Sensational!

     Sensational!

It would not be too much of an exaggerated generalisation to suggest that the modern media; such as TV, Radio, Newspapers, Film etc. is constantly permeating and insinuating itself into all our daily lives. I have to add here, that I am constantly told by some people who claim that they are not unduly influenced by "the media" that they do not read the Newspapers or indeed even own a TV. To them, I have to answer that we are all part of a community and society, and thus we influence each other in many ways. Therefore, even if you are not consciously aware that you are being influenced by "the media", you most certainly are influenced by the people you mix with and all the other media that you unconsciously consume. 

So, therefore it would be safe to assume that we are all influenced by the all pervasive media we are constantly exposed to, either directly or indirectly. We are all also in broad agreement that advertising works because, otherwise why would companies spend so much on advertising? Therefore, it could be argued that the media works in much the same way. If the media didn't influence us, then it's only remit is to inform. 

However, this can't be it's only function.We all know that during times of War, that the Government of all countries uses various media for propaganda purposes. I site the first and second world wars in which various poster and news reel campaigns were circulated for public consumption. These propaganda campaigns certainly worked; in that many thousands of young men felt it was their duty to go and fight for their country. Every day they where exposed to heavy and relentless messages permeating their social and working life. Very quickly, they were more or less "brainwashed" into believing that they had to fight the "enemy" for their country. Thousands did not come back and those that did, were irrevocably damaged. 

This post is not going to argue the rights and wrongs of war, only to argue that the media is very powerful in influencing us all. If we can agree then that this is the case, I would argue that we must therefore make ourselves much more consciously aware how this happens, and in so doing guard against the more pernicious aspects of it. I would like to now move onto how the various media we consume influences us and how this has an impact on our lives. 

I have called this post "Sensational!" for a reason. This is in order to describe how many of the news reports and radio programmes which discuss the news are framed in a sensational format. That is to say, they are consciously made to be as sensationalist as possible in order to grab our attention and keep it. Just imagine for a moment the news read in a slow and conversational style by someone less formal. In the West certainly, the TV news is read in a formal authoritative way by a figure dressed in formal suited attire. This is to convey gravitas and the seriousness of the message they wish to convey. But just what is the message they wish to convey? Well, usually it's something very brutal, violent and worrying and it is mostly political in its nature and origin. 

Here, I would ask the reader to imagine their day to day life without being exposed to the news in any form by the media. They say that ignorance is bliss, and therefore so would our existence be so much more peaceful for it. But, I now will argue, that is the whole point of the news being the way it is now. It is as it is, so that we are made to feel frightened and worried for the world state of affairs and our part in it. Why? Well I would argue that in the past Religion played that role and now the modern world needs other types of control. When Religion kept most of us in check by fear, now the establishment must find other ways to do so. That is where the media steps in as their tool for such means.

I ask the reader now to think of the many ways that sensationalist ways and means in various forms are used in the media to influence and manipulate us. I could give examples here, but I have a feeling that the dear reader will have many examples that they have consciously or unconsciously realised was occurring. However, I will be continuing this blog with more posts on how this is achieved. 

For now, I would argue that it is very important for us all to wise up to the extent of media manipulation which is influencing us all, politically and socially. If we are more conscious of this, we can then have a better chance of understanding and therefore changing and challenging the Status Quo. We would clearly see how the various political parties who "Govern" us use the media to so, and how the West's relentless Capitalist mentality rules our lives with the "sensationalist" rhetoric which permeates the media outlets we all consume today. Stay tuned for more of my posts to follow, which will serialise the many ways the "Sensational" media is permeating all our lives today. 

