Well Dudes, the time I think, is near, where I've drawn up some, y'know, inclination to start thinking about planning to consider to play on the possibility of starting a big project I'd proposed for the Dudespaper.
I've previously mentioned the project and received some interest, so, here we go, let's start brainstorming!
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The idea is to begin exploring what Dudeism is within the United Kingdom. Who are the Dudes? Who are the notable Dudes in the public eye? What's the nation like as a Dudeist state? What sort of paraquat dwell within green and pleasent lands? What contributions to the Dudeist ethos has Britain made?
This will not just be one article, and it won't just be written by me. I want to get the opinions of all my national Dudely brothers together on this one. I want suggestions, I want field reporters, I want us all to paint a picture of the UK for not only the rest of the Pan-Dudian Nation, but ourselves as well. It's a big land and hugely segregated between areas and countires, and I for one would love to know about what's going on down the long long road.
Anyone contributing will get credit, from a mention in the credits to a fully attributed section within article. I'm gonna act as a kind of sub-editor here on this one, and I'd love a solid team of roving reporters to throw in their own little snippits, either here on the forum, or by emailing me directly.
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The topics to cover:
This Dudely Land
I want to build up a picture of the areas you come from. Where are the most Dudely, and the most unDudely places in the UK? I want to make a map in words of the country from a Dudeseye view. Got an opinion on your town, your city or your county (even your country) then we want to know. You want to tell me what Nottingham's like, or the whole of Scotland? Please do.
Cutlure Shock, Dude
Here I want to build up a view of modern British culture and the history behind it. From our roots two thousand year ago during the Roman invasion, through all the other invasions (the ones against us and by us) to the 20th Century and now. Let's break down our national identity and see how that fits in with Dudeism. I've already written an article on the Levellers, found in my column, Dude Simple, in the Dudespaper, but there must be other ideals we can draw on. Are we in a liberal part of our cultural cycle? What about the 4-class social system, and binge drinkers, and reality TV? Does this make us an anti-dude nation?
Great Dudes in History
Who do you nominate for Great Dudes?
Some suggestions previously, and by myself include:
Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, Bill Bailey, Howard Marks, Lemmy, Sir Clement Freud... but who else? Where are the female Dudes in our nation? Which historical figures were Dudely (if any)?
____________________________________
And what else? What issues, as Dudes of Britiain, do you want to tackle?
I'm gonna set this ball rolling, and I'm gonna put it together, but I really need you guys to input. I don't want a half-arsed, lop-sided view of our great nation, I want a thorough insight from all corner of the UK.
Let's start this now, because it's gonna take a lot of work to get this together. I'm looking to start getting the first article put out towards the end of this year, but that doesn't mean it can't be a continuing project in the future, either on here or in subsequent Dudespaper articles after the initial run.
So, what do you think?
I'm waiting for some A-class opinions, Dudes. Lay them on me :)
Hey there Ed,
This will require some thought from me over the next few days and then when I have formulated some ideas I will be happy to share them with you.
I quite like the idea of being the roving reverend reporter for Norwich. 8)
Hey dudes,
I too am up for getting involved - though, I've gotta put the monkey feeding priorities first.
I could help, contribute and the like for Manchester, Crewe and the Arbroath/Dundee area.
I'll put some thought into it, but chances are I'll be looking at British Dudes in Music as a specialist area - being a music student and all lol
Good to see the tumbleweed moving, man
Winston Churchill was an outstanding Dude. He used to say 'KBO, KBO' quite a lot, this meant 'keep buggering on' which is clearly the wartime code for 'This Dude abides'.
You know the Pompey Dude Posse is there for you (oh bollocks did I just call us the "Pompey Dude Posse", you know who I mean, Klaus and I will be glad to destroy any semblance of organisation you care to attempt)
A good response to get back in the first 2.5 hours :)
Don't sweat it guys, this is a slow-burn process in an easygoing religious crowd. This could take a while, and I'm in no hurry. Put forward what you can, when you can (and substitute want for can where applicable). If it comes to you, post it here. If you really want to get down and deep, pop me a mail. I won't even start putting this thing together until near the end of the year, I just want to advance plan this a bit to involve as many Dudeists from the UK as we can.
And yeah, specialists needed. Music, films, literature, TV, politics, history, the arts, even sports! I'm a bit of a generalist myself, so if you can fill in an area as a specialist, all the better.
far out, ed. you're not only investigating dudeism in britain, but laying the groundwork for others do do the same for their countries/regions.
as long as people avoid being too biased/nationalistic in their approaches, this would be a good way to systematically parse the history and culture of dudeism all over the world.
kudos (dudos) to you, Church Man.
