This is something that's been needling me for some time.
Do looks really matter when you're choosing a boyfriend,
or even just a potential snog?
I'm not talking about the obvious where you've got some guy with a hump
and eyes at different heights and all sorts of funny things like that.
Everybody felt sorry for the hunchback when he didn't get the girl, but
let's be honest. Nobody was expecting him to in the first place.
In a normal everyday situation where there are two guys interested in the same girl
things become far more complicated. Physical attraction is a fine thing,
but when you're looking for a real relationship, you obviously need a bit more.
Or in my case, a lot more. This is a painfully obvious fact that even I have come to
realise and to a certain extend accept.
We all know that 9 times out of 10 the guy who's not quite that hot will be the one that wil
take care of you no matter what. He's the one that wil bring you orange juice when you're
feeling ill and the one most likely to love you even without your make-up. The gorgeous one
won't give you as much attention, or as much respect. He'll forget to call, and expect you to
be grateful when he does.
Why then is it so difficult to remember all of that
when the gorgeous guy is looking into your eyes and your knees are going all wobbly.
There's a big difference between knowledge and actual acceptance, and at this stage I'm
struggling a bit to find the courage to take the leap from one to the other.
It may be that courage isn't what's lacking from the equation. Then what is?
This connection affects not only our relationships, but also various other aspects of our
day to day lives. We know vegetables are good for us and that we need to live a
certain way in order to be healthy. This is not news.
Yet we still wolf down that second helping of pudding, with extra chocolate sauce.
Knowing... And doing... Worlds apart.
This time though, I actually did it.
I picked the nice guy. Who treats me like a princess and truly cares about me.
I still get a bit of the wobbles when the gorgeous one plays his little flirt game,
but I honestly think I've made the right choice.
Let's just hope that this time, I'll stick to it.
Saturday 25 November 2006
Friday 24 November 2006
Making sense of anthropology 1
Making sense of anthropology
Eriksen starts his text with a quote from T. Ingold “Anthropology is philosophy with people in.” This later proves to be an invaluable starting point in his discussion about what it is that Anthropologists really do. Anthropology looks at all the complexities within human culture and social interaction and from this vast selection of knowledge seeks to define just what it is that makes us all human at the end of the day. This complex study is unique in all the humanities studies, and no wonder, with so many things that underlie even the most common terms, like culture. It‘s clear to see why only the very foolish or very brave would even attempt it.
Discussion
To better understand what Anthropology is, let’s first look at the name itself. Made up of two words “Anthropos” and “Logos” that were taken from the original Greek, we see that they mean “humanity” and “reasoning” respectively. Thus in its simplest form anthropology can be defined as the “reasoning about humanity”. Second let’s look at the basic term culture. Taken from the Latin “Colos” witch literally means to cultivate we can now say that Cultural Anthropology is the reasoning about cultivated humanity. There are of course many other factors that underlie this study and as we focus upon this study of “cultural humanity” they will become more evident.
Spradley starts his report by criticizing what he calls naïve realism, which is the practice of assuming that all cultures regard reality in much the same way, as well as thinking that everyone ascribes the same meaning to everyday objects. This is clearly false, as van be seen even when two people who presumably share the same ‘culture’ are asked to describe a concept. Eriksen doesn’t directly mention this, but I think it is important to be aware of this type of reasoning, even if only to successfully avoid it. Not everyone sees the world in the same way, and heated debates, even within the confines of the same ‘culture’ illustrates this clearly. Culture is always contested as can be seen in Wright, and these contestations are major catalysts in cultural transformation. There are however certain similarities that can be found when viewing individuals from the sae group. Let us thus define culture as the learned social practices concerning everything from language to the general code of conduct advocated by that society.
It is in fact these rules that concern anthropologists (Spradley). Anthropologist use participant observation as a main method of study (Eriksen) and this has proved to be in invaluable tool in understanding how different cultures operate. It is important to remember that culture is not an “innate” reality of man, we are not born a certain way, and we learn to think by the way society teaches us to think (Eriksen & Overring). There does seem to be a sort of golden thread linking humanity though and it is worth noting that in our constant search for what unites us, we’re still not allowed to simply paper over the differences in society and try to bash everyone around us to fit into our own mould of reality (Eriksen).
This brings us to Ethnocentrism which literally means, judging someone else from our own “ethnos” or cultural perception. If we do it in this way the rest of humanity van only ever be seen as inferior copies of ourselves (Eriksen). Clearly from this standing point we place the rest of humanity at the bottom of the pyramid, with us the “wise west” looking down. This harks back to the 19th Century view of “cultured” European society at the top that had to go out and cultivate the savages (Overring & Rapport). Kipling even went as far as describing colonisation as our duty, to civilise the savages calling it “the white man’s burden”. We have mostly moved on a great deal from this way of thinking and modern anthropologists realize that to effectively understand a society, we must look from the inside. From their point of view, instead of just substituting our own (Eriksen & Spradley).
One of the firs people who cottoned on to this fact was Boas, who saw all people as equally cultural. This small step went a long way in forming our current understanding of culture. It is worth noting however that this was not he same as Orwell’s “Animal Farm” where the rules were changed to “all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” Boas in reality did seem to come from a noble place in the belief that we should endeavour to see the world from that particular culture’s perspective instead of just overlaying our own. There were of course those that exploited an “innocent” concept, but this was not Boas’ intention. This is incidentally also the starting point for cultural relativism, which states that behaviour within a culture should be judged by that culture’s own standards and beliefs (Eriksen). This can lead some people to believe that, that means we end up with no other option but to approve of every foreign policy (Hatch). Which in turn causes a moral dilemma since you cannot sanely approve of everything that happens in the world regardless of consequence (Eriksen & Hatch). The principle of cultural relativism does not in itself carry any moral principle, but rather asks of us to give everyone a fair chance to be who they are and think the way they do, without judging them unfairly. It may indeed be a flawed ideology as Hatch suggests, but it certainly has merit as a starting point.