The Great Parliamentary Swindle: How the System Hoodwinks Us From the Cradle to the Grave

The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons 1835 - J.M.W. Turner watched the fire of 1834 in London and depicted it in several paintings, including the one above


We are all born equal only in the fact that we are innocent and pure babies (we can all usually agree on that unless you believe that some are born evil) but that is another matter. We live out our lives as best we can in the country we happen to be born into, and we die usually in the same place. The main aspect of all our lives is how we live our short lives. There can be very few (if none at all) who do not face some struggle and strife and suffer some unfortunate circumstances somewhere along the line. I hope that up till now we can all agree on that. However, what mainly concerns me in this piece is the way of life which is unfairly foisted upon us as innocent babies. Born, as we all are, unconsciously into the time and place in which we all come into this world.

We enter into life without having asked to be born; but once we are here we have to live our lives in the circumstances and with the personal assets that we have been dealt. That is why the way of life we are born into and foisted upon us is unfair, as mentioned earlier. Unfair because of the inequality which still exists within society in Britain in the 21 century. Some of us are born into privilege and some into poverty and social oppression. We are lead to believe, by the aspirational machine which exists in full force in the Capitalist country we live in, that if we strive hard enough we can move up if we are on the bottom rung of the ladder. However, if we really think about it this applies only to the few. Most of us will never move significantly up or down the social ladder. The few exceptions that we know of personally or are shown in the media are just that, exceptions to the rule.

Yes we can strive by acquiring a good education and eventually a good career and in turn sending our children to better schools etc.  However, the status quo will remain in place. And it is set up to remain so; the system is in place to ensure that the social structure remains in place and that the few own the real assets. It is no coincidence that only a handful of families and a handful of powerful people run the world. Most crucially the government, and in Britain, Parliament. This is the inequality and the unfairness to which the innocent children of the poor are born into. They, through an accident of birth and no fault of their own, suffer a life of drudgery when they could have a much better quality of life. In Britain today, the social inequality is growing much wider, the poor are getting poorer and the wealthy are growing the pile they have amassed over the centuries.

The swindle that Parliament perpetuate is the illusion of democracy. We are made to believe through the media (which is run by the wealthy and powerful who are the elite) that we are in a democracy in which we can vote in the government which has our best interest as a country in their hands. We are under the illusion that the government is running the country for us. However, the poor are getting poorer and getting the blame, and the rich are getting richer and getting all the pleasure. Anyone old enough may know that reference, it seems it will endure because it is true.

When will society eventually wake up to the fact that this life is precious for all innocent babies born into it. That no matter what circumstances they are brought up in, they deserve better than poverty. They deserve much more than to be made to feel second or even third class in a the class based system they happen to be born into. When people wake up from the delusional life we are made to experience now, then the revolution should come about. Then the majority poor of this country should take back the assets that their children deserve. Just like the powers that be who run the country and perpetuate the status quo, took the power and the assets over the centuries. Power is never given over freely, it has to be taken. A fairer society can come about because it exists in other countries.        

Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting: Killing The Children - The Monster Who's Afraid to Look In The Mirror

Who is the monster who's afraid to look in the mirror?

My heart goes out to all the victims who tragically died last week in a senseless crime that took place last week in Sandy Hook elementary school in Ridgefield Connecticut in the USA. That also includes the murderer and his family members. Why? Because it might help the families of the victims come to terms with this tragedy if they realise that the murderer is a victim too.  

Why is there the increasing phenomenon of mass shootings of young children occurring in recent years in various countries in the developed world? I ask this in response to the tragic shooting in Sandy Hook elementary school in the US state of Connecticut just a week or so before Christmas.

This hugely tragic event not only has America reeling, it has the rest of the world asking why? The next knee jerk reaction is to point the finger at the gun culture that is rife and embedded within the culture of the USA. From there, the next question seems to be what can be done about this. The all consuming reaction is to take some sort of action. President Obama is taking a measured response and at least asking about mental health issues which are obviously part of the equation in this scenario.

However, I would like to look at the picture in 3D so to speak. Above, I mentioned that this was a phenomenon which seems to be increasing in the so called 'developed' world. I believe that this is not only due to the ready availability of guns and arms in these countries; but that it is undoubtedly inextricably linked to mental health, especially of the young men who are more often than not the perpetrators of these acts of violence. Also to the society in which they live and it's fundamental issues concerning the modern world and the youths place therein.