I'm in ...
I do have my own online ficition/art/music magazine to edit but will definitely contribute something ( will advertise DitUK on the magazine's blog too )
Funny that you call it "dudearchy" as dudeism does seem an anarchic philosophical position to be in, in the way that taoism does.
got a couple of dudes throughout history in mind. i'll keep 'em as a surprise)
p.s. i'm also a "writer" of sorts so would be happy to help on that front too.
I Will Definatley Try And Put Some Things Together From The Glasgow/Clydebank Area Over The Next Few Days :)
Peace .
Musing the first:
It was the great Dudely comedian Bill Bailey who once told me (not personally, there were quite a few other people sitting around me in that theatre) that Britain loves disappointment.
We love it when things turn out to be rubbish, we abide the crap, we revel in cockups. Why? Because we love to complain? Well, partly yes. A lot of Brits get off on having a good old moan at how truly shit everything in.
But, my theory on it is this:
Brits are actually not as uptight about things as they seem. Sure, some of them have majorly cleft arseholes, but so many of them have a "I don't care" attitude. That's why, as another comedian, Andy Parsons pointed out, that only in Britain could someone have published a book called Crap Towns and received complaints, not that their town was in there, but that it wasn't. The author in fact received so many complaints, he had to publish a second book to accommodate all the people who felt their crap town had been left out.
As a nation, we have the art of self-deprication down to a fine art. We really do revel in picking at our own faults and laughing. The attitude is one of "fuck it, at least [insert something you do like here". So you can moan about the state of the nation all you like and take comfort in what you do actually enjoy. And hey, even if you don't like the healthcare, the television service, the pubs, or whathaveyou, you're still happy to be a Brit, the state of the nation be damned.
So, isn't that the first sign of Dudeliness? Being comfortable with your own flaws and able to say "fuck it". The ability to be patriotic without being a reactionary super-pat.
Discuss ???
Rev Ed,
I think that's where the fabled Brit sense of humour comes into play ...
If you've ever worked in a factory (or an office especially now with the net) you'll know that when a disaster happens, that very next day there's a joke about it. It is our way of dealing with it. Our way of saying"So it goes" or "Fuck it".
Having lived abroad for nigh on 12 years now, in a self imposed vagabondage through Asia, North Africa & Europe, I can say that no other country I've come across has this.
As with sarcasm & irony, even The Dude himself displays it in fine form when he exclaims " Obviously, you're not a golfer".
Have you ever read "How to be free" or "How to be idle" by the renowned Idler Tom Hodgkinson( A Dudeist Saint if ever there was one)? He talks a lot about the clash in our culture between the cleft assholed puritans, Victorians et al & the medieval Merry Olde England ...
& don't forget Gavin Pretor-Pinney, the co-founder of The Idler & founder of The Cloud Appreciation Society in which yours truly is member 14398!
Just read the Manifesto & tell me that it ain't Dudeist!
http://cloudappreciationsociety.org/manifesto/ (http://cloudappreciationsociety.org/manifesto/)
Well, a sense of humour is a state of mind :) We do have a really famed unique sense of humour that attracts comedians from across the globe to us. From America to Australia, and even a German comedian (who ever thought there was such a thing?!). We also have two comedians of Iranian decent becoming prominent on the comedy scene.
Two of the most Dudely of comedians we have at the moment we poached from the States. Reginald D Hunter, so laid-back for a black man from the deep south, he's refreshingly different to watch when compared with a lot of angry or quirky comedians. And, Rich Hall, who had a nice little comedy fishing show on I used to watch, and who I also nearly bumped into him in London as he was coming out of the men's room of a pub. To steal a pair of Dudes from the US like that takes some dudely pulling power indeed.
Not read any Idler yet, but will definitely make some time in the future to get my nose stuck in there, upon your recommendation Rev. Dog.
Love the cloud appreciation page. It goes right along with what I've always said about a blue sky being horribly dull (apart from lethal to my fair skin), even a few wispy little clouds thrown in can make it more interesting. Even solid cloud cover has a mottled effect, making an overcast day not just a more pleasent atmosphere for me to walk around in, but more interesting to look at. Besides, I'm English, a blue sky is about as alien and frightening to me as a pink sea or orange mountains!
Quote from: Reverend Dog on March 17, 2010, 12:36:44 PM
..& don't forget Gavin Pretor-Pinney, the co-founder of The Idler & founder of The Cloud Appreciation Society in which yours truly is member 14398!