Although Eriksen doesn’t embark on a sort of anti-relativist crusade, it is worth noting that he mentions that quite a few anthropologists, who practice relativism in their work, do have very certain ideas about right and wrong in their personal lives. Relativism then is not just abandoning all reason and granting a blanket approval of everything that comes your way, but simply suspending your judgement for long enough in order to be fair.
Conclusion
Cultural anthropology is not a popularity contest with anthropologists at the top giving out marks to decide who’s got the best culture. Eriksen very aptly puts it when he states that “anthropology doesn’t answer the question of who has the best culture – simply because it doesn’t ask it.” Rather it is a question of looking at all the vast complexities in human society and culture and finding between all this diversity the part of being human that ultimately unites us. There may not be a “global” culture that that the media is currently preaching, but we van all do well to step off our pedestal for long enough to see that, just because someone doesn’t think the way we do, doesn’t mean it’s wrong.
Eriksen starts his text with a quote from T. Ingold “Anthropology is philosophy with people in.” This later proves to be an invaluable starting point in his discussion about what it is that Anthropologists really do. Anthropology looks at all the complexities within human culture and social interaction and from this vast selection of knowledge seeks to define just what it is that makes us all human at the end of the day. This complex study is unique in all the humanities studies, and no wonder, with so many things that underlie even the most common terms, like culture. It‘s clear to see why only the very foolish or very brave would even attempt it.
Discussion
To better understand what Anthropology is, let’s first look at the name itself. Made up of two words “Anthropos” and “Logos” that were taken from the original Greek, we see that they mean “humanity” and “reasoning” respectively. Thus in its simplest form anthropology can be defined as the “reasoning about humanity”. Second let’s look at the basic term culture. Taken from the Latin “Colos” witch literally means to cultivate we can now say that Cultural Anthropology is the reasoning about cultivated humanity. There are of course many other factors that underlie this study and as we focus upon this study of “cultural humanity” they will become more evident.
Spradley starts his report by criticizing what he calls naïve realism, which is the practice of assuming that all cultures regard reality in much the same way, as well as thinking that everyone ascribes the same meaning to everyday objects. This is clearly false, as van be seen even when two people who presumably share the same ‘culture’ are asked to describe a concept. Eriksen doesn’t directly mention this, but I think it is important to be aware of this type of reasoning, even if only to successfully avoid it. Not everyone sees the world in the same way, and heated debates, even within the confines of the same ‘culture’ illustrates this clearly. Culture is always contested as can be seen in Wright, and these contestations are major catalysts in cultural transformation. There are however certain similarities that can be found when viewing individuals from the sae group. Let us thus define culture as the learned social practices concerning everything from language to the general code of conduct advocated by that society.
It is in fact these rules that concern anthropologists (Spradley). Anthropologist use participant observation as a main method of study (Eriksen) and this has proved to be in invaluable tool in understanding how different cultures operate. It is important to remember that culture is not an “innate” reality of man, we are not born a certain way, and we learn to think by the way society teaches us to think (Eriksen & Overring). There does seem to be a sort of golden thread linking humanity though and it is worth noting that in our constant search for what unites us, we’re still not allowed to simply paper over the differences in society and try to bash everyone around us to fit into our own mould of reality (Eriksen).
This brings us to Ethnocentrism which literally means, judging someone else from our own “ethnos” or cultural perception. If we do it in this way the rest of humanity van only ever be seen as inferior copies of ourselves (Eriksen). Clearly from this standing point we place the rest of humanity at the bottom of the pyramid, with us the “wise west” looking down. This harks back to the 19th Century view of “cultured” European society at the top that had to go out and cultivate the savages (Overring & Rapport). Kipling even went as far as describing colonisation as our duty, to civilise the savages calling it “the white man’s burden”. We have mostly moved on a great deal from this way of thinking and modern anthropologists realize that to effectively understand a society, we must look from the inside. From their point of view, instead of just substituting our own (Eriksen & Spradley).
One of the firs people who cottoned on to this fact was Boas, who saw all people as equally cultural. This small step went a long way in forming our current understanding of culture. It is worth noting however that this was not he same as Orwell’s “Animal Farm” where the rules were changed to “all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” Boas in reality did seem to come from a noble place in the belief that we should endeavour to see the world from that particular culture’s perspective instead of just overlaying our own. There were of course those that exploited an “innocent” concept, but this was not Boas’ intention. This is incidentally also the starting point for cultural relativism, which states that behaviour within a culture should be judged by that culture’s own standards and beliefs (Eriksen). This can lead some people to believe that, that means we end up with no other option but to approve of every foreign policy (Hatch). Which in turn causes a moral dilemma since you cannot sanely approve of everything that happens in the world regardless of consequence (Eriksen & Hatch). The principle of cultural relativism does not in itself carry any moral principle, but rather asks of us to give everyone a fair chance to be who they are and think the way they do, without judging them unfairly. It may indeed be a flawed ideology as Hatch suggests, but it certainly has merit as a starting point.
Although Eriksen doesn’t embark on a sort of anti-relativist crusade, it is worth noting that he mentions that quite a few anthropologists, who practice relativism in their work, do have very certain ideas about right and wrong in their personal lives. Relativism then is not just abandoning all reason and granting a blanket approval of everything that comes your way, but simply suspending your judgement for long enough in order to be fair.