As I referred to above, there is a monster who is afraid to look in the mirror. Who is that monster? You might have a knee jerk thought or reaction and instantly think of the perpetrators of the murders of these school children - the murderers. Who are labelled by the media variously as evil, deranged, and indeed sick and mentally ill. Not many will show or voice any sympathy or ask any deeper questions about these young people. Why? for instance instead of how?

Indeed, they might briefly ask themselves why and instantly think it is because any of the above labels conveniently given to them by the media. Then, they might add the label of mentally ill and hopeless. Or they might go a little further and conclude that if the murderer had had some help from any of the mental health operatives in the community that this would surely have prevented this.

This is of course valid and indeed true. But I would like to go further and as I said above, try to see the picture in 3D. Yes, these young murderers have committed a heinous crime against humanity and the society in which they live(d). I will call them murderers, not in any way as a value judgement or as a label  but because that is what they have done and therefore what they have become. However, they usually only become a murderer for a short time because they usually turn the fury on themselves and kill themselves too.

I ask in all earnestness that we ask the question, who is the monster who can't look in the mirror? Is it the murderer who can't bear themselves any more and must kill? But I ask also, why do they usually pick the most innocent and vulnerable targets for there self-loathing and shame? Why do I think the murderer is a victim too? Because, although I think they have become a monster who can't bear to look in the mirror any more, but crucially they are also a victim of the society they live in.

Why at the beginning of this did I mention that it seems to be that this happens more frequently in the developed world? Well, because I think that the real monster who can't bear to look in the mirror is the sick society that most of the so called 'developed' countries have become. We cannot bear to look closely at our selves and how our way of life has driven these sick young people to act out and take their own lives in such a tragic way.

Maybe they always choose the most innocent and vulnerable to murder, not only because they are an easy target, but because in a twisted way they are killing that part of themselves that they have lost. By murdering these untainted and innocent children, they are avenging that part of themselves that was killed within them. Now, I realise this might seem like far fetched psychoanalysis and that they might just be evil. But this cannot be the case. The case is clearly one of mental illness and as mentioned above one which is increasing and therefore consequently must have it's roots in the modern world.

I submit that we are bringing up the next generation in a world which does not examine itself enough, but feels that it must look outside itself to seek answers to ugly questions. I submit that individually and collectively we look in the mirror to face the ugly truth and not point the mirror away from ourselves. I think it would be a good thing to mourn for these victims and their families and the murder and his family too, over the Christmas period. But also to look deeper into the causes of the sickness that is growing in the modern developed world and in particular the youths who feel alienated within these societies.

After all, it cannot be incidental that this happened in the week before Christmas when we are supposed to celebrate the birth of the Saviour. The One who was the ultimate example of selflessness and love of all mankind. Whether you believe in Christianity or not, the message is to love all mankind regardless of there sins. To love and try to understand one another however hard that is. I believe this cannot be truly undertaken if  we cannot look in the mirror as a society and examine ourselves.

Don't Believe The Novel Hype!

Don't believe the hype!

Below is part of a review I wrote about a novel I read recently. I won't name it here but it is real and you can see it on Goodreads if you have a mind to. I post it now as a blog because it contains some truths which the reader of fiction novels might find interesting. ...

"I didn't finish this novel (the paperback edition) because I couldn't even get half way through it. I found it mediocre at best and full of clichés concerning the therapist/patient relationship. Please don't believe the blurb on the covers of novels as they are full of praise from critics who are usually in the pay of the publishing houses. The object is to sell the novel at all costs because if they did put any negative comments on the back of the cover or in any review at the launch of the book, it simply would not sell."