Just read the Manifesto & tell me that it ain't Dudeist!
http://cloudappreciationsociety.org/manifesto/ (http://cloudappreciationsociety.org/manifesto/)
I've been a paid up member of the cloud appreciation society for a number of years now.
We have awesome clouds here in Friesland (a low sky) due to the general flatness man. It takes a lot of time watching them all.
I used to live in the UK, I agree about how bad things are there but how great it is to complain and abide.
Quote from: Rev. Petra on March 18, 2010, 12:21:41 PM
...
I used to live in the UK, I agree about how bad things are there but how great it is to complain and abide.
...
If it wasn't for the weather we British wouldn't have anything to talk to each other about.
Quote from: meekon5 on March 19, 2010, 09:44:04 AM
Quote from: Rev. Petra on March 18, 2010, 12:21:41 PM
...
I used to live in the UK, I agree about how bad things are there but how great it is to complain and abide.
...
If it wasn't for the weather we British wouldn't have anything to talk to each other about.
Hey that might be for the general population but you remember the door step conversations we've had outside pubs? We used to time people seeing how long they'd last before they edged away, generally confused looking for safe conversation.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
When in Britian, queue.
Queuing is one of the great British past times. It's slow-going, it's polite and unlike Nam, there are rules. The true British Dude knows how to queue, and here's a few key points:
1) We don't sweat it. If you need a pair of binoculars to see the front of the line, we have the time. Just relax.
2) We amuse ourselves. Carry a book of some tunes and enjoy your position in the rank and file. You'll never see a true Dude fretting and grumbling about the long wait, just with his nose in a book or his head in a musical cloud.
3) We don't cut. No line jumpers are we. We know where the line starts and finishes and join the queue at the appropriate point. "Excuse me, are you in the queue?" "No, no, go on in."
Now, not every Brit can manage this. Most won't be able to do 1 or 2, and some can't even manage 3 (what crawled up one side of their cleft arsehole?). However, it is a true artform of order and civility which really makes us stand out as a nation. Part of our great identity (and no, we didn't wait in line for it).
Rule Britannia, Britannia forms the orderly queues.
Quote from: meekon5 on March 19, 2010, 09:44:04 AM
Quote from: Rev. Petra on March 18, 2010, 12:21:41 PM
...
I used to live in the UK, I agree about how bad things are there but how great it is to complain and abide.
...
If it wasn't for the weather we British wouldn't have anything to talk to each other about.
It is interesting, our weather. Currently, the rain is hammering down so hard on the roof of my little office building that it's creating a rather enchanting background noise.
My father has always been soothed by the sound of rain, and I think I follow a similar suit. As a country, England gets, well, let's just say, a lot of rain. Ireland gets a little bit more. Scotland gets bloody tons of the stuff. And Wales, well... Wales gets... let me put it in the approximate words of comedian Rhod Gilbert: "I didn't know I could take my cagoule (rain mack) off until I was five! I thought it was my skin." He also went on to demonstrate his actually webbed fingers which he claimed was part of natural Welsh evolution.
I think Goscinny & Uderzo gave an excellent outsiders look on British weather in Asterix in Britain, when Asterix is crossing the English channel in a small boat with his cousin. As they surge through the dense fog, Obelix at the oars, Asterix asks "Is it always this foggy in Britain?" to which is cousin replies "Oh no, old chap, it's only foggy like this when it isn't raining." The fog then immediately lifts to replaced by torrential rain.
Other countires have adapted for hot and dry claimates, some hot and humid, some cold. In Britain we've adapted to be a people of a changeable climate with a singular penchant for being overcast, murky, foggy and rainy. Sometimes our weather can change in a heatbeat, you never can really tell. And throughout this undudely climate we have endured, where Dudes of a warmer, less violent climate might have crumpled. It is, once again, part of our "fuck it" attitude, that really defines us. We're happy with our weather bring crap, because 1) it's interesting, and 2) it's better than earthquakes, hurricanes and tornadoes (well, we do get these, but such small ones no one even notices). The occasional flood is by-the-by, these things happen, man.
Ho-hum, another day, another issue about the British national identity.
I was reminded this morning of a song I've always kind of detested, but it is a massively popular little number that some call the unofficial National Anthem, somewhere between God Save the [Insert monarch gender-specific title here] and Rule Britannia.
This song is Jerusalem, and I decided to look it up, because my beef with the song was actually down to my own interpretation, and I wanted to sort it out properly.
