Halloween

We're almost at the night when by tradition the darkest, foulest, most evil creatures of the nether realms can stalk the Earth. Although I suspect most of the vampires, demons, witches and ghouls will take one look at a world beset by terrorists who slaughter innocents, leaders of 'civilized' nations who reign down destruction (for the greater good of course) and a string of terrible natural catastrophes and run back to the much safer infernal marches. Normally I'd read a good ghost story or watch a gory horror for Sahmain, but this year all I really need to do is switch on the news...

Having a gay old time

The actor George Takei, beloved by millions for his role as Hikaru Sulu on Star Trek (and a regular voice over on the Simpsons among other appearances) has come out of the closet in Frontiers, a magazine on gay and lesbian community issues, saying that he and his partner had lived together happily for many years. It is nice George can be open now but a great shame that the bigotry against gay people has been such that he was unable to come out until he was in his late 60s. I can't help but wonder how many lives were ruined through being forced to live in secrecy and fear, like Alan Turing.

The sad thing is that although attitudes have changed for many folks, there is still a sizeable number of folks out there - many of whom consider themselves 'good' people or even good Christians (or Muslims or various other faiths) - who still openly discriminate against gay folk. We're not talking about some mad neo-Nazi creeps here either, but ordinary folk, most of whom would be horrified at anyone showing bigotry over the colour of a person's skin. Yet they will discriminate against gay folk. Hey, it's not even about approving of someone else's lifestyle, it's simply about acknowledging their right to live that lifestyle; live and let live, folks - I don't give a damn what sexuality my family or friends have, as long as they are comfortable and happy with it. And good one George, I hope he and his partner remain very happy together and wish them the best.

Evolution

I like the new Guinness advert with the three drinkers reversing out of the pub and de-evolving back through time, but I'm guessing there are large chunks of the American midwest which will probably consider this the Devil's work. They probably believe the drinkers should only walk backwards in time six days... Still, these folk probably don't drink Guinness - in fact I doubt they could handle it, being used to the blandest, weakest lager beers on the planet - and as Bill Hicks once observed, isn't it funny how people who adamantly refuse to believe in evolution usually look kind of unevolved? You can see the Guinness ad here.

Hanging out in Singapore

My wonderfully outspoken mate Adrock in Australia has been discussing a hideous event which has hardly been mentioned in the media here. The repressive regime in Adrock's native Singapore is about to hang a young man. It looks like has committed a crime (although how can anyone trust a verdict in a legal system in a non-democratic nation?) but hanging a young man is a disgusting thing to do. In fact I think capital punishment in any case is a dreadful barbarism and find it unbelievable that it is still practised (even in democracies) - it is barely one step up from burning witches in my book.

I'm not religious but I think the commandment 'thou shallt not kill' is a pretty good rule to live your life by. I don't recall in any of the Bible classes I was forced to go to as a kid ever mentioning 'thou shallt not kill, unless you are in Texas and really feel like using a person as an electrical fuse' and yet even among many Christians there is a demand for captial punishement (and to be fair many driven by their faith to protest against it). State execution is a cold, pre-meditated form of killing - exactly the sort most legal systems consider the worst form of murder.

I know the normal excuse trotted out is 'if it were someone you loved they harmed, you'd want to see them dead.' I'm human, so I must admit there would be a flare of terrible anger which wanted that - it is an understandable repsonse. But rising above those feelings of hate and revenge is what makes us people and not barbarians; besides societies have been trying capital punishment throughout the whole of human history and yet crime is still with us, so it is logical to assume it doesn't actually work.

And as for the bloodthirsty dictators of Singapore, what can we say? Articles a few years ago by Bill Gibson and others referred to the heavy investment in IT there by calling SIngapore the 'intelligent island'. A shame that intelligence doesn't extend to the despotic rulers or their legal system.

Sit down to stand up

I was sad to read about Rosa Parks passing away; I first heard of her in Modern Studies at school (many years ago). For those of you who don't know, this unassuming lady performed the simple act of refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white person. It was the 50s in America and bigotry - alas never far away in human society - was actually enshrined in law; as a coloured woman she was supposed to give her seat to a white person. Rosa refused. In so doing she became one of the pebbles which slide down a mountain and bring on a vast avalanche - in this case the bus boycott which would involve a man called Martin Luther King Junior and the Civil Rights movement.

I remember when I first read this I mentioned it to my parents. My dad told me about an event involving my uncle who had gone to visit his family in South Africa in the 70s. Riding a busy bus he saw a coloured lady with her shopping getting on. He immdeaditely stood up and offered her his seat. He was utterly unaware that under the apartheid system she wasn't allowed in that section of the bus, let alone permitted to take a - gasp - white person's seat.

My dear uncle was even more confused when the other passengers starting telling him he couldn't do that. The bus stopped and the driver stomps back and starts yelling at my uncle in that guttural accent. He is unfazed by this - he's been through two world wars so a stroppy, racist bus driver in South Africa isn't going to bother him. He stands there and in a loud voice berates these people in no uncertain terms - not for racism, but for their lack of decent manners. He was brought up in a generation where a gentleman would give up his seat to a lady. The fact she was a different colour never entered my uncle's mind; she was a lady, he was a man and the proper thing was to offer her his seat, bless him.

No political stance, just simple, decent manners and kindness. The driver was told he should be ashamed of his lack of manners and poor upbrining and brow-beaten back to his cab (facing down an irate Scot is never a good idea). Now uncle never started a civil rights movement, but he and Rosa did have something in common (apart from the bus thing) - they both knew what was the right thing to do and they did it in their own way; maybe that's the way we make the world better. We can't all be heroes in some grand drama that history will remember but we all get little opportunities to do the right thing throughout our lives.

Some people say a single person can't make a difference in the large scheme of things, but the big picture of society is made up of many single people, with each of those people's action influencing the actions of the others. Sometimes doing one little thing you know is right is all it takes. Maybe the little things we do won't be remembered in international news stories when we die, but that's not why we should do them; we do them so we know we did them; we do them because, simply, it is the right thing to do. One pebble can start an avalance; one unassuming lady sitting on a bus can change a nation. Don't ever say one person can't make a difference. Good night, Rosa, you have earned your rest. And if you bump into my uncle in the afterlife and he offers you his seat, please take it.

Respect

"R - e - s - p - e - c - t,
George get's none from the Sentate Committee..."

Not a big fan of George I have to say; I liked his anti-war stance but I'm always left with a distinct impression that he's rather full of himself. The US committee says he lied under oath to them, but let's face it, no-one has actually seen this new 'evidence' and we all know that supposed evidence can be produced (just look at all that 'evidence' they produced to justify the war after all). He certainly didn't perform very well on Channel 4 News this evening though, but that doesn't mean he has actually done something wrong, but this tactic of saying he has and that there is proof (which no-one has seen) certainly slings mud at him.

Gee, if I was cynical I might think the US had nothing on him at all but had hit on a way to discredit him, hoping some of that mud might stick. Nothing to do with the fact George ran rings round Senator Coleman and made him look like an eejit in public, of course... Whatever his faults George is not someone you want to cross verbal swords with and Coleman is quite obviously not in his class, but I'm sure his public humiliation didn't influence him at all. And anyway, why would George need to embezzle funds? Surely he has had more than enough from all his libel wins over the years??