship with those cares reinforces commitment to all the things that make an investment work – like driving value and ensuring sustainability. There is every incentive to get things right. And that’s a good thing. Either that, or things just go belly-flopping bust.
Wednesday, 17 June 2009
Sex, hypocrites and scandal
Politics – especially the puritanical American variety – often throws up a sex scandal. With the notable exception of Bill Clinton, it’s usually the holier-than-thou types who bring this spectacle into the public arena. Reverend Jimmy Swaggart, Senator Larry Craig, former democratic presidential candidate John Edwards and now Republican presidential hopeful John Ensign are just a few fallen angels. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/16/john-ensign-affair-gop-se_n_216451.html
As a long-time observer, I believe scandals are losing their punch. Not that nowadays, tales of hubris are less salacious. They simply don’t shock and scandalize as before. Is it that we are more jaded than ever? Or have we simply acquired a more pragmatic view of so- called human failings?
There are good reasons to rethink the value of taking down the high and mighty with sex. One of my favorite essays by Richard Kim of the Nation addresses this issue: http://www.thenation.com/doc/20010618/kim20010605. The background for Kim’s views is the story of Andrew Sullivan, a self-righteous, openly gay and HIV positive political pundit. Sullivan is widely known for criticizing gay community as promoting recklessness, wanton sex and life without moral codes. His detractors “outed” him for having gone online and solicited “bareback” sex in a chat room devoted to unprotected intercourse. Kim wrote:
“For one thing, if we delight in discovering that Sullivan the moralist doesn't follow his own prescriptions, we need to ask whether excoriating him for his hypocrisy risks reaffirming those very moral standards. In finding him a sinner, do we end up concurring with Sullivan's original understanding of sin--if only to turn the tables on him? In doing so, we don't challenge the moralizing, normalizing values that Sullivan espouses. We just relocate ourselves, temporarily, on the other end of the finger.”
In the world we imagine, it would be OK to negotiate sex on our own terms provided there is no harm to anyone else. As things are now, it’s too easy to create moral divisions through sexuality. This is above all else, a kill-joy, and makes an otherwise fun-thing needlessly political – even dangerous. Janet Jackson would have us reclaim the “pleasure principle.” Maybe our current state of scandal-fatigue is the first stage of a new liberation moment.
As a long-time observer, I believe scandals are losing their punch. Not that nowadays, tales of hubris are less salacious. They simply don’t shock and scandalize as before. Is it that we are more jaded than ever? Or have we simply acquired a more pragmatic view of so- called human failings?
There are good reasons to rethink the value of taking down the high and mighty with sex. One of my favorite essays by Richard Kim of the Nation addresses this issue: http://www.thenation.com/doc/20010618/kim20010605. The background for Kim’s views is the story of Andrew Sullivan, a self-righteous, openly gay and HIV positive political pundit. Sullivan is widely known for criticizing gay community as promoting recklessness, wanton sex and life without moral codes. His detractors “outed” him for having gone online and solicited “bareback” sex in a chat room devoted to unprotected intercourse. Kim wrote:
“For one thing, if we delight in discovering that Sullivan the moralist doesn't follow his own prescriptions, we need to ask whether excoriating him for his hypocrisy risks reaffirming those very moral standards. In finding him a sinner, do we end up concurring with Sullivan's original understanding of sin--if only to turn the tables on him? In doing so, we don't challenge the moralizing, normalizing values that Sullivan espouses. We just relocate ourselves, temporarily, on the other end of the finger.”
In the world we imagine, it would be OK to negotiate sex on our own terms provided there is no harm to anyone else. As things are now, it’s too easy to create moral divisions through sexuality. This is above all else, a kill-joy, and makes an otherwise fun-thing needlessly political – even dangerous. Janet Jackson would have us reclaim the “pleasure principle.” Maybe our current state of scandal-fatigue is the first stage of a new liberation moment.