I had assumed, from the lyrics, that it was a song glorifying the crusades and being generally not-cool about global politics and general niceness to our international brothers. I am actually glad to say I turned out to be completely wrong.
Here are the words for you to dissect, before we start looking at the supposed meaning:
And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England's mountains green?
And was the holy Lamb of God
On England's pleasant pastures seen?
And did the Countenance Divine
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among those dark Satanic mills?
Bring me my bow of burning gold:
Bring me my arrows of desire:
Bring me my spear: O clouds, unfold!
Bring me my chariot of fire!
I will not cease from mental fight,
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand
Till we have built Jerusalem
In England's green and pleasant land.
Now, it's actually a rather rousing tune, and I know full well why it's become so anthemic. The thing is, it's actually officially not the hymn people believe it to be, because of two points: 1) It's not a prayer to God. 2) It's a musical version of a poem.
Back in 1916, after a bout of low morale, what with WWI and all, Sir Hubert Parry put music to a short poem by William Blake, who used it as a preface to a much grander poem called Milton, back in 1804. So really, we have to look at what Blake was talking about in his poem, four little verses that were never meant to be sung in church, in school or at every meeting of the Women's Institute.
Wikipedia tells me:
Quote
The poem was inspired by the apocryphal story that a young Jesus, accompanied by his uncle Joseph of Arimathea, travelled to the area that is now England and visited Glastonbury. The legend is linked to an idea in the Book of Revelation (3:12 and 21:2) describing a Second Coming, wherein Jesus establishes a new Jerusalem. The Christian church in general, and the English Church in particular, used Jerusalem as a metaphor for Heaven, a place of universal love and peace.
Now that's something I'd missed! Not Jerusalem the holy city, but Jerusalem the state of mind! Utopia, in a Christian sense. New shit has come to light, and my mind is turned around on this song.
Wiki goes on to dissect, thusly:
Quote
In the most common interpretation of the poem, Blake implies that a visit of Jesus would briefly create heaven in England, in contrast to the "dark Satanic Mills" of the industrial-revolution. Analysts note that Blake asks four questions rather than stating a visit to be true. According to this view, the poem says that there may, or may not, have been a divine visit, when there was briefly heaven in England. But that was then; now, we are faced with the challenge of creating such a country once again.
You know what, Blake had some alright ideas. He's really talking about peace in his poem, not war, as I'd assumed. Of course, I don't really know about the use of weapons here, but I guess from a Georgian Christian point of view it was common to want to stamp out the heretics to make the world a better place for honest christian folk. Similarly, during the war, we wanted to beat the Kaiser back and do something similar.
So, I guess, I can chalk this up to Leveller's syndrome, as I discussed in my Dudespaper article http://dudespaper.com/levelling-in-pursuit-of-the-spiritual-bungalow.html/ (http://dudespaper.com/levelling-in-pursuit-of-the-spiritual-bungalow.html/), which saw a bunch of undudely folks fighting for dudely principals and ideals.
So, it's anthemic, it's patriotic, and I'm sure most people don't get the meaning, as I didn't until today. But, there is something in this song that's of Dudeist merit here in the UK, I think. However, I don't think it's ever an ideal that will find its way out of the actual words and the themes that are so often tangled in super-patriotism, a state I consider a very undudely disease. Open your eyes, Britons, and especially you, at the WI. No more Jam & Jerusalem, let's make it the DI, Dude's Institute. Dare I suggest, Dope & Dudetopia?
Apologies for my absence these past few weeks, but the UK General Election had kind of consumed my time, trying to get back out of the slump of heavy political whatnot.
I see no one's really had any brainstorms recently either.
Maybe when the mist lifts from around my brain I might have some more valid points that aren't politcally slanted :)
I guess the combination of this heatwave and World Cup fever have put the UK to sleep, eh?
On the subject of football, I've been pleasantly surprised at the conduct of the England fans this year. Usually there's no end of trouble wherever these guys go, but for some reason a sense of unifying mellowness has overcome them and no one's been stabbed in a local bar this year (well, no more than usual in South Africa).
Football hooliganism is perhaps one of the greatest blemishes on the UK's dudeliness in regards to modern culture and history. It's almost inexplicable that so much passion could be generated from what fooball is nowadays, but, if you trace it back it's all probably an evolution/leftover of when it was one of the few pleasures of the working man before/around the dawning of TV and kind of stuck. The fact that now adays the working man has more means and a culture of being loud and constantly on a binge (if you'll allow me to generalise the average man without insult) really doesn't bode well for passionate footy fans.
