Well, jodphurs anyway.
It seems to be stating the obvious that this BBC article is absurdly skewed. Absurd, because in its efforts to appear impartial it becomes necessary to bastardise history and neuter rational understanding.
Of hunting the BBC says ´Not only is the hunt itself steeped in ritual, but opposition towards it is just as well established, with meets as regularly attended by protesters as by those taking part.´
Yeah, sure Beebies. I am sure those yeoman of old England were out falling in front of the huntsman´s horses hundreds of years ago to protect brer Fox.
The Beebies are forced to go back to their English seminars to dredge up the noble anti hunt tradition-
‘The 17th Century poet Andrew Marvell described those who “wash their guilty hands” in a hunted animal’s “warm life blood” and Shakespeare’s wrote of the “dismal cry” of the hunt in Venus and Adonis.’
Why can the Beeb appreciate that poets DON’T MEAN and have NEVER MEANT what they say? Or that the circumstantial evidence they put forward could be counterbalanced ten times over to show that hunting met practically no opposition in previous centuries, for so many very obvious reasons.
Abolish it if you must, for whatever selfish political or addle-brained reasons, but don’t lie about it. That would make me very angry.
Meanwhile, Steyn has some related reflections.
Slightly off topic, but I’m sure the Germans I had the company of last week would be greatly amused to learn that Mark Steyn thinks that they’re ‘doomed’.
In case Mark hasn’t visited and is relying on his ideological prejudice (God forbid!), the exceptionally high quality of life enjoyed by Germans despite their country’s recent economic woes demonstrates that raw economic output data should never be the holy grail of government policy.
“Why can the Beeb appreciate that poets DON’T MEAN and have NEVER MEANT what they say?” You neglect to also mention that all poets are poofs and communists.
I have really been enjoying watching this story develop. Pesky BBC.
That’s not a terribly constructive contribution ‘tgrok’ – and besides, they’re not all poofs or commies, as you term them! 🙂
[Just for the avoidance of doubt, the last bit is intended as a joke, before anyone starts huffing and puffing].
Apologies for another OT post.
Since I have posted the “Key Stories” list in the past when it was extremely skewed towards Kerry/against Bush I note with interest today’s list.
“Vote USA 2004
KEY STORIES
Bush defends Iraq policies at UN
Bush and Kerry agree TV debates
CBS admits error over Bush
Bush backs new democracies”
The “CBS admits error over Bush” story was pretty accurate too.
(I have edited this post several times in composing it to remove snarky, sarcastic comments that I had made. I will respect the apparent effort on the part of the Beeb.)
OT: Check out this wretch-worthy puff piece on Taliban-apologist Yvonne Ridley by our old friend, Hannah Bayman.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/3673730.stm
Icky!
Much as vomit inducing ‘people orientated’ stories of any type go against my principles, that’s actually quite an amusing piece. Cheers for pointing it out!
Big up especially to Abu Hamza for his thoughtful phone call. ‘Welcome to the family sister………..but by the way if you die tomorrow you’re straight off to Hell!’
Who said hook handed, bearded, terrorist sypathising religious lunatics don’t have a sense of humour.
The BBC is still unsure about what to call those in Iraq who behead innocent people on video. On the front page of the newssite we have:-
Faith leaders condemn “terrorists”
relating to this article:-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/3679080.stm
OT — Well now, here’s a story to make that cheap shill Hawley go all vague and pouty:
Hostage throat-slitting videos on sale in Baghdad markets
http://tinyurl.com/47avo
Compare with, say, BBC coverage of Abu Ghraib. Yooo hooo…Caroline!… Caroline?…Hello?
wally thumper IV: Not really that much of a story though,is it? I suspect that if you wanted to you could probably get hold of those videos now through P2P, if you so wished. I’m also reminded that a video called “Executions” was briefly on general release here in the UK, which featured among things, beheadings of people in Saudi Arabia. Sex and death sells well in whatever country you live in.
That’s not quite true. I doubt that many people in the UK beyond kids trying to be hard would go out of their way to watch executions. If these videos are flying off the shelves though it doesn’t seem to say much for the love and affection that Iraqis feel for their ‘liberators’.
As far as the Abu Graib comparison goes though, surely a ‘liberating’ force should aim higher than to inflict less bad atrocities than the enemy.
So the reasons the story won’t be covered even as innocent men are butchered are (a) it’s trivial, and (b) who are we to judge?
That’s known as moral hazard — and sadly suffices in the whacked-out po-mo world of the cultural relativist and, oh yes, of the BBC’s newsrooms.
The rest of us wince and are angry and want retribution. Guess what: We’re right.
Meanwhile, steel yourself for shots of sobbing housewives tossing flowers in pursuit of ‘closure’ …Witchel at his most sanctimonious and sepulchral…and more tight shots of Rent-a-Crowd mugging for the camera in Baghdad (Hawley speciality, that one).