Just imagine the first part of my review on the back of the cover; would it entice you to buy and read it? Have you ever read anything approaching a negative comment on any novel printed by a publishing house? I would guess it's a 'no', because I've never seen one. The blurb on the back is so overly hyped in order to entice the reader to buy that it often bares little resemblance to the novel's literary content and can be said therefore to delve into the realm of fiction itself. It is so expensive to print and distribute a traditional novel, that these publishing houses need to build the reputation of their writers and recoup their money. Therefore, any negative comments, reviews or articles written by a journalist or reviewer would not be published because they would lose their job. The media are all linked together in order to serve a common purpose and that is to create interest in the market and sell.

I had to have a rant about this because I know how the publishing world works. I hope that some of the unsuspecting readers who swallow the hype will wake up to this and not lose their hard earned cash on believing the blurb on the back of novels and being disappointed. Also, they may feel that their disappointment is not valid when compared to these comments by so called "respected" journalists and reviewers. But if they knew the reasons why this might be, they may well be angry too.

I don't know the answer to this, because how is anyone to know what is good to read if not by the so called "respected" critics. Maybe the answer might be to know your critics better and find an independent that has some integrity. Good luck with that these days. Choose wisely!



The picture above is thought to be a portrait of Jane Austin.

Hitchcock - Master Of Suspense And Filmaking

Hitchcock - master or misogynist - one or both, or is it not for us to decide?

Hello there all you movie fans who are reading this. I recently went to see Hitchcock at the Barbican cinema with a very good friend of mine because we are both big fans of his and realise his genius as a film director. Whilst I enjoyed the film, I did however find myself questioning the fascination we all have with the private life of famous and talented people like Alfred Hitchcock. I suspect that he was really quite a private man, who devoted his life to his craft as well as to his wife. I doubt very much if he even had an inkling that all these years later, his audience would be in the least bit interested with his private life.

I also doubt very much that he and his wife Alma ever thought that their private married life would make a good film in itself - and they would have been right! Yes, it's interesting that as a couple they collaborated on most of the films and that those films form part of the most innovative and ground breaking films of the last century. And yes, it is interesting that Alfred Hitchcock had a keen fascination for all his beautiful blond leading ladies and that he may have crossed a professional line in some cases. But, I do ask you to consider the idea that most men probably would have reacted in a similar fashion. Most men, when their senses are stirred and they are working in very close proximity and in a very intense situation with such irresistible sirens of the silver screen, would I think react in some way and some would have even gone further than he did, I venture to suggest.

So yes, whilst he did in some cases react very badly to having his male ego battered by any one of these screen goddesses (naming no names nor going into any detail) I submit that he reacted in much the same way as many a man who has been scorned. Especially when he is no real oil painting himself and when all he has is a cracking sense of humour, talent, genius and his portly belly to keep him warm. Oh yes, and his thirty year or so marriage to his soul-mate and long suffering wife Alma.

I also submit that Alma also possessed a certain amount of genius and talent of her own; in that she helped in the whole of the creative process on the films and indeed deserves more recognition for that fact. But does she deserve to be pitied for being this long suffering wife of a suspected misogynist?  Just how true would that be, and does anyone deserve to have their private life raked over the coals for all to speculate about? I submit that many a marriage would not survive such close scrutiny and many a marriage negotiates and brokers many a deal between its partners.

I also submit that Alfred Hitchcock was no more a misogynist than any other man in his situation and that Alma knew this more than any other person. That's why I think she stayed with him for over thirty years. I think she must have understood the situation; his sexual, emotional and psychological fascination with his alluring leading ladies and their inextricably entwined relation to his work and the nature of the films. Even though it must have hurt her deeply.

Mr Alfred Hitchcock in my view was a genius of the genre he excelled in, regardless of the foibles he fell victim to. Here's to all the great films in his oeuvre!