Still, if what's going on in South Africa is anything to go by, perhaps our jingoistic, xenophobic attitudes and internationally grudge-holding/rivalry are on the out? I think we'll see this weekend when England play up against Germany in one of the oldest, bitterest football rivalries in history. From what I've seen so far, it looks like people are looking forward to it as a fun tradition as opposed to some continuation of the world wars. Maybe even leaving behind such sentiments as "Two world wars and one world cup, doo-dah, doo-dah" and "Germany may have beaten us in 1990 at our national sport, but we beat them twice at theirs". Amusing, perhaps, but hardly conducive with a modern dudely attitude. It's ok if it's all in good fun, and I hope this time around, for once, it is.
Still on the football issue...
Whilst watching James Corden's World Cup Live after-show, post USA-Ghana match, there came a Dudely mentioning. After playing the VT of Corden talking with England goalkeeper David James at a lifedrawing class, he asked guest Chris Evans (the UK presenter/DJ) who his favourite England player was, to which Evans responded "Actually it is David James. He's a bit zen, isn't he." James Corden then, remarkably states "Yeah, he reminds me of The Dude from The Big Lebowski."
Amazing! A mention of The Dude and TBL on primetime, and the revelation that we have a Dude on the team. I might even think about supporting England, as long as James is in goal. What can we say about a man who plays fooball but finds a sense of calm in the middle of the storm by taking art supplies on tour with him to get in a bit of sketching and painting between games and training sessions? I never knew one of our footballers had it in him, I thought they were all about the glitz and the glamour and the celebrity, leaving the football as an incidental add-on to their career.
So, new-found respect to James Corden for being a TBL fan, and respect to David James (a man I knew nothing about before), the Dude of the England team!
so this thread is Rev Ed basically talking to himself then?
sit back, tell me about your mother.
Quote from: meekon5 on June 29, 2010, 07:47:56 AM
so this thread is Rev Ed basically talking to himself then?
sit back, tell me about your mother.
Tell you? Who are you? I only talk to myself, sir (irony overload!!!). If I'm going to tell anyone anything I'll tell me!
And, whilst I'm talking to myself, let me remiss...
I managed to catch a late-night program on TV recently that documented the life and career of Benny Hill. Now, I didn't know a lot about Benny, being a bit before my time and not being shown on TV nowdays (as he's often considered old-fashioned here in the UK, I guess), I was intrigued.
What I found out actually impressed me, as it turns out this man, like so many of the great comedians, was a true Dude. He was a man who apparently never lost his temper and saw the humour in everything. To boot he wasn't materialistic at all. In fact, despite his fortunes he confessed to not really knowing the true value of the little pay cheques he received. "Show me a million pounds in a room and I'll know how much that is." He said. But you know what, he didn't care. He kept a very streamlined wardrobe, to the point that when in China he was told by his agent to go to a tailor and get an exact copy made of his suit for a pittance. When he returned the agent asked if he'd done it. He said "yes". The agent asked "so you have two suits now then?" "No," replied Hill "I gave the other one to a beggar outside." What a Dude. Flying in the face of materialism and the sort of corruption that fame and fortune applies to so many, making them such paraquats.
Perhaps the greatest testament to his Dudeliness is when he received a prestigious Chaplain award for his lifetime contribution to comedy. After accepting the award from Chaplain's granddaughter, Hill was offered a visit to Chaplain's office and asked to take a seat behind his desk. Well, Charlie Chaplain was one of Benny's heroes and so overwhelmed was he at being able to sit here, and so undeserving did he feel that he began to weep. And that was before someone pointed out the Benny Hill VHS collection on one of the shelves, denoting Chaplain as a big fan of his.
So, what can we say about such a humble man, a kind man who liked to bring joy to others, who loved life and never gave in to it's pressures? What else but "Duuuuuude!"
Quote from: Rev. Ed C on June 28, 2010, 11:07:19 PM
Still on the football issue...
Football! (with fingers in his ears) La, la, la, la, la....
Sorry did you say something?
Quote from: meekon5 on June 29, 2010, 08:38:27 AM
Quote from: Rev. Ed C on June 28, 2010, 11:07:19 PM
Still on the football issue...
Football! (with fingers in his ears) La, la, la, la, la....
Sorry did you say something?
Man, you were being a grumpy ol' bastard that day :P Which is a shame, as it was much more enjoyable to experience it in person! It loses its finesse in text only ;)
Quote from: Rev. Ed C on July 02, 2010, 11:28:32 AM
...Which is a shame, as it was much more enjoyable to experience it in person! It loses its finesse in text only ;)
Yes I'm thinking of video. Put a couple up on utube then just reference them.