Monday, 15 June 2009
politicians overexposed
American comedian Bill Maher is done with Obama as celebrity. Enough news of the Prez going out to get a burger, drinking beer at a basketball game and taking his wife to Broadway. No more reality TV features of "a day in the White House." All Bill Maher wants is a solution to the economic crisis and some world peace. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/14/bill-maher-takes-on-obama_n_215338.html
Of course, extreme media exposure is not confined to A-list politicians. The most bizarre insertion into the news in the UK recently, came from Hackney MP Diane Abbott. An irrepressible talking head, Abbott is constantly making her feelings known. Here she is, issuing slurping sounds in parliament:
http://playpolitical.typepad.com/labour_party/2009/06/diane-abbot-mp-makes-slurping-noise-as-keith-vaz-mp-creeps-to-new-home-secretary-alan-johnson.html
Of course, extreme media exposure is not confined to A-list politicians. The most bizarre insertion into the news in the UK recently, came from Hackney MP Diane Abbott. An irrepressible talking head, Abbott is constantly making her feelings known. Here she is, issuing slurping sounds in parliament:
http://playpolitical.typepad.com/labour_party/2009/06/diane-abbot-mp-makes-slurping-noise-as-keith-vaz-mp-creeps-to-new-home-secretary-alan-johnson.html
Sunday, 14 June 2009
Mercy and Madonna
Did Madonna buy Baby Mercy from Malawi? Many people are asking this question. The thinking is that Madonna "donated" so much money to Malawian orphans - £12 million in fact - that she might as well have gotten her baby girl cash on delivery. Check: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/madonna/5522159/Madonna-donated-12-million-to-Malawi.html
How cynical is that? I for one am happy that a child born in poverty will now have a fabulous life. Does Madonna adopt adults in SW2? If she does, I am certainly available.
Mercy's lucky pick aside, there are enduring problems for orphans in Malawi. Madonna's £12 million will go a limited way to address the plight of these children (Jacques Peretti has chronicled these events in a documentary entitled "Madonna and Child" and writes in the Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/jun/12/madonna-mercy-malawi).
I am reading Zambian economist Dambisa Mayo's "Dead Aid," after seeing the writer so often on TV. The central argument of Ms Mayo's book is that the practice of giving aid to countries in Africa does more long-term harm than good. Instead, this former Goldman Sachs employee (via Harvard, Oxford and the World Bank) believes that African governments should be incentivised to take care of their own people, rather than depend on foreign states and celebrities for aid.
I quite agree with Mayo. The Material Girl won’t save Africa or its orphans. Mercy's adoption is a story of Madonna's growing family and the singer's showbiz-styled investment in charity. The spectre of poverty and orphans on the continent fundamentally remains to be addressed. In a sane world, this state of affairs would put African leaders at the forefront of an important debate on this. But instead – and as with everything else involving Madonna - she alone manages to take centre stage.
How cynical is that? I for one am happy that a child born in poverty will now have a fabulous life. Does Madonna adopt adults in SW2? If she does, I am certainly available.
Mercy's lucky pick aside, there are enduring problems for orphans in Malawi. Madonna's £12 million will go a limited way to address the plight of these children (Jacques Peretti has chronicled these events in a documentary entitled "Madonna and Child" and writes in the Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/jun/12/madonna-mercy-malawi).
I am reading Zambian economist Dambisa Mayo's "Dead Aid," after seeing the writer so often on TV. The central argument of Ms Mayo's book is that the practice of giving aid to countries in Africa does more long-term harm than good. Instead, this former Goldman Sachs employee (via Harvard, Oxford and the World Bank) believes that African governments should be incentivised to take care of their own people, rather than depend on foreign states and celebrities for aid.
I quite agree with Mayo. The Material Girl won’t save Africa or its orphans. Mercy's adoption is a story of Madonna's growing family and the singer's showbiz-styled investment in charity. The spectre of poverty and orphans on the continent fundamentally remains to be addressed. In a sane world, this state of affairs would put African leaders at the forefront of an important debate on this. But instead – and as with everything else involving Madonna - she alone manages to take centre stage.
Saturday, 13 June 2009
Beauty with a purpose
Carrie Prejean, the Miss California winner who famously declared herself opposed to gay marriage, has finally been let go by the pageant organisers. See: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/12/carrie-prejean-my-miss-ca_n_214814.html. Well God bless her, I think...
It seemed natural that a silicone-enhanced, tit-exposing beauty queen, would give all her love to ... er, other queens. But rather like the stripper who whips out a bible and begins to minister, Miss California's rebuke stunned gay supporters. Bitch slapped them, even.
Prejean pleaded support for "opposite sex" marriage only, saying that this was her "personal choice." No doubt, her position was inspired by the bible.
Conservatives embraced the beauty queen's protection of traditional family values. They decried criticisms of her stated views as "intolerant."
It is entirely appropriate that Ms Prejean carries the message that she does. If we think she is simply a dumb blonde who wont go away, we must still admit that her arguments are attractive to many, and as such, are irrepressible.
