Drunken Bungle Whore

It's all getting out of control - TV thrives on throwing together people who will obviously clash, Gordon Ramsay is in the process of building a reputation (and a lot of money) from being rude and boorish. The new Big Brother is billed as being 'evil' and when someone tries to post a happy thread (Big C) they mainly get replies from miserable b*ggers who can't seem to bear the thought that there is something more cheery in the world. And the longest threads in SN are inevitably ones where people are arguing or moaning!

There's enough horrid stuff going on right now - has anyone got any happy news?

yoza

Stop being a big girl............bad is good.

Dracoro

I'm going to the playoff final on sunday and we're gonna win! that'll be happy news.

I'll now just sit and wait for some miserable git to suggest that we'll lose

Drunken Bungle Whore

I am a girl so nothing wrong with being cheerful - at least there never used to be.....

Audi-Boy

Earth is the lowest of the low?

SD

GT4 prologue's out on friday.

Simon.

the moose

But when was this not the case? Eastenders, for example, is a programme which has constantly been a happy hunting ground for the miserablist, and it's been going .... ooh, forever.

Wars, poverty and repression have been with us constantly; Uganda in the 1970s, Ethiopia in the 1980s and the Balkans in the 1990s ...and now Iraq.

The small papers delight in telling us about: huge tax rises, crumbling NHS, millions of evil paedophiles lurking in every bush, muggers (thinly disguised racism, as they're invariably trying to create the picture of dangerous immigrants) ... the list is endless.

For what it's worth, there's also always been joy in the world. That bloke at work who bought you a coffee because you'd forgotten any cash. The ducklings I passed this morning as I cycled to work. The fact that retrovirals mean that millions of people with HIV can live an almost normal life. The fact that the entire population of the UK and US are horrified that prisoners have been beaten and tortured in their name by soldiers who were clearly either sadists or just deeply bored; it's a sign of our innate humanity that we understand immediately that this is totally unacceptable.

Personally, I'm extremely happy that Morrissey has just released a new album, but that rather goes against the theme of happiness and joy, so let's let that one slip .......

My advice is to ignore small-minded TV and newspapers; they're no better or worse than ever they were, but the rule that bad news sells and good news wastes newsprint is a well-proven adage.

Perhaps we as a nation like to wallow in misery, but there's no need to. I no longer read a newspaper other than the FT, and rarely watch TV. Do I feel happier for it? Absolutely; my blood pressure is much better now that I don't have to put up with endless turgidity, and my fitness has taken a major turn for the better cos I'm either out in the garden, on the bike, or playing with the kids. And that's no bad thing.

Wurzel

iTrader: (1)

Manchester United Won the FA Cup

Now there is some happy news for ya

Also the sun is currently out so there is some more for ya.

Redkop

It seems to be an ever-growing trend Beth

Only good news I can think of, is that Gerard Houliier got the push

RichWalk

Did Lassie ever come home?? or is that just another example of how wrong this world can be.....

Drunken Bungle Whore

Moose - I agree with you to a large extent - and please don't get the idea I'm about to hurl myself off a tall building or anything! I know there's loads of good in the world - I have a wonderful husband and a great job and some fantastic friends.

I was just commenting more on the explosion of nasty TV - Neighbours from Hell, When Good Cops go bad, Holidays from Hell, Gordon Ramsay, Big Brother etc etc etc.

It's not just the nnws and the government these days - it's wall to wall TV nastiness - what had we used to watch before all this came along....?

(Another good point - it's encouraged me to turn the TV off a read and go out more! Can I get a refund on the Radio Times if there's cr@p on telly all week???? )

NACRO

People prefer to hear bad news, like it when someone else does badly and get off on watching car accidents etc etc.

It's human nature.

TelBoy

Indeed. Most people like to hear more about the misfortunes of others.

Why we're built like that, heaven only knows....

NACRO

I think it's a function of the endless struggle to dominate resources that we are enganged in.

Brendan Hughes

My parents went home yesterday.