Conclusion
Cultural anthropology is not a popularity contest with anthropologists at the top giving out marks to decide who’s got the best culture. Eriksen very aptly puts it when he states that “anthropology doesn’t answer the question of who has the best culture – simply because it doesn’t ask it.” Rather it is a question of looking at all the vast complexities in human society and culture and finding between all this diversity the part of being human that ultimately unites us. There may not be a “global” culture that that the media is currently preaching, but we van all do well to step off our pedestal for long enough to see that, just because someone doesn’t think the way we do, doesn’t mean it’s wrong.
they
“THEY”
They’d have to kill him, and sooner rather than later. “How could you let this happen?” Anne hissed as Jeremy sat down. He was far to calm considering the predicament they were facing. But then again, that was Jeremy in a nutshell. With his blonde hair , hazel eyes and the kind of confidence other people would pay good money for. She’d been against his initiation from the start for this very reason, overconfidence having been the downfall of far too many people who had their sights set on world domination. Anne did not in fact have any plans for world domination, nor did anyone else in the organisation. If only her present company had similar insight there might’ve been some hope for him. She didn’t have long to muse however. “I’ve got everything under control.” He said in a stage whisper and she might have given him the benefit of the doubt had he not winked at her after saying it. She nodded and left it at that and as he paraded out of the room she vowed to take a personal interest when the time came to terminate Jeremy’s contract. His arrogance after a mistake that could ruin them all was an affront to her.
His recruitment came as a matter of necessity rather than choice and it seemed that it was a choice they were going to regret. If things went even more pear shaped then at least she would have something on Charles. Charles was average, average build, hight and features but this belied a mind like a diamond, sharp and with a slightly chilly edge. The worst part about him was that he ended up making you think like him. He didn’t use mind control or any of the wonderful little conditioning tricks you see in movies, instead he just manipulated you in such a way that you ended up changing yourself.
“We’ll need someone to take the fall then.” Anne was almost surprised when she heard her own voice. She silently cursed herself for falling into the trap and thinking like the rest of them, but she also knew such a risky operation would need a fall man. Charles didn’t say anything, he just smiled at her and Mark and nodded. There were times when she hated him simply because he was always so knowing, and there were other times when she hated him because he was such a jerk. Jerk or no, he was also one of the best, a brilliant mind in such an unassuming package that no one ever saw what was there. Charles had been part of them far longer than either her or Mark and even though he never said anything, every knowing smile served to remind her of the fact. “I have someone in mind.” He said in his usual calm monotones. At that moment without even knowing why, this infuriated Anne. Then she realised, she’d played right into his hands yet again! He was so good at reading and steering people that he could pull your strings without lifting a finger. What’s worse is part of her wanted to comply to win his approval, knowing full well this was the only way to get allowed into the inner circle.
People who were allowed into the organisation were always top of their class, the kind of people who could do anything they felt like. The endless ability to follow their dreams wouldn’t be enough though, the organisation needed people they could steer. A certain lack of direction coupled with a brilliant mind were key ingredients to their success. The hardest part about ruling the world, was convincing people that you were the right person for the job. And that’s what they did, they ruled the world. This is not to say that they sat somewhere in a dark and quiet room plotting away over the troubles of mankind, in fact darkened rooms were out of the question. They operated in plain sight during daylight and were far more effective than conspiracy theorist could ever imagine.
Now, ruling the world might seem like a nifty idea when you’ve had a couple of drinks and you’re sitting around building castles in the sky with your friends, but in truth it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. There is no one person sitting somewhere on a throne ruling the world, nor were there a group of people in dark robes plotting by candle light, there was simply them. Sitting in a rather drab office building in South Africa of all places! Mark had been excited when Charles came to him, but this soon faded when he walked in the first day, right into Anne. She was annoyingly beautiful and after five minutes in her company he felt like an absolute idiot. Maybe it’s the way she always seemed to be talking at you instead of to you, but to be fair Mark had never been very good with women. Anne had been recruited two months before Mark and even though she recognised her own uncertainty in his eyes she was far to suspicious of people to let up. The memory of that first confusing week was still fresh in her mind, and after she’d given him a gruff brush off she did at least feel a little guilty. All of this was less than a year ago, but it seemed like a lifetime. The people they had been were long gone and had been replaced by suspicious paranoid individuals and even though he suspected that this was barely a switch for Anne, for him it had been an enormous leap. He was right in a way, Anne had always been weary of people but she wasn’t nearly as tough as she was pretending to be.
Charles did the recruitment, usually taking potential candidates to a local coffee shop and inviting them “to join a little club he belonged to that sported some powerful people.” Jeremy was half under the impression that he was joining some sort of country club up until his first meeting. There were a group of people sitting around a table, calmly discussing which country was bordering on a war and which ruler needed to be taken care off. He walked in and got introduced to three people even though there were twelve in the room, when he asked who the others was an elderly woman simply replied:” We are They.” He never thought the world could be run this way, but as soon as he realised what he’d joined he started plotting ways to gain even more control. Jason it has already been mentioned was one of those rather unfortunate people without insight, making him even more of a perfect choice. The trick was never to rule the world, but rather gaining full control of those who do. Nobody in the inner circle wanted to be the one standing in the spotlight waving a sceptre. They wanted to stand at the back, pulling the ruler’s strings. Far enough at the back in fact that if or should I say when a scandal came, they couldn’t possibly be connected to it. There are times when some wayward ruler tried to point a finger at them, but even though drowning men clutch at straws, this has precious little effect on their salvation. Nobody would believe a fallen ruler when he claimed that twelve people from Africa made him do it, people were far too clever for that. This disbelief made them even more effective and made a laughing stock of anyone unwise enough to speak out.