The important debate has little to do with the moral authority of one beauty queen. Fundamentally, this issue is about rights and fairness towards same gender loving people. The resolution of these questions, involves an unglamorous process of persuasion. It is a serious discussion that is not well served by pageant answers. All this, puts the matter way beyond Carrie Prejean and the Miss California organisers.
It seemed natural that a silicone-enhanced, tit-exposing beauty queen, would give all her love to ... er, other queens. But rather like the stripper who whips out a bible and begins to minister, Miss California's rebuke stunned gay supporters. Bitch slapped them, even.
Prejean pleaded support for "opposite sex" marriage only, saying that this was her "personal choice." No doubt, her position was inspired by the bible.
Conservatives embraced the beauty queen's protection of traditional family values. They decried criticisms of her stated views as "intolerant."
It is entirely appropriate that Ms Prejean carries the message that she does. If we think she is simply a dumb blonde who wont go away, we must still admit that her arguments are attractive to many, and as such, are irrepressible.
The important debate has little to do with the moral authority of one beauty queen. Fundamentally, this issue is about rights and fairness towards same gender loving people. The resolution of these questions, involves an unglamorous process of persuasion. It is a serious discussion that is not well served by pageant answers. All this, puts the matter way beyond Carrie Prejean and the Miss California organisers.
Wednesday, 10 June 2009
Dating in Obama time
Dude here, has no expertise in this area. I therefore consume insights wherever I find 'em. Its the audacity of hope.
This first article, poses questions about expectations. Would many Type A personality women have dated Barack Obama, when he was a broke, big-eared organiser with a funny name? Is there an element of buying-stocks-when-the-markets-are-down in dating ? See: http://www.theroot.com/views/what-single-women-can-learn-michelle
The second piece, talks about lingering anxieties of race and interracial dating. Its an interesting perspective from a white woman who dated a black guy, in the run-up to the US election of 2008. See: http://thestimulist.com/resolved-interracial-dating-is-easier-than-you-think/.
This first article, poses questions about expectations. Would many Type A personality women have dated Barack Obama, when he was a broke, big-eared organiser with a funny name? Is there an element of buying-stocks-when-the-markets-are-down in dating ? See: http://www.theroot.com/views/what-single-women-can-learn-michelle
The second piece, talks about lingering anxieties of race and interracial dating. Its an interesting perspective from a white woman who dated a black guy, in the run-up to the US election of 2008. See: http://thestimulist.com/resolved-interracial-dating-is-easier-than-you-think/.
Tuesday, 9 June 2009
Life beyond the thunderdome ?
A black, openly gay Harvard grad is running for Congress of the USA. He is 28 years old, a decorated Iraq vet and good looking to boot. Read: http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-06-09/best-political-resume-ever/
Does this portent change that we could possibly believe in ? Political commentator Carlos Watson sees things very clearly. He not only predicts the reversal of the California same-sex marriage ban, but sees Dick Cheney actively campaigning to achieve this: http://thestimulist.com/cheney-comes-out-in-support-of-gay-marriage/
Are the stars truly realigning? Will a senior politician in Jamaica come out and support the repeal of the buggery laws ? Or does magic only happen for Jamdowners at the Olympics? I ask, because incredible things seem to be ocurring everywhere else.
Does this portent change that we could possibly believe in ? Political commentator Carlos Watson sees things very clearly. He not only predicts the reversal of the California same-sex marriage ban, but sees Dick Cheney actively campaigning to achieve this: http://thestimulist.com/cheney-comes-out-in-support-of-gay-marriage/
Are the stars truly realigning? Will a senior politician in Jamaica come out and support the repeal of the buggery laws ? Or does magic only happen for Jamdowners at the Olympics? I ask, because incredible things seem to be ocurring everywhere else.
Brown blues
I was indifferent towards Gordon Brown, before I just started feeling sorry for him. Poor soul. All those years as backdrop in the court of glossy Blairs.
As the story goes, he had been bested at the critical moment by his erstwhile junior, to become Labour Leader. Whether it was Tony Blair's audacity or his indecision, Brown entered our imagination as a loser. To be seen as a leader in his own right, Gordon Brown was always going to be faced with a tough reinvention project.
Tough, but not impossible. Ask Hillary Clinton. How many political face lifts has she had ? Makeovers, as we know, are the new black.
Instead, Gordon only burnished his reputation as a loser. He was snarly and undermining as PM in-waiting. He remained colourless and worse, indecisive, after the highest office was bestowed on him. No new narrative emerged that made him intriguing. In an age where Susan Boyle can become sexy in 60 seconds, Brown stayed steadfastly dour. For political spirit, you could say he is John Kerry's identical twin.
