Tag: Social Media
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Get Dawn on It
Dawn Butler has been in the news again, which is always a nailed-on opportunity for absurdity and a good giggle. This time it’s some stop-and-search shenanigans. If you need a good laugh, just get Dawn on it. Whatever has occurred, it will doubtless be a matter for some up-and-coming cop to unravel while maintaining his…
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They Don’t Half Pick Them
Grim news from the Lebanon where Beirut has been left looking like, well, Beirut. Domestically, commentators on all sides were shaken by the proclamations of Sir Iain Duncan Smith who has concluded that the EU Withdrawal Agreement – that he voted for – is in fact a juicy steamer. Even a nine-month old baby would…
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Why? Because.
The current mask debate has come to epitomise the woeful society we now inhabit. Now, ever since the COVID question arose, there have been pro-maskers. After all, it is a natural response to don items of clothing for the purposes of protection against an environmental threat. A coat, a hat, a pair of gloves. Masking…
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First-Degree Burns
‘I am pleased to announce that I have graduated from High Street University with a first-class honours degree in [insert any lamentable toss here]…… Such announcements are popping up all over the shop on social media. LinkedIn degree-result fanfaronade appears to be today’s must-have accessory for the me-me-me gang. ‘I’m so grateful to my lecturers…
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Building a Fence
I’m offended. Well, I’m not, but it seems that wherever you look, somebody is. Many whip out the offence card in an attempt to magic up come sort of legitimate censorship. Nobody has a right not to be offended and if they genuinely are, it doesn’t mean that they are either right or have the…
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Meddle Ceremony
I am a fan of etymology and the origins of words, but I have always known that they might sometimes be susceptible to the incorporation of urban legends. This false etymology, as linguists term it, sometimes takes the form of outwardly reasonable explanations that are essentially flawed or backronyms (acronyms that are contrived to provide…
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New Flack City
It looks like a fraught debate about cancel culture is raging. Now I’m sufficiently sage to appreciate the apocryphal source of the term, having watched New Jack City back in the day. I say back in the day; it was actually around 2008, when I had a penchant for the 4 ex-rental DVDs for £10…
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Fiefdom of Speech
The Twitter police have been sharpening their pitchforks and have disabled a number of high-profile accounts, most notably those of Katie Hopkins and the writer Graham Linehan. Others who stand firmly outside the liberal thought-orthodoxy circle of trust are next up for a jolly good forking. Inevitably, this has raised a furore about attacks on…
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Pronouns (Ho/Hum)
I’m starting to see this more and more. People introducing their pronouns on their social media profiles and email signatures. All this relates to those who consider themselves non-binary, or who may be transitioning/have transitioned, and who want to make sure that others do not misgender them. They used to be called PGPs or preferred…
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Bannerna Skin
The chap who organised the Burnley banner has been fired by his company, as has his girlfriend. In its statement the bloke’s employer concerned cited the banner ‘and other related issues’. Predictably, this has been interpreted by many within the social media wilderness as an attack on free speech. Whatever the ins and outs –…
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