Jeremy had never been a mastermind when it came to keeping secrets, but the speed with which he blurted out this one really was quite ridiculous. He was burning to tell someone from the very minute he walked out the front door and since even Jeremy had enough sense to realise the possible repercussions of such a comment, he decided to tell his younger brother Ben. He knew Ben was trustworthy and he was so proud to have been taken up by such an organisation he just had to tell someone. He barely made it to his apartment before he punched the number on his phone. “Guess what I did buddy!” He said even before the customary ‘How are you?” etc. “ I don’t know, why don’t you tell me” Ben replied, he wasn’t in the mood for any of Jeremy’s boastful rants. Jeremy told him and he went through all the obligatory ooh’s and aah's without really believing any of it. Ben knew that Jeremy was full of flights of fancy and he had no reason to believe that this was any different.
This all changed a couple of weeks later when Jeremy told him about a war they were planning on causing in the middle east, he hadn’t taken any notice of it at the time but when the news came on that evening he had a change of heart. There had been no real reason for the Americans to invade Iraq, but there it was all over the news along with some fabricated story about terrorism. As time passed there were even more stories involving war, stock markets and for some reason cheese that Jeremy leaked to him and as he listened it became clear that his brother was in way over his head. Originally Ben just took solace in the fact that Jason was still very low in the ranks and as such unlikely to get into too much trouble, but when Jeremy started boasting about a possible presidency he knew something was up. He hinted a few times but it soon became clear that nothing short of a neon sign would be needed to reach his brother. Jeremy was so caught up in his own illusions of greatness that he was convinced of his own invulnerability.
“I don’t think you should trust them Jeremy.” Ben hadn’t meant for it to sound like an order, but he was on edge and apparently this was how it came across. He knew it the moment he saw the flicker in his older brother’s expression. Jeremy may have gotten better at hiding his emotions, but he still had a long way to go before he would be able to hide them from someone who’d known him his whole life. Originally he thought Jeremy was joking when he’d first told him he’ been approached by them. As this whole thing started spiralling out of control it started looking like a joke gone south. Jeremy was bright enough, but having a high IQ is rarely enough of a counterbalance for arrogance. He lacked the common sense and street smarts that even hermits were born with. Don’t be fooled however, when it came to public relations he had charm in spades. Whatever else Jeremy lacked, he was always good with people. This along with his boundless ego was why he wasn’t all that surprised when Charles came to him with a little ‘offer’. Fresh out of Varsity with a law degree that he’d only just managed to obtain he was hardly a prime candidate for a top secret organisation. However, a natural born narcissist like Jeremy had no qualms about believing that he alone had the right stuff for the job. “You’re just jealous you petty child!” Jeremy screamed as he charged out of the room. He didn’t even stop to listen to the rest of what Ben had to say, convinced that his brother was somehow the one that was out to get him.
He never noticed the car that was following him around, nor did it ever occur to him that his cell phone might be tapped. It’s a sad truth of the world that people are often important instruments in bringing about their own demise. They knew that he had told his brother and they weren’t impressed at all. Anne didn’t know why she got chosen to talk to Jeremy since she had raised concerns about his suitability from early on. She couldn’t help feeling like Charles had it in for her, but she also knew better than that. Jason was a macho, egotistical idiot and she was simply the right person for the job. She rung him up and told him to come see her in her office and gave her P.A strict instructions not to interrupt them once he came. Jeremy showed up fifteen minutes late and by the time he sauntered in she was ready to grab him by his throat. “We know about your indiscretion.” She said as soon as the obligatory pleasantries were exchanged. Strangely enough Jeremy didn’t argue or even ask how, he simply said :” I trust him completely, he’ll never talk.” “I’m inclined to disagree.” She snapped as she threw the newspaper on the desk, it was open on page 3 along with a headline that read “CONSPIRACY EXPOSED”. She was livid and Jason’s complete lack of understanding was just adding more fuel to the fire. “We can only be glad the editor didn’t put much faith in your brother.” “It’s only a varsity newspaper!” He cried indignantly, but she could hear the slight trebble in his voice. She decided then; They’d have to kill him, and sooner rather than later. Jeremy was becoming more than just a security risk, he was turning into an embarrassment. Today it was a short story in a varsity newspaper, but tomorrow who knows? Anne wasn’t a big fan of murdering families and the whole bullet to the head cliché was a little old, but he had left her no choice. Besides, it was a surprisingly effective way of making sure that secrets stayed secret. They’d been around for long enough to know that a little leak today could break the dam tomorrow and she wasn’t about to let this pompous little man ruin it for all of them. She still waited almost an hour before calling ‘the cleaners’ since murder was still not fully on her menu. The call ended up lasting less than ten minutes, and when she put the phone down she took a deep breath and started with her paperwork. At least now things could get back to normal.
They’d have to kill him, and sooner rather than later. “How could you let this happen?” Anne hissed as Jeremy sat down. He was far to calm considering the predicament they were facing. But then again, that was Jeremy in a nutshell. With his blonde hair , hazel eyes and the kind of confidence other people would pay good money for. She’d been against his initiation from the start for this very reason, overconfidence having been the downfall of far too many people who had their sights set on world domination. Anne did not in fact have any plans for world domination, nor did anyone else in the organisation. If only her present company had similar insight there might’ve been some hope for him. She didn’t have long to muse however. “I’ve got everything under control.” He said in a stage whisper and she might have given him the benefit of the doubt had he not winked at her after saying it. She nodded and left it at that and as he paraded out of the room she vowed to take a personal interest when the time came to terminate Jeremy’s contract. His arrogance after a mistake that could ruin them all was an affront to her.