 

Welfare Reform And The New British Scapegoats

Oedipus blinded


The New British Scapegoats

Over two thousand years ago the ancient Greeks wrote about their world in all kinds of ways. One of the most influential to Western culture being theatre and the performance of tragedy.  Oedipus was a real masterpiece of writing by Sophocles and anyone who has studied the play will know just how great it is. Anyone not familiar with the play will not understand what a disservice Freud did to the real meaning and intent of the play. However, I hope that any reader will be aware that Freud has been to a large extent discredited, and is now only really taken seriously by a few die hard devotees.

King Oedipus did not know he was marrying his mother because he grew up without knowing who his parents were. Without going into the play too much (as this post is really not about the play but only pertains to it) the real point of the tragedy is that he was made a Scapegoat. Not only for his own failings, but also for all the sins and wrongs of the citizens of the City State of Thebes. The "sins" mentioned are really not meant in any Religious sense as we know it today, but refer to the breaking of the laws of the State as well as any breaking of any general moral code within the society at the time.

In the play,Thebes is stricken with a plague and the Oracle has informed King Oedipus and the distraught citizens that the plague will only be lifted when the murderer of King Laius (Oedipus' predecessor) is found. Since Oedipus did not know his parents, he is completely unaware that it was himself who murdered his father, in probably the first recorded road rage incident. Therefore, when he orders an investigation to discover the murderer he subsequently and very painfully becomes aware of his own dreadful sins. He then, in front of the assembled citizens, must punish and purge himself of this. My point in this piece is that in so doing, Oedipus also relieves the thousands of assembled citizens of the city State who are watching the play of their pent up feelings and frustrations. The catharsis produced on the very actively involved audience was very much the desired affect. This is the root and origin of the whole metaphor and meaning of the Scapegoat.

The whole genre of tragedy is an exploration of the power of the performed play as a theatrical experience on the audience. Within the drama, the audience will have a cathartic response that is produced by witnessing the downfall of the protagonist. The Scapegoat is a reference to the meaning of the ancient origin of the sacrifice of a goat at the performance. The word scapegoat has it's root and derives from these origins. It refers to the human suffering of the protagonist in the drama leading to the tragedy and hence the collective catharsis experienced by the audience. There is so much more to explain about this form of ancient theatre and how it informs our modern way of life in the West, but there is no scope here to go into it too deeply.

The whole point of this piece is to put forth the thesis that since ancient times it is widely accepted that any society has a collective response to anything which affects it. Whether it is financial or emotional, people in any society have a need to gather together and discuss and emote about any subject which affects the members of that society as a whole. Therefore, because most of us in modern times in the West live in cities, we can only practice this collective purging by watching television programmes, listening to modern music, watching a film in a cinema, or (to a lesser extent now) watching a play in the theatre.

Other ways which inform us and help us to explore and purge these feelings is dealt with in the media; television, radio and newspapers. It is this media which this piece addresses for the purposes of exploring the concept of the Scapegoat. Since ancient times, from any Monarchy through to the power of the modern Government of any country, the need of the citizens of any society to purge feelings of frustration which builds up within it is well understood by the powers that be. This is multiplied hugely in times of austerity. I site the French Revolution as an example of relatively Modern times in which the starving and downtrodden peasant class rose up and overthrew the Monarchy in violent revolution. However, I would argue that in that example the target for the Scapegoats was legitimate and justified and did indeed lead to a more egalitarian society. Even if the means by which they achieved it was overly brutal and unnecessary. It does however illustrate the strong feelings of resentment which can overrun the citizens of any country, especially when socio- economic reasons are involved.

Which leads me to Modern Britain in the 21st century which of late is being lead by a coalition Government shared by the Conservative and Liberal Democrats. Formed because of a lack of positive and less than enthusiastic voting by the disenchanted citizens of this country. At this point I will also put forth the notion and theory that the Establishment and elite of Great Britain is run and motivated mostly by the politically economic and social system of Capitalism. The Banking and commercial sector is very much part of the Government system and most of the Newspapers and a large part of the whole media is also part of this system. There is a so called Socialist New Labour party, but this has lost favour with many in recent times. This is mainly because of Tony Blair's part in the Iraq war and the subsequent down turn in the economy (otherwise known as the Recession) despite the fact that it is a global Recession caused mainly by greedy Bankers.