Still looking for contributions (however small) from those dudes of the British isles. No hurry on the project, I've got about 50 years or so left in me, but... I might lose interest in putting it together before then :)
If you're new around here, please read the first post of this thread for an idea of what the project entails. If you're interested or have any ideas on opinions about the Dudely state of the UK, jump on in, either with a reply or a personal message to me via the forum messager. Would love to have you onboard!
Quote from: Rev. Ed C on August 10, 2010, 09:22:20 AM
Still looking for contributions (however small) from those dudes of the British isles. No hurry on the project, I've got about 50 years or so left in me, but... I might lose interest in putting it together before then :)...
Oh so now you've finally finished talking to yourself you want us to actually provide some script?
Yup, still looking for contributions.Quote from: meekon5 on August 10, 2010, 12:30:02 PM
Oh so now you've finally finished talking to yourself you want us to actually provide some script?
And you're wondering why people don't let you have sharp objects? (I'm starting to rethink it myself ;)).
I'm happy to do the bulk of the work (or just talk to myself, as you so unhelpfully like to put it :)) but I would like others to chime in with thoughts of offer to write sections, etc. People seemed happy to help when I first mentioned it, even when I first outlined it, but of course, things go slow around here, so I was just reminding people.
Hey, feel free to add something yourself, or maybe I'll just go back into monologue mode again... your call, neighbour 8)
Once again, sorry I've been lax for the last few months, but this monkey-feeding mallarchy is getting to be a real drag.
Anywho, maybe some of you guys out there in forum land would like to say what you thought about last week's UK visit by Herr Popeski.
Any opinions, thoughts? Any ex-Catholics who've licked Catholicism in favour of Dudeism? Any Catholic Dudes? Any nut with an opinion about what this says about the UK or the Church?
I'll be back to chime in later this week. Happy musing!
Quote from: Rev. Ed C on August 10, 2010, 06:41:40 PM
...And you're wondering why people don't let you have sharp objects?..
Anything is a weapon in the right hands (to quote the Klingon Axiom).
Pope, did we have a visit from some type of Pope?
Actually try this (http://anjamerret.com/?p=1113) on for size.
Or have a look at these protest images: http://acidcow.com/pics/13390-pope-protest-signs-30-pics.html (http://acidcow.com/pics/13390-pope-protest-signs-30-pics.html)
QuoteActually try this on for size
That was the best 18 minutes I could have spent today. Stephen Fry...a dude for our times!
Hi Rev. Churchman,
The first of my reports from East Anglia is about the following Lady.
Elizabeth Fry..... She of the portrait on the back of the five pound note.
Elizabeth Fry was born into a wealthy family...the Gurneys (founders of Barclays Bank) but don't let that put you off!!
At a young age (18) she began to take an interest in people much less fortunate than herself..ie the poor and homeless the sick and the female prison population in particular.
The following is a quotation from The Howard League for penal reform webpage. Full article Here:
http://www.howardleague.org/elizabethfry/
"Firstly, she visited the prisons and encouraged other middle class women to do so, overcoming official opposition and setting up education classes for women. She was ahead of her time in the way she treated the prisoners as human beings. Elizabeth did not impose discipline on them but instead proposed rules and invited the prisoners to vote on them, and she put an educated prisoner in charge.
Secondly, Elizabeth told people in the outside world about prisons. She used her connections in high places to good effect (despite her religious principles she enjoyed high society). Both Florence Nightingale and the young Queen Victoria admired Elizabeth for her compassionate exercise outside the home. She was the figurehead of philanthropic endeavour in this country and today is regarded as one of the early feminists. In 1835, she testified before the House of Commons Parliamentary committee, established to investigate "The State of Gaols in England and Wales." Elizabeth also spoke before a House of Lords Select Committee in the same year."
Elizabeth also opened a night shelter for the homeless in London and was also instrumental in setting up "visiting societies" in which poor people would be visited in their houses and given help and comfort...not necessarily financial...probably the fore runner of social services.
As if the above was not enough, Elizabeth also opened a training school for nurses which inspired a certain Florence Nightingale to take a group of these nurses to the Crimea to assist the wounded overseas.
Despite her vast wealth and obvious high society connections Elizabeth Fry remained a Lady of the people.
All this was at a time when women didn't even have the vote. A truly inspirational character from history and in my eyes a true dude or indeed heroine.
There is a small statue of her in Norwich outside the Cathedral which I always doff my (imaginary) cap to when ever I pass!
