I’ve put on long pants, first time since November last year. 
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Max, what a truly terrible day for you. I really don’t know what to say other than hang in. I just hope and pray things improve for you and Sarah from here.
Take care.
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Oddly enough Pete I wore shorts last week here in the UK. Can you believe that - hot enough for shorts!!! ( but back in trousers now, summer is over 
)
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Was taken to see this by a friend who is a playwright and critic. Interestingly she said it made her angry but not for the reasons you’d suspect. Her argument was essentially that the redemption arc was fake and only worked if you had the “troubled” person from a poor background etc. Strongly felt it was a cliche and not least because most people who fell others from a single punch are usually from fairly middle class backgrounds when you dig into it. Felt it was essentially middle class playwright exploiting a story by attaching working class to it.
She drew a comparison with Adolesence whose power, she felt, was drawn specifically from the more realistic perspective that the child was from an utterly nondescript, routine, middle class background.
Did enjoy it but after that discussion I rated it much less once I appreciated the extent to which I’d been manipulated. The stories from which it was drawn, and one in particular, were very different indeed.
Sigh. There is a degree of manipulation in any art form isn’t there? In the end I choose to look for the positives in things I see rather than try to look for faults. You may question my critical faculties but I find that approach generally improves the quality of my time on this planet
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You do know that positives and negatives aren’t mutually exclusive. It is possible to enjoy something whilst recognising its obvious flaws. It’s possible to viscerally dislike something even though you know it’s brilliant on every level.
And yes, all art is a manipulation but the great stuff doesn’t let you see or feel that.
For me it was a good play with signs that at least one performer has much to offer but the narrative was essentially the usual cheap lazy British version of a Hollywood redemption arc and I’m old enough to have seen that enough times to find it unimaginative. Applying it to current times doesn’t make it less imaginative. It was an interesting night out but the fawning reactions to it from the audience suggested incredible complacency from all concerned really.
I find the quality of my life massively enhanced by having different perspectives and being able to distinguish between such things rather than looking through a limited prism of one perspective.
There was a really insightful piece by the killer and the mother in the Guardian or Observer a few months ago. It’s well worth seeking out if you’ve not read it.
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There was indeed. A better read than the play to be honest. Latter did it several disservices.
But…a few people will have read the Guardian article, whereas millions watched Adolescence. So which did the cause more good?
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Up for discussion but there’s an argument of course that the purpose of art isn’t necessarily accurate representation or to further a cause.
That’s true, but I have seen it argued that Adolescence will turn out to have had even more influence as a TV programme on Society than Mr Bates vs the Post Office did.
Maybe. My suspicion is that any such influence is remarkably short lived. When one looks at the specific progress since Mr. Bates one sees pretty much nothing. A few more postmasters dead. Arguments still taking place about compensation etc.
Mike I think the unprecedented wholesale cancelling of almost all the criminal convictions is actually a pretty significant and lasting outcome that was at least accelerated and maybe even made to happen by the ITV programme?
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Er, those cases and that argument commenced long before the programme came out. It certainly added pressure…
Of course. But never before has there been a Bill in Parliament voted through to become an Act, which set aside large numbers of Court convictions. I am convinced that this came about because of the widespread outcry after the ITV programme.
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What have I done in the last 24 hours …
Took Mrs D’s estate car to the garage yesterday because one of the back seats wouldn’t fold down. They said it should be fixed by 5pm.
Unfortunately it was taking longer than anticipated to detect the fault and resolve so I got a call asking if they could keep it overnight to try again this morning. The cost seemed to be going up by the minute.
Got a call this morning saying they were awaiting delivery of a spare part they didn’t have in stock, but should be fixed by 12:00. Jeepers … how much was this adding to the price ?
I turned up at 12:00, spare part fitted, seat now folding at the flick of a switch - as it should do - and the final bill … £12
Mrs D had fastened the rear seat belt to keep the back of the car tidy !! The seat belt prevented the seat back from folding forward.
Garage was embarrassed they had taken so long to identify the “fault” (so was I that we hadn’t noticed it !). The replacement part was an embellisher that Mrs D had broken when pressing the switch to release the seat.
Daughter’s comment when I told her “so, it cost you £12 to unfasten a seat belt ?”
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I like the sound of your daughter! I thought you pilots knew about seatbelts!
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Hi Max
Sorry to hear about your day yesterday.
I hope Sarah settles quickly at the new site, bear in mind we’ve got a long Easter weekend coming so staff will probably be in reduced numbers for 4 days.
They’ll probably need their own staff to assess her to work out what she needs, and the 4-6 months comment might be well off the mark until they actually do that. I suppose you need to give it a little time to see if it’s what she wants or if there are other options (including going home) especially as I think it was presented to you both as an intensive option.
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Got offered auto renewal on house insurance. Surprised to note it seemed £80 down on last year. A quick trawl of the comparison dotes suggested that if the policy had remained unchanged then it was a very good deal indeed.
Rang them up to query whether any impact from no longer having the offspring at home and no longer having a mortgage. New quote issued immediately and all of a sudden this year is £100 cheaper than last year and better than comparison quotes by around £300 a year.
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Dear Max,
Likewise, very sorry to hear about your awful day- also sorry that my post could have been perceived as insensitive. I suspect that our posts were submitted almost simultaneously and I went to bed shortly after.
I’m glad that the GP you spoke to latterly showed concern and empathy for your situation.
Hope things have calmed down a bit today
Simon
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