His recruitment came as a matter of necessity rather than choice and it seemed that it was a choice they were going to regret. If things went even more pear shaped then at least she would have something on Charles. Charles was average, average build, hight and features but this belied a mind like a diamond, sharp and with a slightly chilly edge. The worst part about him was that he ended up making you think like him. He didn’t use mind control or any of the wonderful little conditioning tricks you see in movies, instead he just manipulated you in such a way that you ended up changing yourself.
“We’ll need someone to take the fall then.” Anne was almost surprised when she heard her own voice. She silently cursed herself for falling into the trap and thinking like the rest of them, but she also knew such a risky operation would need a fall man. Charles didn’t say anything, he just smiled at her and Mark and nodded. There were times when she hated him simply because he was always so knowing, and there were other times when she hated him because he was such a jerk. Jerk or no, he was also one of the best, a brilliant mind in such an unassuming package that no one ever saw what was there. Charles had been part of them far longer than either her or Mark and even though he never said anything, every knowing smile served to remind her of the fact. “I have someone in mind.” He said in his usual calm monotones. At that moment without even knowing why, this infuriated Anne. Then she realised, she’d played right into his hands yet again! He was so good at reading and steering people that he could pull your strings without lifting a finger. What’s worse is part of her wanted to comply to win his approval, knowing full well this was the only way to get allowed into the inner circle.
People who were allowed into the organisation were always top of their class, the kind of people who could do anything they felt like. The endless ability to follow their dreams wouldn’t be enough though, the organisation needed people they could steer. A certain lack of direction coupled with a brilliant mind were key ingredients to their success. The hardest part about ruling the world, was convincing people that you were the right person for the job. And that’s what they did, they ruled the world. This is not to say that they sat somewhere in a dark and quiet room plotting away over the troubles of mankind, in fact darkened rooms were out of the question. They operated in plain sight during daylight and were far more effective than conspiracy theorist could ever imagine.
Now, ruling the world might seem like a nifty idea when you’ve had a couple of drinks and you’re sitting around building castles in the sky with your friends, but in truth it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. There is no one person sitting somewhere on a throne ruling the world, nor were there a group of people in dark robes plotting by candle light, there was simply them. Sitting in a rather drab office building in South Africa of all places! Mark had been excited when Charles came to him, but this soon faded when he walked in the first day, right into Anne. She was annoyingly beautiful and after five minutes in her company he felt like an absolute idiot. Maybe it’s the way she always seemed to be talking at you instead of to you, but to be fair Mark had never been very good with women. Anne had been recruited two months before Mark and even though she recognised her own uncertainty in his eyes she was far to suspicious of people to let up. The memory of that first confusing week was still fresh in her mind, and after she’d given him a gruff brush off she did at least feel a little guilty. All of this was less than a year ago, but it seemed like a lifetime. The people they had been were long gone and had been replaced by suspicious paranoid individuals and even though he suspected that this was barely a switch for Anne, for him it had been an enormous leap. He was right in a way, Anne had always been weary of people but she wasn’t nearly as tough as she was pretending to be.
Charles did the recruitment, usually taking potential candidates to a local coffee shop and inviting them “to join a little club he belonged to that sported some powerful people.” Jeremy was half under the impression that he was joining some sort of country club up until his first meeting. There were a group of people sitting around a table, calmly discussing which country was bordering on a war and which ruler needed to be taken care off. He walked in and got introduced to three people even though there were twelve in the room, when he asked who the others was an elderly woman simply replied:” We are They.” He never thought the world could be run this way, but as soon as he realised what he’d joined he started plotting ways to gain even more control. Jason it has already been mentioned was one of those rather unfortunate people without insight, making him even more of a perfect choice. The trick was never to rule the world, but rather gaining full control of those who do. Nobody in the inner circle wanted to be the one standing in the spotlight waving a sceptre. They wanted to stand at the back, pulling the ruler’s strings. Far enough at the back in fact that if or should I say when a scandal came, they couldn’t possibly be connected to it. There are times when some wayward ruler tried to point a finger at them, but even though drowning men clutch at straws, this has precious little effect on their salvation. Nobody would believe a fallen ruler when he claimed that twelve people from Africa made him do it, people were far too clever for that. This disbelief made them even more effective and made a laughing stock of anyone unwise enough to speak out.
Jeremy had never been a mastermind when it came to keeping secrets, but the speed with which he blurted out this one really was quite ridiculous. He was burning to tell someone from the very minute he walked out the front door and since even Jeremy had enough sense to realise the possible repercussions of such a comment, he decided to tell his younger brother Ben. He knew Ben was trustworthy and he was so proud to have been taken up by such an organisation he just had to tell someone. He barely made it to his apartment before he punched the number on his phone. “Guess what I did buddy!” He said even before the customary ‘How are you?” etc. “ I don’t know, why don’t you tell me” Ben replied, he wasn’t in the mood for any of Jeremy’s boastful rants. Jeremy told him and he went through all the obligatory ooh’s and aah's without really believing any of it. Ben knew that Jeremy was full of flights of fancy and he had no reason to believe that this was any different.
This all changed a couple of weeks later when Jeremy told him about a war they were planning on causing in the middle east, he hadn’t taken any notice of it at the time but when the news came on that evening he had a change of heart. There had been no real reason for the Americans to invade Iraq, but there it was all over the news along with some fabricated story about terrorism. As time passed there were even more stories involving war, stock markets and for some reason cheese that Jeremy leaked to him and as he listened it became clear that his brother was in way over his head. Originally Ben just took solace in the fact that Jason was still very low in the ranks and as such unlikely to get into too much trouble, but when Jeremy started boasting about a possible presidency he knew something was up. He hinted a few times but it soon became clear that nothing short of a neon sign would be needed to reach his brother. Jeremy was so caught up in his own illusions of greatness that he was convinced of his own invulnerability.