However, as already mentioned the Bankers are hand in glove with the Establishment and the Government and form part of the elite who run the country. Part of running the country is to have a form of control of the masses, and how better to do that than to run the media. As a consequence of doing so, it is much easier to generate the kind of thought control of the masses that the media can generate. The Bankers and the Government cannot be punished, they cannot be perceived by the public to be blamed entirely because then the citizen's eyes would be open and as a result will be too discontent by realising the truth of the matter.

Therefore, slowly but surely, a campaign in the media must be generated by the Government. They must be seen to be saving money by raising taxes in order to "save" the economy and the country from destitution and ruin. This regime was instigated a few years ago at the start of the Recession. Day after day, issuing from all media outlets, the citizens of Great Britain are very nearly bombarded (and some would suggest brainwashed) by this political rhetoric. This kind of political rhetoric is being continually and constantly reported by the Television and Radio news, the Newspapers (mainly the Tory owned tabloid press) and the speech or talk radio programmes which report on and discuss the headlines in the Tabloids and who regularly lead debates on these matters.

This all leads onto the "Scapegoats" to which I refer to in the title of this piece. The new modern British Scapegoats of which we are constantly and continuously being persuaded to demonize or vilify, whichever word you prefer. The group we are being persuaded to stigmatize and regard with contempt and suspicion are the group known as the long term Unemployed or Sick and Disabled Benefit Claimants. Ever since the new coalition Government took office they have generated a campaign to save Britain money by making drastic Welfare Reforms, as they are called.

In an effort to make these Benefit cuts appear to be legitimate and much needed, the various Government Ministers are trotted out in the press and various media to set forth why they are being made. The rhetoric set forth is a kind of Orwellian "Doublespeak" worthy of  the novel 1984. Let me explain further by suggesting that the phrase issuing forth from them is that they are trying to "help the long term unemployed back to work and a better life which is not reliant on Benefits." This is not to explain that the the life of the long term unemployed is actually made significantly much worse by the Benefit cuts themselves, Bedroom tax and general demonization taking place by the Governments cohorts in the Tabloid press and various media.

I sight a programme that was being watched regularly recently by many of the citizens of this country on Channel 4 called "Benefit Street". This programme stirred up a hornets net of criticism by various factions in other parts of the media. It has been variously described by some as like watching "poverty porn" and causing both fascination and outrage. The sensationalist aspect of portraying real people in a "reality" show as if they are characters in a film, and by editing their lives in such a way as to make it consumerist entertainment for the masses is controversial and some would say questionable. Leading up to this programme was a campaign in various media such as the Tabloid press, which almost on a daily basis would scream headlines about "Benefit cheats, scroungers and layabouts". They would find and expose Disabled claimants who where shown to be cheating the system. They would portray work shy parents who would play the system by having football sized family's in order to claim Benefits and fabulously expensive and desirably huge double sized houses in expensive parts of town. In fact any one, including the young long term unemployed who is not willing to take any job, is encouraged to be frowned upon and made to feel like a drain on the tax payer.


The effect on the average citizen who is told constantly by the Government that they are "hard working" is to stir up many feelings of deep resentment, which need to be purged. These hard working citizens are told that they work hard for the money, and just look at all these other scroungers who are not only not working hard, but cheating the hard workers out of all the taxes they pay. Naturally, these citizens are filled with feelings of resentment toward these so called "scroungers". Faced constantly with screaming headlines and TV and Radio media discussions on how they are being "screwed" by their fellow citizens can sway them into playing the blame game. "The country's broke, we need to save money so we can save the country from going down the toilet." They seem to cry out.  Who can we blame and save money on and vent our feelings of frustration on, other than those Bankers? The easy answer they have been provided with is; the feckless Unemployed and the "scroungers" who have better houses than us because we can't afford to buy them any more. Therefore we have to purge these feelings by punishing them. We have to do this by changing the Welfare system so that they can't be a drain on our taxes any more. However, short sighted this is, it is no match for the feelings of resentment which have been stirred up and must be purged.

