Why the Guardian is going down the pan!

[Favelado]

Sometime in mid-2011 The Guardian ran a "story" called "Scandanavia's coolest tree-houses" and I momentarily considered taking a Molotov cocktail over to King's Cross.

 

[William of Walworth]

Just read that Monbiot piece earlier. Wonder how much of his anecdote is true, I'm not going to dismiss all of it just because it's him. I've heard enough well iffy stories over the years about some Brew Crew elements on certain sites myself. Admittedly second hand mostly, so it's hard to be sure about any of it.

 

[co-op]

Just read that Monbiot piece earlier. Wonder how much of his anecdote is true, I'm not going to dismiss all of it just because it's him. I've heard enough well iffy stories over the years about some Brew Crew elements on certain sites myself. Admittedly second hand mostly, so it's hard to be sure about any of it.

100%. The brew Crew at their worst were just a massive fucking anti-social pile of shit - often justifying their crap behaviour with references to their "anarchism" ime.

But the fact that Monbiot can draw such massive political conclusions about a one-person anecdote says everything about him and sod all about the politics he starts talking about*.


*although I'll admit to slagging off anarchists on the back of the kind of dickhead behaviour he's talking about here

 

[Lo Siento.]

100%. The brew Crew at their worst were just a massive fucking anti-social pile of shit - often justifying their crap behaviour with references to their "anarchism" ime.

But the fact that Monbiot can draw such massive political conclusions about a one-person anecdote says everything about him and sod all about the politics he starts talking about*.


*although I'll admit to slagging off anarchists on the back of the kind of dickhead behaviour he's talking about here

That, and the fact that he's referring to a particular brand of out-there liberal hippy pacifist anarchism. Now personally, I'm a bit of a wuss, but there's plenty of anarchists who tell anti-social dickheads where to go, and tolerating such crap has sod all to do with anarchism (although it does have a lot to do with people like Monbiot)

 

[smokedout]

the piece isn't about anarchists, it's about george monbiot telling us who he isn't, a re-establishment of his class values based on the grotesque alternative

 

[smokedout]

the working class forced me to be bourgeois by being terrible ruffians and stealing my coat

 

[William of Walworth]

Cool posts from co-op and Lo Siento, agree with you both. And smokedout has it as well. My post was only a gentle (and unnecessary?) reminder that some fuckers turning up to some protests weren't saints themselves to say the least.

Most of my knowledge based on what's Stig and her ex-protester friends, and one or two protest-experienced Urbans, have told me about old protests (road ones mainly). Also you hear plenty from hanging out with a fair few of the same people at festivals over the years.

Protestwise, I was hardly Mr Big myself or anything (to say the least! )

 

[Casually Red]

In other news, I've just found out Jews don't have tails.

due to persistent rumours of shapeshifting theres still a stewards enquiry on that one .

 

[ViolentPanda]

Oh Monbiot....

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/dec/26/my-inner-anarchist-lost-out-bourgeois

George Monbiot had an "inner anarchist"?

Liberal cocksucker kept it well-hidden!

 

[ViolentPanda]

the working class forced me to be bourgeois by being terrible ruffians and stealing my coat

Well, he's pretty much obliged to blame external factors, because fuck knows how he'd bring himself to admit that his own internal politics have always but always been straigtforwardly liberalistic.

 

[Ming]

What possessed him to write that article? Guilt/fear/anger? And why did he use the word 'twocking'? He also seems to a bit pissed off that the other bloke didn't look after his jacket.

 

[Casually Red]

What possessed him to write that article? Guilt/fear/anger? And why did he use the word 'twocking'? He also seems to a bit pissed off that the other bloke didn't look after his jacket.

As a member of the proletariat my first thought is what possessed him to sit right beside an obvious mutt in an AE ward ?

 

[equationgirl]

As a member of the proletariat my first thought is what possessed him to sit right beside an obvious mutt in an AE ward ?

He wanted a chat according to the article:

Only one person was sitting there. There were no magazines I wanted to read, so I parked myself two spaces from him in the hope of starting a conversation.

 

[Maurice Picarda]

Sometime in mid-2011 The Guardian ran a "story" called "Scandanavia's coolest tree-houses" and I momentarily considered taking a Molotov cocktail over to King's Cross.

Really? What's wrong with tree houses, or with Scandinavians? Tree houses clearly are cool - they're houses, but in trees - and they are just the sort of thing that Scandinavians are rather good at. Sourcing pictures of cool tree houses and putting them together on a web page is exactly the sort of thing that one would want lifestyle journalists to do, especially if one isn't paying them.

 

[Casually Red]

He wanted a chat according to the article

with a person who's outward appearance would point to a distinct possibility of less than wholesome character who might try and take liberties. That strikes me as someone making an effort to be right on . When those of us who have to bump into such types on a daily basis would make a conscious effort to sit elsewhere , not engage in conversation and try to give off a perceptible aura of "don't even think of fucking with me you toe rag"

 

[Favelado]

Really? What's wrong with tree houses, or with Scandinavians? Tree houses clearly are cool - they're houses, but in trees - and they are just the sort of thing that Scandinavians are rather good at. Sourcing pictures of cool tree houses and putting them together on a web page is exactly the sort of thing that one would want lifestyle journalists to do, especially if one isn't paying them.