If I were a Labour leader aspirant, I would back Gordon Brown now. Who better to have responsibility for Labour's inevitable defeat ? No use putting good political capital on an irreversible train wreck. Better to emerge fresh, after the crash.
As the story goes, he had been bested at the critical moment by his erstwhile junior, to become Labour Leader. Whether it was Tony Blair's audacity or his indecision, Brown entered our imagination as a loser. To be seen as a leader in his own right, Gordon Brown was always going to be faced with a tough reinvention project.
Tough, but not impossible. Ask Hillary Clinton. How many political face lifts has she had ? Makeovers, as we know, are the new black.
Instead, Gordon only burnished his reputation as a loser. He was snarly and undermining as PM in-waiting. He remained colourless and worse, indecisive, after the highest office was bestowed on him. No new narrative emerged that made him intriguing. In an age where Susan Boyle can become sexy in 60 seconds, Brown stayed steadfastly dour. For political spirit, you could say he is John Kerry's identical twin.
If I were a Labour leader aspirant, I would back Gordon Brown now. Who better to have responsibility for Labour's inevitable defeat ? No use putting good political capital on an irreversible train wreck. Better to emerge fresh, after the crash.
Sunday, 7 June 2009
Kick off.
Welcome to my world!
A couple of my sista frenz suggested that I do this. None of them has said what, if any, is the value proposition. Neither do I have any inkling. But here I am, in the blogosphere. I'm well thought-out like that.
So if I think about it, it seems that blogging could, at the very least, be interesting. With 300 plus friends on Facebook, that medium now feels like running a bureaucracy. Perhaps Acre Lane might be a good space to say what's really on my mind. Maybe I can indulge my peculiar interests here.
Its past 4:00am Monday morning. Roger Federer won the French Open yesterday, and I had real tears of joy. After living in Geneva for 3 not-so-exciting years, he is one of the few fun associations I make with Switzerland. Peerless, he is. What a class act.
Speaking of Geneva, on Saturday I received a hard copy of the book I wrote as part of my job, when I lived there. Its rather huffily entitled "Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and International Human Rights Law" in the ICJ Practioners Guide series. (I mean "legal practitioners", of course. LOL ). Will have more to say on this later.
As I write this post, I'm listening to the BNP leader lay out his reason for being on the BBC, after winning a seat in the European parliament. http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/07/european-elections-manchester-liverpool . This came shortly after reading my friend Gary Younge's article on conservative anquish over judge Sotamayor, in the US. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jun/07/sotomayor-racism-supreme-court.
I start today thinking that the world is engaged in a game of "trading places," like Eddie Murphy was, in that 80's movie of the same name. It began with Obama, I reckon. After he flipped the script, white guys can properly winge about being a minority. Who knew ! Im going to imagine wild things this week and see if they happen.
A couple of my sista frenz suggested that I do this. None of them has said what, if any, is the value proposition. Neither do I have any inkling. But here I am, in the blogosphere. I'm well thought-out like that.
So if I think about it, it seems that blogging could, at the very least, be interesting. With 300 plus friends on Facebook, that medium now feels like running a bureaucracy. Perhaps Acre Lane might be a good space to say what's really on my mind. Maybe I can indulge my peculiar interests here.
Its past 4:00am Monday morning. Roger Federer won the French Open yesterday, and I had real tears of joy. After living in Geneva for 3 not-so-exciting years, he is one of the few fun associations I make with Switzerland. Peerless, he is. What a class act.
Speaking of Geneva, on Saturday I received a hard copy of the book I wrote as part of my job, when I lived there. Its rather huffily entitled "Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and International Human Rights Law" in the ICJ Practioners Guide series. (I mean "legal practitioners", of course. LOL ). Will have more to say on this later.
As I write this post, I'm listening to the BNP leader lay out his reason for being on the BBC, after winning a seat in the European parliament. http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/07/european-elections-manchester-liverpool . This came shortly after reading my friend Gary Younge's article on conservative anquish over judge Sotamayor, in the US. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jun/07/sotomayor-racism-supreme-court.
I start today thinking that the world is engaged in a game of "trading places," like Eddie Murphy was, in that 80's movie of the same name. It began with Obama, I reckon. After he flipped the script, white guys can properly winge about being a minority. Who knew ! Im going to imagine wild things this week and see if they happen.
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