The average worker in Britain works harder and longer than almost any worker in the world. They work longer hours and are under more stress and pressure for much less reward than they did only a few years ago. Trapped in a constant struggle to pay bills, the mortgage and keep their jobs (however much they might hate it) citizens must find a way to purge their feelings of resentment. They can complain, but to who and what's more, who actually listens and changes anything? The average citizen is disillusioned with politics and reluctantly (if ever) votes any more. They are hungry for a target that can actually bring about a real purging effect, or seem to perform this function. For this reason they are provided by "the powers that be" with the Scapegoat Benefit claimant who is the target to fulfil this. The "powers that be" mentioned above, have known that in order to control the masses it is crucial to know how to.

The real effect all this has is to radically change the Welfare System. So that slowly but surely, any one who loses their job will find it demoralising and stigmatising to claim what they have paid for in their taxes. Also, that they probably will suffer greatly in all kinds of ways; ironically not realising that they inadvertently caused the stigma themselves by joining in with general condemnation when they where employed. They may lose their house because they cannot pay the mortgage, again ironically not realising the real culprits of the down turn in the economy. Also, as a consequence they may have to go on the waiting list for council property, ironically again they may never get it because the Government and the Bankers are not funding any more of this. Not having any decent place to live any more may cause Marital strife and lead to divorce and separation and further claims on the Benefit system. The unfortunate people in this scenario may suffer an emotional and physical breakdown and need medical help. Further down the road, they may find that the very system they paid for with their hard earned taxes is no longer there. Ironically it has been dismantled by a Government who claims they are saving money for hard working citizens.

Thus the masses are punished for the sins of the few; the few scroungers of the Benefits system who are vilified in the Tabloid press versus the Bankers who are not. I hope that the citizens of this country and the world wake up and realise the amount of control and brainwashing they are subjected to on a daily basis. This kind of control is hard to detect if you do not realise that it is just that. The hard working citizen does not have the time or the inclination to constantly recognise the manipulation to which he is subjected. However, once the genie is out of the bottle it becomes much more evident.

In ancient Greece the purging of feelings took place in a theatre with an audience of thousands. It was very much a communal experience where the subject was mostly an artistic expression and there were no real targets for the Scapegoat except a recognition of the one within oneself. It was much akin to the experience we have watching a movie for instance. Of course, sometimes the ancient Greek theatre was a real exploration of the Political and also of the democracy of Greece. However, the fact that it was dealt with as an artistic medium meant that the audience went away without any real lingering feelings of resentment toward any group, or individual for that matter. It was not a manipulation but an exploration in a creative medium. When Oedipus blinded himself and made himself the ultimate Scapegoat in order to purge the city of Thebes of the plague, it was an artistic expression made for the audience to identify with. He was not meant to represent a hate figure for the audience to vent their feelings onto.

This is at odds with the manipulation at large by the "powers that be" via the media, to stir up and even create feelings of resentment toward particular sections of society, namely the poorest and most vulnerable. All this is done in an attempt to purge feelings of resentment which should otherwise be directed toward these very "powers that be" instead. It is a diabolical manipulation by the State to create resentment among the citizens toward themselves rather than the real culprits. In other words, divide and rule. What is worse in a way, is the far reaching effect of this on the future of the Welfare system. In future the Benefits that the ordinary worker pays for in their taxes, he may well be stigmatised in claiming and indeed may not even be able to claim. The very reform that the Government has set in motion may hurt all the citizens of Britain and not just the few Scapegoats we are now encouraged to demonize. Ironically, the hard working citizen is ultimately only hurting themselves in all this. Because one day they may have to turn to the Welfare system that they pay for with their hard earned taxes, only to find that it may not be there for them in their hour of need.