Nothing is wrong with Scandinavians or tree-houses. It just seems everything gets turned in a fetish object now, even a tree-house gets turned into something cool. It's a tree-house. It's not cool.I can't imagine a Spanish newspaper running a lifestyle story with such a daft headline. It suggests British oneupmanship at its oddest.

 

[Maurice Picarda]

It sounds as if this objection would apply to any list of the 20 coolest Xs.

 

[Favelado]

To some extent but I thought tree-houses was particularly daft.

There are other permutations that could be annoying.

For example;

Istanbul's funkiest hamams
Palermo's pastry cafes for in-the-know Sicilians

Stuff like that.

 

[Maurice Picarda]

I'd be interested in both of those articles, to be honest.

 

[shagnasty]

As a member of the proletariat my first thought is what possessed him to sit right beside an obvious mutt in an AE ward ?

When ever your with people you don,t know you make an acsesement of them.and i would be wary of someone like that ,not that he is a bad person

 

[Casually Red]

I parked myself two spaces from him in the hope of starting a conversation. He had a number one haircut and tattoos on his neck and knuckles. His hands and face were filthy. He wore a stripey fleece jacket, like the one I once owned, until I lost it. His was thick with grease and soot, and pitted with cigarette burns

Charles Bronson used to do this shit in Death Wish and even then he was taking a serious risk . For fucks sake George your going to get yourself done in quite badly if you keep this up .

 

[Casually Red]

When ever your with people you don,t know you make an acsesement of them.and i would be wary of someone like that ,not that he is a bad person

Exactly . He mightnt be, but why take the risk of finding out ?

 

[Ming]

I dunno...i think he can handle himself.

 

[Spanky Longhorn]

To some extent but I thought tree-houses was particularly daft.

There are other permutations that could be annoying.

For example;

Istanbul's funkiest hamams
Palermo's pastry cafes for in-the-know Sicilians

Stuff like that.

Yeah but treehouses are cool, I woul definately enjoy an article on them, but then I watch that programme about small spaces and have stayed in a treehouse when on holiday

 

[William of Walworth]

I think shagnasty and Casual Red have some points about that Monbiot article tbh, however cringeworthy the article may have read to some (I do see that point as well I should say!)

We have Brew and other pretty hardcore drinkers hanging out at the top end of our salubrious High St here most days (it's on our way into town). You get to know when you need to be cautious. Normally no bother as it goes, but you can't always be certain.

That George Monbiot made an effort to engage at all, means he made more effort than I would normally, and more than fair few others on here would too -- completely understandably as well.

 

[William of Walworth]

Nothing is wrong with Scandinavians or tree-houses. It just seems everything gets turned in a fetish object now, even a tree-house gets turned into something cool. It's a tree-house. It's not cool.I can't imagine a Spanish newspaper running a lifestyle story with such a daft headline. It suggests British oneupmanship at its oddest.

Yeah the lifestylism can be a real pain in the Guardian arse at times, especially on Saturdays ... not just the Graun either -- take a look at the Sat editions of the Indie, Times and Independent and all are pretty similar in that respect.

 

[ViolentPanda]

What possessed him to write that article? Guilt/fear/anger? And why did he use the word 'twocking'? He also seems to a bit pissed off that the other bloke didn't look after his jacket.

Because the daft socially-insular cunt doesn't understand that twoccing refers only to theft of vehicles, not theft from vehicles (which, IIRC, is THEFT)?

 

[ViolentPanda]

He wanted a chat according to the article

with a person who's outward appearance would point to a distinct possibility of less than wholesome character who might try and take liberties. That strikes me as someone making an effort to be right on . When those of us who have to bump into such types on a daily basis would make a conscious effort to sit elsewhere , not engage in conversation and try to give off a perceptible aura of "don't even think of fucking with me you toe rag"

I'm sure he thought that it was really very daring, and would earn him a high score on his middle-class condescension-o-meter to talk to the bloke. He was probably already thinking of a way he could parlay his conversation with the bloke in the A&E into a dinner party anecdote (and possibly a delightful noshing off of the hostess or host at the end of the dinner party) before he'd even sat down near the bloke.

 

[ViolentPanda]

I think shagnasty and Casual Red have some points about that Monbiot article tbh, however cringeworthy the article may have read to some (I do see that point as well I should say!)

We have Brew and other pretty hardcore drinkers hanging out at the top end of our salubrious High St here most days (it's on our way into town). You get to know when you need to be cautious. Normally no bother as it goes, but you can't always be certain.

There used to be a bunch of them hanging around in the Elephant & Castle subways. Pathetic thing was that most of them were obvious Tarquins who only got the bottle to be aggressive from being permanently cunted on cider and special. About as hard when they weren't in a gang as a fresh dog-turd.

That George Monbiot made an effort to engage at all, means he made more effort than I would normally, and more than fair few others on here would too -- completely understandably as well.

What was Monbiot's motivation beyond "wanting a conversation", though? I get the feeling he was probably looking for something he could turn into an article or an anecdote, rather than primarily wanting human interaction.

 

[DotCommunist]

Also, he came of his cycle in the bad weather. lame, I did 30 miles on ice a-roads a fe weeks back and remained with dignity intact