That's not the good news , the good news is that they came out to visit me, first time ever on a plane for either of them at the ages of 68 and 63, first time out of the UK for my Dad for 40 years. Total culture shock, and a bit surreal that everyone around them speaks a funny language. Both fascinated by everything, Dad by the different construction techniques (he's an architect), Mum by the "tropical" plants growing wild.

But all in all, such a POSITIVE attitude! They both have elementary French and Spanish, said they are going to start learning Portuguese at home now - for the next visit!!

CraigH

Isn't this the English way? Knock the successful ones and make them miserable, the ones who are miserable just gossip about being miserable and rarely have a good word to say about anything. Certain people expect everything for nothing, then get miserable and moan when it doesn't happen. People spend too much time getting involved in other peoples affairs or business which isn't theirs.
Good old English customs

RichWalk

Nice Post Brendan, I find it stange the position your parents hold in your life once you have 'grown up' and occupy your own space on this earth.

Drunken Bungle Whore

Saw this just now:

http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0...106850,00.html

I rest my case. We're now scaring our kids to stay indoors! And considering they stand more chance meeting a peadophile over the internet than in the street.....

CraigH

Lovely - keep 'em indoors, stick them on their xbox/ps2, feed them loads of junk food.

What a great life

If everything wasn't so damn PC nowadays it'd be a far greater place imo.

Apparition

Its always been an evil and horrid world, its just the means of getting it to us that is so much more efficient these days.
Years ago we lived in Rapt ignorance, never knowing what was happening in the next town never mind the country on the other side of the world.
Now it's in our faces all the time 24/7. And sadly, it's transferred to the entertainment sector.
Still, everything has a lifespan. We shall become bored with it all one day and the powers that be will be urged to clean up their act.
I hope !

Old_Fart

My life rocks. Just had our third child, a boy, making 2 boys and a girl. House is paid for through hard work. Got more cars than I have time to drive . It's our tenth wedding anniversary in 2 weeks, only cloud on my horizon is working out what to get Nicki! Hell, even my Scooby nightmares always turn out good...when my engine blew up it was rebuilt much better than pre-death, and all under warranty!
I was brought up in the USA, watching Dallas or Dynasty. I reckon thats the fundemental problem with the British..the fecking miserable soaps you air!
Try watching Malcolm in the Middle instead of Eastenders, and Scrubs instead of Casualty.
Life is good
Cman

The Zohan

Cheap to make TV from Producers who have run out of ideas IMHO.

unclebuck

Indeed. Avoid Chav TV - it *will* rot your mind.


UB

Edcase

...and boy is he on form!!! First of the gang to die is my current favourite.

Dream Weaver

Well said Craig!!

As for positivity, my life is better now than its ever been. Got married last year, coming up for 3 years self employed which has been the best risk I ever took, have more disposable income than I ever have had before (I can actually buy stuff without worrying now - clothes, books, gadgets, games etc)

The world is a nasty place now, but if you just keep it real (as they say), be nice to people and do the right thing life is good.

Peace out

weapon69

I don't really let the news, programmes on tv etc get to me. Although the news is 100% bad at the moment (why can't they report good news for once??There must be some...)
My own life depresses me enough so i can't afford to be doubly miserable

the moose

Bit split on it, to be honest. When I first listened to it I was driving, thought it great, and had a big smile on my face. With repeated listens it's more formulaic that I would have liked - several of the tracks sound like reworkings of Vauxhall & I stuff, most particularly Now My Heart Is Full, which seems to be replayed on Irish Blood, English Heart.

Crashing Bores and Dykes don't do much for me, either, but then every Morrissey (and Smiths) album has always been a bit curate's egg, so it's no more than I expected. Certainly a return to form; just hope there's not the same wait for the next album.

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

'The ducklings I passed this morning as I cycled to work'

Tell us more, sounds messy, bet it was a surprise, mine always quacks a bit when cycling but I have never actually produced a duck.

Audi-Boy

LOL @ jacko

JackClark

The only thing worse to me than no good news is people asking for it.

And running out of port on a Wednesday night.