Monday, November 29, 2010

Sod Movember, I'm launching "Pundit-free December"

Lorenzo Medici. Happily his views on the National Broadband Network or the Victorian election are unknown.

I’m currently reading a history of the Medici family and its role in the often turbulent history of Florence but quite frankly, reading the history of the McGuirk family and its role in the often turbulent history of Upper Bumcrack would be preferable if the alternative was to read every single pundit/opinion leader/analyst/dickhead-with-a-keyboard piece that currently seems to infect every single media outlet these days.

At some point during my enforced convalescence (and it may have been around about the time when the really, really strong painkillers kicked in*) they all began to blur into one; a multi-headed hydra with an opinion of the National Broadband Network, Julia Gillard fashion’s sense, the Green preference deal and cats**.

What rage! What passion! They storm the heavens and defy the Gods***! They vent and plead in The Drum and The Punch and The National Times and Crikey, these great and good who have the inside story and know what exactly needs to be done.

And yet.

The net effect of reading too many of them seems to produce nothing but nausea and confusion****.

What do they add? Do any of their pieces add to the sum total of knowledge in the world or at least in Canberra? Or are they all a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

I’m going for the latter.

* You know that point? Where you start to smile at strangers? That point.

** Cats and dogs! What’s the deal there?!

*** Although obviously not the ones with the Kraken. Because if you defy the Gods and they have a Kraken, you’re kind of fucked.

**** Or maybe it was just the really, really strong painkillers.

10 comments:

Kettle said...

Hear, hear Ramon.

Sometimes I can only stand to read the first paragraph of ten painfully earnest articles before I end up bellowing out "You're boring me! Stop boring me!"

Then I sit back and dream of my banana chair (which will arrive in five to seven working days - yes!).

Anonymous said...

So, painkillers make Ramon generally more Shakespearian? Must remember that.

You sure you're not just sore about the Victorian election, old bean? Just joking. Even I'm finding the commentary a wee bit tiresome right now, so I can only imagine what it's like for someone who's been following it as long as you have. At least we'll probably get a bit of a break over Chrissy. I guess.

wari lasi said...

Fuck the cricket's boring. Pup dropped a sitter, and now it looks like England will bat too long before declaring so Australia won't chase it. Either that or it will rain.

wari lasi said...

Sorry, that was off topic. But it still isn't as boring as the Victorian election.

Ramon Insertnamehere said...

England's just declared Wari.

Queue Squib saying "declared what?"

squib said...

Declared what?

Melba said...

I have my reading of the newspapers down to about five minutes flat these days. (Not including the interesting magaziney bits, which are increasingly less interesting.)

I'm aiming for five minutes flat for everything not including book reviews and articles/interviews with people who I want to read about. And I reckon I'll get there.

WitchOne said...

There was a Victorian election? I voted but Facebook hasn't yet told me who won. This tells me it wasn't worth having.

wari lasi said...

I'm aiming for five minutes flat for everything

Everything Melba?

Ramon Insertnamehere said...

and WikiLeaks can fuck right off as well.