Greet The New Orthodoxy

Everyone doesn't think the same, they never have. It's just that, nowadays, I get the impression that there's less tolerance for views outside the orthodox. There seems to be more rules about what to think.

Sometimes I think I'd like to post some inflammatory opinion on my FaceBook status or my Twitter but I can't, for the sake of offending someone. And I wonder how many other people hesitate before saying what they think because it's not only the people in the room listening, but another few hundred, many of whom you never see any more but there you go.

So there's this kind of averaging out of opinion. And if you're too far along the narrow bit of the bell curve, not only are you wrong but you're wrong to say it, there must be something wrong with you, you troll. And if you have one opinion that means you must belong to a subset, and have a load of other opinions.

In my job, I can't discuss politics or religion in any other way than factual. Fair enough too, people should be able to make up their own minds, and I wouldn't want my nearest and dearest influenced by someone else (especially if I disagreed). Mind you, I like to think my friends etc are probably pretty clear on my leanings.

Still, it leaves plenty of room for opinions on other things. But still one hesitates to express them. If I say X-Factor (Strictly/I'm a Celebrity etc etc) is shit and aimed at placating the vegetating masses with some artificially enhanced drama masquerading as jeopardy or talent, I would probably risk offending the many friends of mine who feel the need to point out what it is that distinguishes their particular chosen participant/contestant from the others who are by some mysterious measure still more awful. So I don't, because if I want to argue I'll do it face to face, preferably over a pint. But I am in the habit of expressing strong opinions.

Those who know me well recognise it as a starting point, not an end, but in the new orthodoxy it's getting harder all the time.

Last minute dot gone

I've got a million and one things I need to to do, but I'll still lie in bed all morning. I will sit at the computer and resolve to get some important document for work done, but decide that my hard disks need organising. I'll get completely distracted by tiny things that make me disproportionately cross, like the state of my local newspaper or the shouting Americans on my TV, and devote energy to writing a half-arsed blog instead of writing job applications ('blog', by the way, is not considered acceptable by the in-program spell-checker. I expect you knew that).

Not that I haven't got a job. I just want a new one. And music keeps me busy enough without the distraction of my 'real' job. Anyhow, is it me? I don't know whether I'm doing that thing males do, using some slack part of my brain to do some distractive activity while the rest of it subconsciously deals with the big stuff. Or perhaps I'm knackered and I'm somehow being forced into relaxing. Maybe I'm just disorganised. Or leave everything to the last minute come what may, so even when I have the time I don't use it effectively. I can envisage some point later today when I'll feel glad I've reorganised my hard drives, posted a blog, found out about faster broadband, and collected my repaired guitar. I'll be ready to do some song preparation or some important document writing.

Next week I'm playing a half hour set of my own songs in Hove. There are four acts, I'm on first. I suspect they know I'm really old and want me to get finished in time so I can get an early night. Still. Hopefully there'll be a few people there and I can find out how the songs hold up. I have enough, even though I'm not the most prolific songwriter in the world. The best thing is it will force me to make sure the newer songs are ready to go. Even if I don leave it to the last minute.