“I don’t think you should trust them Jeremy.” Ben hadn’t meant for it to sound like an order, but he was on edge and apparently this was how it came across. He knew it the moment he saw the flicker in his older brother’s expression. Jeremy may have gotten better at hiding his emotions, but he still had a long way to go before he would be able to hide them from someone who’d known him his whole life. Originally he thought Jeremy was joking when he’d first told him he’ been approached by them. As this whole thing started spiralling out of control it started looking like a joke gone south. Jeremy was bright enough, but having a high IQ is rarely enough of a counterbalance for arrogance. He lacked the common sense and street smarts that even hermits were born with. Don’t be fooled however, when it came to public relations he had charm in spades. Whatever else Jeremy lacked, he was always good with people. This along with his boundless ego was why he wasn’t all that surprised when Charles came to him with a little ‘offer’. Fresh out of Varsity with a law degree that he’d only just managed to obtain he was hardly a prime candidate for a top secret organisation. However, a natural born narcissist like Jeremy had no qualms about believing that he alone had the right stuff for the job. “You’re just jealous you petty child!” Jeremy screamed as he charged out of the room. He didn’t even stop to listen to the rest of what Ben had to say, convinced that his brother was somehow the one that was out to get him.
He never noticed the car that was following him around, nor did it ever occur to him that his cell phone might be tapped. It’s a sad truth of the world that people are often important instruments in bringing about their own demise. They knew that he had told his brother and they weren’t impressed at all. Anne didn’t know why she got chosen to talk to Jeremy since she had raised concerns about his suitability from early on. She couldn’t help feeling like Charles had it in for her, but she also knew better than that. Jason was a macho, egotistical idiot and she was simply the right person for the job. She rung him up and told him to come see her in her office and gave her P.A strict instructions not to interrupt them once he came. Jeremy showed up fifteen minutes late and by the time he sauntered in she was ready to grab him by his throat. “We know about your indiscretion.” She said as soon as the obligatory pleasantries were exchanged. Strangely enough Jeremy didn’t argue or even ask how, he simply said :” I trust him completely, he’ll never talk.” “I’m inclined to disagree.” She snapped as she threw the newspaper on the desk, it was open on page 3 along with a headline that read “CONSPIRACY EXPOSED”. She was livid and Jason’s complete lack of understanding was just adding more fuel to the fire. “We can only be glad the editor didn’t put much faith in your brother.” “It’s only a varsity newspaper!” He cried indignantly, but she could hear the slight trebble in his voice. She decided then; They’d have to kill him, and sooner rather than later. Jeremy was becoming more than just a security risk, he was turning into an embarrassment. Today it was a short story in a varsity newspaper, but tomorrow who knows? Anne wasn’t a big fan of murdering families and the whole bullet to the head cliché was a little old, but he had left her no choice. Besides, it was a surprisingly effective way of making sure that secrets stayed secret. They’d been around for long enough to know that a little leak today could break the dam tomorrow and she wasn’t about to let this pompous little man ruin it for all of them. She still waited almost an hour before calling ‘the cleaners’ since murder was still not fully on her menu. The call ended up lasting less than ten minutes, and when she put the phone down she took a deep breath and started with her paperwork. At least now things could get back to normal.
the what if machine
The “what if” machine
What a marvellous invention, surely of all the things that he had ever come up with this was one of the best. The idea came to him late one night after a dismal round of poker with the fellows, and once it had entered his head there as no shifting it. He was going to invent a “what if” machine, something that could tell you what would happen when you made certain decisions. Surely if he had a machine that could tell you what the future held he would be safe from poker rounds that left him with nothing but a yellow button in his pocket and no money for a taxi. If it hadn’t been for Albert he would’ve had to walk home, with his injured pride in tow. Dr.Drew Sharp was a shrewd man, who wore a grey overcoat, sensible shoes and rarely smiled. This doesn’t mean that he was unfriendly however; mostly he was just too preoccupied to know what was going on around him. He had a brilliant mind, and even though it was insulated from reality by about a meter of cotton wool he was still a charming, if strange fellow.
The night in question had been spent at Lord Lawrence’s house, even though what exactly he was Lord over remains a mystery. Every Wednesday evening was poker night and the lads took turns to host this event, anxiously collecting greasy snacks and waiting in anticipation till it was their turn. Hosting the poker night was a great honour and carried the extra bonus of ten pounds credit when playing began. Originally they only played for chips, but sooner or later someone would suggest making things “interesting”. Which of course meant playing for money, and such things rarely end well. The fact that Albert was the one who suggested it might go some way in explaining why he offered Drew a lift home even though he lived in the other side of town, but it does not do to speculate unduly over the motives of benefactors. Drew had never been very good at poker, but time and time again optimism triumphed over experience and he stepped into the trap of a little wager. The evening followed its inevitable course, with whiskey flowing freely, smoke choking up the room and people betting more than they were willing to loose. When his pockets were finally empty it came as a bit of a shock, but even more so when all that his rummaging produced was that yellow button, and not only because he couldn’t remember owning a yellow garment ever since he had been old enough to choose his own clothes.
With this nasty little wakeup call, the evening came to an end and people started going their separate ways. The car ride home lasted all of ten minutes, but for Albert it felt like an eternity and he was glad when the old house finally came into view. He pulled up to the curb and was secretly relieved when Dr.Drew didn’t invite him in for coffee. “Chin up old chap, it’ll all look better in the morning!” he quipped as Dr.Drew got out and the grunt he got in reply prevented any more words of wisdom for the evening. Dr.Drew left the car, silently fuming and when the key wouldn’t turn in the lock he cursed the universe for conspiring against him in such a clearly unsporting manner. It was while he was making his tea that the idea finally struck, and once it struck it stuck.