BBC News is rotten to the core.
In English please?
“So the reasons the story won’t be covered even as innocent men are butchered are (a) it’s trivial, and (b) who are we to judge?”
No, it’s sick, but inevitable, unfortunately.
In other words we can’t expect any better of those savages in the Middle East so why get worked up? In my world we call that sort of double standard racist, in the Liberal world it’s Standard Operating Procedure. Only white western societies, such as Israel or the United States, are to be condemned. Non-western people of color are always right and virtuous no matter what they do – even to their own.
Roxana: Was your post aimed at me? I’m not sure I understand what you mean…
Perhaps the US Army should not attempt to rescue Mr. Bigley, after all, the BBC might say it’s staged and a “stunningly conceived propaganda stunt”.
When Americans are chopped up, the Beeb gloats, when it’s a Brit, it’s serious expressions and solemnity ahoy.
I think that’s a little harsh Zevilyn – on Monday and Tuesday the 10 O’Clock news was appropriately solemn and described the murders of the American hostages as murders by terrorists (I realise this is what we should expect by right, but for them it is a change of tack).
Sadly, the same cannot be said for other parts of the BBC – on Newsnight and News Online and so on it’s been business as usual – executions/beheading/killings by militants/insurgents etc. – anything to avoid saying terrorists and murder.
On Newsnight’s “War Without End”, one of the “intelectual” panelists remarked that Muslims “feel threatened”…well, ain’t that a coincidence, because, you see, Western people “feel threatened” by Islamofascists…but, hey, our feelings don’t count to the liberal elite and it’s media chums.
Who would you rather be, Yusuf Islam or Ken Biggley?
I think “terrorists” and “millitants” are too judgemental, let’s call them “angry people”, or even “unfriendly types”.
Given that we’re in the process of bombing the crap out of Iraq I think it’s safe to say that our feelings do count globally.
In the UK I think it’s also safe to say that a Muslim’s chances of getting battered by a p*ssed up Sun reader are significantly greater than my chances of dying in an Al Quaeda terror attack on Crouch End. I’d love to know where you live if you genuinely feel constantly threatened by Islamofacism. Unless of course you’re currently in Iraq or Afghanistan in which case I apologise unreservedly.
THFC: who are these Muslims getting beaten up by pissed off Sun readers? I follow the English press (local as well as national) and I recall reading far more acounts of “whites” (read indigenous non-Muslims) being attacked by “British Asians” (polite codeword term for “not Hindu or Sikh, but that other thing.”)
“indigenous”- That term makes me wince, err..none of us are indigenous Susan. Not even a ‘whitey’ like me.
And perhaps you’re reading a BNP leaflet by mistake?
Susan,
As a Sun reader you really ought to learn to say p*ssed.
To be fair you’re half right in that nobody has much reason to worry in most of Britain as long as they keep their heads down and stay away from Yates’ at kicking out time.
If you lived here though you’d quickly realise that Muslims aren’t exactly rampaging through the streets Islamofacisting people. I think it’s fair to say that they have slightly more reason to be concerned than whites in some of the less salubrious areas (but less reason than weedy looking blokes wearing expensive watches).
“And perhaps you’re reading a BNP leaflet by mistake?
theghostofredken | 09.24.04 – 4:58 pm | #
Typical lefty riposte — when all else fails, flail the tattered flag of the dreaded “R” word as a talisman to scare off the “righty” bogeyman. Well, forget it, tgrok. I’m American. Our version of Nick Griffin, David Duke, is currently serving time as a guest of the State of Texas for mail and tax fraud. He never got much further than state senator of Louisiana (the political equivalent of being elected chief dog-catcher in Carlsbad, California), and now he’s beyond even that. They love him in the Islam-Arab world though.
THFC: Nor do I read the Sun. I read the Torygraph, the BBC online, the Scotsman and occasionally, after ingesting large amounts of dyspeptic, al-Guardian. And local papers like the Yorkshire Evening Post which seem to carry a lot more straight-forward reports of “goings on” involving the “British Asian” world than the national press.
Back to the original post….
Ed,
I don’t think “well established” necessarilly means “long established”, so I don’t think that first sentence you quote is a lie, though I accept that their later literary references imply that they did mean “long established” to at least some extent.
On the subject of Muslim violence, I think it varies wildly from one bit of the UK to another. I hear from reliable sources that there are plenty of places in the North of England that are made dangerous by the prevalence of violent gangs of Muslims. On the other hand, I lived in Glasgow for seven years, and, though I would cross the road to avoid gangs of white Glaswegians, never felt even slightly threatened by even one Asian. I lived in the centre of Glasgow’s Muslim community, and always maintained that the area would be a lot nicer and safer if only most of the white people left.