In peace dudes.
Reverend John
Quote from: meekon5 on September 20, 2010, 10:42:55 AM
Pope, did we have a visit from some type of Pope?
Actually try this (http://anjamerret.com/?p=1113) on for size.
There's just something about this undude I just don't trust............
(http://www.foxnews.com/images/276829/0_61_pope_benedict_xvi_040306.jpg)
Many thanks Rev. John, a worthy candidate, and if I recall, one of Ian Hislop's Dogooders. Certainly one of the most dudely of that trailblazing troupe of Victorian humanitarians, I'll say. Nice call and nice summation of her qualifications. I look forward to further contributions :)
Thanks to the new Dudespaper Article, about a BBC Radio interview with the Dudely Lama and the Grand Old Dude of York, I'm hoping for a bit of a resurgence in interest in this project. It may take us some time, but I'm sure it'll be worth it in the end. Any small comment/nugget of info/slight social commentary is welcome here!
I guess hope springs eternal...
Still here, still sitting on it, still not had much time to make any more contributions myself.
I'm all for the slowburn project, so this may take years, but I'm counting on some more contributions before I get too old to remember what this project is all about :)
Quote from: Rev. Ed C on March 31, 2011, 03:34:10 AM
I guess hope springs eternal...
Still here, still sitting on it, still not had much time to make any more contributions myself.
I'm all for the slowburn project, so this may take years, but I'm counting on some more contributions before I get too old to remember what this project is all about :)
What project?
Quote from: meekon5 on March 31, 2011, 07:02:55 AM
What project?
The Dudarchy in the UK project, in fact. You seem to have a habit of replying to the thread to question the thread, rather than contribute to it :) Although I sometimes wonder if you're just baiting me :P
However, let me quote you from page one:
Quote from: meekon5 on March 11, 2010, 01:02:39 PM
You know the Pompey Dude Posse is there for you (oh bollocks did I just call us the "Pompey Dude Posse", you know who I mean, Klaus and I will be glad to destroy any semblance of organisation you care to attempt)
I'm I'm holding you to it! :)
You're an opinionated human being, as far as I've noticed, so I would value any input you have on the dudeliness of the UK. We had some good stuff going about a year ago, one pages 1 and 2, but it's kind of slipped away as I've not been making much of an input myself. However, the idea is to include all UK Dudeists as much as possible to come together and help.
If you need a refresher, check back to the first post on page 1 and you'll see what I'm all about (well, I hope, I'm not known for either my brevity or clarity!! :))
Any input, from anyone, is always welcome, and it's just a refresher post to let people know it's still there, it's not dead, and I'd love to get some more input from all over the UK community, and others who know enough about our Dudely land to add in their two penneth worth.
It's all good, dudes :)
Quote from: Rev. Ed C on March 31, 2011, 08:58:13 AM
Quote from: meekon5 on March 31, 2011, 07:02:55 AM
What project?
The Dudarchy in the UK project, in fact. You seem to have a habit of replying to the thread to question the thread, rather than contribute to it :) Although I sometimes wonder if you're just baiting me :P
Tee he he. ;D
Quote from: meekon5 on March 31, 2011, 09:35:39 AM
Quote from: Rev. Ed C on March 31, 2011, 08:58:13 AM
Quote from: meekon5 on March 31, 2011, 07:02:55 AM
What project?
The Dudarchy in the UK project, in fact. You seem to have a habit of replying to the thread to question the thread, rather than contribute to it :) Although I sometimes wonder if you're just baiting me :P
Tee he he. ;D
Well, Dude - as you said somewhere 'every little helps'.
I keep meaning to contribute a little sumfin' or nuffin' to your worthy project - mayhap I'll get round to it. There is possibly - for me - a problem with coming up with something that exemplifies British Dudeness; after all, we are just a collection of pasty-faced disaffected cunts, ain't we? I have one or two ideas but they don't exactly convince
me, yet. You might try opening it up a little to include (Dude produced) art, media examples and possibly have Johnny & Jill foreigner get the ball rolling with a sub-thread "Hey, you there! Yes, you - tell me immediately what you find Dudely about the UK - and in English: chop! chop!"
Seriously though, I'll get round to it.
Dudearchy in the UK slide-show http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJwYJS3Xpyg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJwYJS3Xpyg)
(a little on the negative side perhaps? Only Dudely contributions can help chase away the leaden-pall)
Cakey, that is an awesome video! I'd be more than proud to have that embedded in the final project :)
The problem with doing an expos? on any country that professes to be full of dudes is that, ultimately, no country really is that Dudely (unless you're talkin' 'bout Jamaica!).