Early the next morning he started working on his “what if” machine, fiddling with nuts and bolts and other equally uninteresting bits of machinery till the early hours. In the end he had something resembling a very psycadelic TV set. The screen was normal enough, but all the bits and blobs surrounding it made it look like something a druggy might invent on a bad comedown. When the time came to test it his hands were trembling slightly, not because he didn’t think it would work, but because he seriously suspected that it would. He slowly pressed the red button the screen became a fuzzy blue colour, he reached for the speaking tube and slowly brought it closer. For some obscure reason now that it had been built he had no clue what to ask it, so he went upstairs to go make some tea instead, hoping that inspiration would find him along the way. Only when he was sitting in his favourite chair did he notice the time, and when he did he promptly decided to head of to bed instead.
The next morning he went about his daily tasks with the ‘what if’ machine practically forgotten and it might have remained that way had his favourite TV show not ended with the dreaded “to be continued” message. These always annoyed him immensely and in this case served to remind him of the “what if” machine standing downstairs. Having finally gotten his question he headed towards the machine and when he saw the faintly accusing blue screen staring back at him he felt a pang of guilt for leaving it on all night. Still, no problem he took the speaking tube and said:” What is going to happen in the next episode?” The machine made a rumbling noise and the screen went black for a few seconds, suddenly images flashed across the screen and there it came, next week’s episode. The detective ended up catching the crook and now that Dr.Drew had proof that his machine worked the possibilities were endless. He went to bed, but even as he dreamed he was preoccupied with questions to ask the machine.
At first his questions were mostly about television programmes, but before long the novelty of this soon started to fade and he turned to it for the more important things. Dr.Drew’s “what if” machine became the little extra insight that every amateur investor dreams about. He made a few choice investments that naturally yielded the best possible returns and within a couple of months he had managed to turn a reasonable income into quite a lavish one. Being a scientist he had never been overly interested in money, but everyone likes having a little bit extra around the house and since he never hurt anyone he couldn’t see the harm in using the machine this way. He even went as far as providing a few tips to his closest friends, and even during thorough questioning he never let on where he had gotten his information. The world lay before him, and from where he stood it was brimming with possibilities.
Like any other addiction this one started slowly, and though this was no chemical it was no less dangerous. Of course he never noticed it, and he might still have denied it even if you asked him today but after a while people started to comment. He spent days following the possible outcome of doing this or that and knowing the outcome somehow numbed the drive to actually do the things. There seemed little point of asking anyone out when you already new exactly how the evening would go and even less so when an evening of mediocre conversation would be the only outcome. When he did manage to go out he would be upset with people for things that they might say if he made certain comments and since nobody else knew about the “what if” machine he often left people feeling perplexed. There are few things as confusing as a fight about something you’ve never said, even if the content did ring true. Being away from the machine held no solace as his mind would be racing about the possible outcome of any choice that was made. The uncertainty drove him mad and often he would rush back and double check every little move. This seemed to be the only way to ensure that he would never make mistakes. He’d never been a fan of mistakes anyway and now that he had a way to avoid them completely he became ever more preoccupied.
Now, it’s all very well if you live in a world of your own, providing you take the time to step out from time to time in order to connect with the rest of humanity. But, what’s the point of talking to people when you already know what they are going to say? Conversations became tiresome and life started to look like a “re-run” without the benefit of a fast forward button to slash the boring bits. His obvious impatience during conversations caused a lot of distress and even more so when he told someone to keep quiet since he already knew what they were going to say and didn’t care for it. All but his closest friends limited their interaction to the most basic, how’d you do’s in fear of his snappy replies. Even then he did not stop; instead he locked himself in his study “living” a life that in actual fact was slowly crumbling around him. It took a long time before the doorbell eventually stopped ringing and he scarcely noticed when it did.
They found him about a week ago, all alone still sitting in front of the machine. I don’t know if anyone ever saw the announcement, but the only people who turned up for the funeral were close family and the people that were paid to be there.
Pity he never found out that living life for yourself is the only thing that makes it worth living.
What a marvellous invention, surely of all the things that he had ever come up with this was one of the best. The idea came to him late one night after a dismal round of poker with the fellows, and once it had entered his head there as no shifting it. He was going to invent a “what if” machine, something that could tell you what would happen when you made certain decisions. Surely if he had a machine that could tell you what the future held he would be safe from poker rounds that left him with nothing but a yellow button in his pocket and no money for a taxi. If it hadn’t been for Albert he would’ve had to walk home, with his injured pride in tow. Dr.Drew Sharp was a shrewd man, who wore a grey overcoat, sensible shoes and rarely smiled. This doesn’t mean that he was unfriendly however; mostly he was just too preoccupied to know what was going on around him. He had a brilliant mind, and even though it was insulated from reality by about a meter of cotton wool he was still a charming, if strange fellow.
The night in question had been spent at Lord Lawrence’s house, even though what exactly he was Lord over remains a mystery. Every Wednesday evening was poker night and the lads took turns to host this event, anxiously collecting greasy snacks and waiting in anticipation till it was their turn. Hosting the poker night was a great honour and carried the extra bonus of ten pounds credit when playing began. Originally they only played for chips, but sooner or later someone would suggest making things “interesting”. Which of course meant playing for money, and such things rarely end well. The fact that Albert was the one who suggested it might go some way in explaining why he offered Drew a lift home even though he lived in the other side of town, but it does not do to speculate unduly over the motives of benefactors. Drew had never been very good at poker, but time and time again optimism triumphed over experience and he stepped into the trap of a little wager. The evening followed its inevitable course, with whiskey flowing freely, smoke choking up the room and people betting more than they were willing to loose. When his pockets were finally empty it came as a bit of a shock, but even more so when all that his rummaging produced was that yellow button, and not only because he couldn’t remember owning a yellow garment ever since he had been old enough to choose his own clothes.
With this nasty little wakeup call, the evening came to an end and people started going their separate ways. The car ride home lasted all of ten minutes, but for Albert it felt like an eternity and he was glad when the old house finally came into view. He pulled up to the curb and was secretly relieved when Dr.Drew didn’t invite him in for coffee. “Chin up old chap, it’ll all look better in the morning!” he quipped as Dr.Drew got out and the grunt he got in reply prevented any more words of wisdom for the evening. Dr.Drew left the car, silently fuming and when the key wouldn’t turn in the lock he cursed the universe for conspiring against him in such a clearly unsporting manner. It was while he was making his tea that the idea finally struck, and once it struck it stuck.
Early the next morning he started working on his “what if” machine, fiddling with nuts and bolts and other equally uninteresting bits of machinery till the early hours. In the end he had something resembling a very psycadelic TV set. The screen was normal enough, but all the bits and blobs surrounding it made it look like something a druggy might invent on a bad comedown. When the time came to test it his hands were trembling slightly, not because he didn’t think it would work, but because he seriously suspected that it would. He slowly pressed the red button the screen became a fuzzy blue colour, he reached for the speaking tube and slowly brought it closer. For some obscure reason now that it had been built he had no clue what to ask it, so he went upstairs to go make some tea instead, hoping that inspiration would find him along the way. Only when he was sitting in his favourite chair did he notice the time, and when he did he promptly decided to head of to bed instead.
The next morning he went about his daily tasks with the ‘what if’ machine practically forgotten and it might have remained that way had his favourite TV show not ended with the dreaded “to be continued” message. These always annoyed him immensely and in this case served to remind him of the “what if” machine standing downstairs. Having finally gotten his question he headed towards the machine and when he saw the faintly accusing blue screen staring back at him he felt a pang of guilt for leaving it on all night. Still, no problem he took the speaking tube and said:” What is going to happen in the next episode?” The machine made a rumbling noise and the screen went black for a few seconds, suddenly images flashed across the screen and there it came, next week’s episode. The detective ended up catching the crook and now that Dr.Drew had proof that his machine worked the possibilities were endless. He went to bed, but even as he dreamed he was preoccupied with questions to ask the machine.
At first his questions were mostly about television programmes, but before long the novelty of this soon started to fade and he turned to it for the more important things. Dr.Drew’s “what if” machine became the little extra insight that every amateur investor dreams about. He made a few choice investments that naturally yielded the best possible returns and within a couple of months he had managed to turn a reasonable income into quite a lavish one. Being a scientist he had never been overly interested in money, but everyone likes having a little bit extra around the house and since he never hurt anyone he couldn’t see the harm in using the machine this way. He even went as far as providing a few tips to his closest friends, and even during thorough questioning he never let on where he had gotten his information. The world lay before him, and from where he stood it was brimming with possibilities.
Like any other addiction this one started slowly, and though this was no chemical it was no less dangerous. Of course he never noticed it, and he might still have denied it even if you asked him today but after a while people started to comment. He spent days following the possible outcome of doing this or that and knowing the outcome somehow numbed the drive to actually do the things. There seemed little point of asking anyone out when you already new exactly how the evening would go and even less so when an evening of mediocre conversation would be the only outcome. When he did manage to go out he would be upset with people for things that they might say if he made certain comments and since nobody else knew about the “what if” machine he often left people feeling perplexed. There are few things as confusing as a fight about something you’ve never said, even if the content did ring true. Being away from the machine held no solace as his mind would be racing about the possible outcome of any choice that was made. The uncertainty drove him mad and often he would rush back and double check every little move. This seemed to be the only way to ensure that he would never make mistakes. He’d never been a fan of mistakes anyway and now that he had a way to avoid them completely he became ever more preoccupied.
Now, it’s all very well if you live in a world of your own, providing you take the time to step out from time to time in order to connect with the rest of humanity. But, what’s the point of talking to people when you already know what they are going to say? Conversations became tiresome and life started to look like a “re-run” without the benefit of a fast forward button to slash the boring bits. His obvious impatience during conversations caused a lot of distress and even more so when he told someone to keep quiet since he already knew what they were going to say and didn’t care for it. All but his closest friends limited their interaction to the most basic, how’d you do’s in fear of his snappy replies. Even then he did not stop; instead he locked himself in his study “living” a life that in actual fact was slowly crumbling around him. It took a long time before the doorbell eventually stopped ringing and he scarcely noticed when it did.
They found him about a week ago, all alone still sitting in front of the machine. I don’t know if anyone ever saw the announcement, but the only people who turned up for the funeral were close family and the people that were paid to be there.
Pity he never found out that living life for yourself is the only thing that makes it worth living.
virgin no more
My first posting on the blog. Whoohoo!
Been raining cats and dogs for most of the day, so I might as well do something useful with my time.
Quite excited about it all and really looking forward
to sharing all my thoughts with the world.
They may not always be right.
They may not always be admirable.
BUT
They'll always be honest.
Hope everyone out there is having a great day!
Been raining cats and dogs for most of the day, so I might as well do something useful with my time.
Quite excited about it all and really looking forward
to sharing all my thoughts with the world.
They may not always be right.
They may not always be admirable.
BUT
They'll always be honest.
Hope everyone out there is having a great day!
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