Look at the USA, one of the biggest cleft arseholes on the planet, but one of the co-founders of the modern Dudely movement. How many Dudes here are American, in spite of their massively undudely country?? Likewise, there's a lot of pomp and right-wingery that goes on in the UK, but it doesn't mean we can't find dudely things and dudely people if we look.
It's not about paining the UK as a Dudetopia, it's about finding what's great about us, from Jethro Tull (the band, not the farmer) to Sir Clement Freud. From the Levellers (the movement, not the band) to forming an orderly and civilised queue.
Dudarchy in the UK is about finding the Dude within Britian, both modern and historical, can then highlighting its flaws. Your video certainly highlights most of the questionable factors in modern British culture (those Daily Mail reading fuckheads!!), from four-class social system and the benefit state, to the dissolution of our once great public services, chavs and hoodies, etc...
If you'd like to contribute further, a second video using some examples of great Dudeliness would be great. I know that's a stretch, so, don't bust a gut on it, take your time and build it piece by piece as it comes to you.
Look to our musicians, or comedians, and our musical comedians. Your own Billy Bragg quote reminds me of what a Dude he is :)
What I do know about the UK is that people from that certain alternative scene that Meekon, Klaus, Kiteboysi and I belong to is choc full of laid back, pub-loving geeks who won't bow to the evils of being trendy clubbers and binge-drinking x-factor voters!
Stand up, stand tall, and then sit down for a bit of a rest and a pint of cider, for the United Dudedom!!
"Dude save our gracious Queen..." (and by that, I of course mean, Jennifer Saunders :))
A slight misunderstanding, there, Dude - my bad (as they say over here); my comments (vid and comments on the vid) focused on the negative in the hope that it would inspire a Brit or two to set the record straight, as it were, with a more positive take of their own. It isn't exactly a contribution to the Dudearchy file, as such, just a bit of a promo - bit of a poke with a stick. I hadn't planned to do another video - I think the medium for this project will be primarily the written word; unless someone wants to make a dudeumentary. That ain't a bad idea for a Dude with a decent video camera.
I know where you are coming from and I'm sure I can come up with some positive examples of my own - most of which would be from the past, though. Yeah, used to knock around with a few "laid back geeks" myself but every town in every country has a handful of 'alternative' types. I was thinking more in national vibe/ movement terms. Anyway, glad you liked the vid - I probably won't be doing another (a documentary is the genre for that) - perhaps it might be an idea to set up a facebook page for Brit Dudes or something which may inspire more of a response. Maybe see if you can get hold of a video camera for the Dudestock visit and ask a few questions there. 8)
Quote from: cakebelly on April 02, 2011, 07:02:49 PM
Maybe see if you can get hold of a video camera for the Dudestock visit and ask a few questions there. 8)
Already going to get me a dictaphone so I can pretend to be an amateur journalist in training and do an article for the DP. Me and the moving pictures don't get along :)
Well, Dudes, it's that time of year again. St. George's Day. A day for national pride, or a day for petty-minded racism carried out by shaven-headed, slack-jawed bigots?
It's an interesting one, I'll say that for it.
When it comes to the UK and our four saints, St George, the patron saint of England is not really very different to his Celtic counterparts, but the day always seems marred, somehow. I'm not sure this happens on any of the other saints days, to the best of my knowledge, but something about being a patriotic Englishman seems to reek of being an utter racist.
St. Patrick, patron saint of Ireland - Lots of Irishmen get drunk and celebrate how great it is to come from the Emerald Isle.
St. Andrew, patron saint of Scotland - Lots of Scotsmen get drunk and celebrate how great it is not to be English.
St David, patron saint of Wales - Lots of Welshmen get mildly merry and munch of cheese on toast whilst being proud they still have their own language.
St George, patron saint of England - Lots of BNP and EDL members wave the English flag around and celebrate the day we kick all the 'darkies' out of Boudicca's country.
I mean, that's a very narrow and stereotypical view of things, but, from the inside, as an Englishman, I've never been comfortable with the special brand of nationalism that we cultivate here in the south. It's about as undude as you can get.
I've always been fine with national pride, but when zealousy and xenophobia take over it starts to pinch a bit. I don't really see that in the rest of Britain. The Irish, Scots and Welsh seem content to be proud of who they are (are proud we are of all of them) and reserve their animosity for the English (understandably), no one else. Conversely, English national pride draws heavily on such ideals as "The British Empire" and "Boudiccia". The first of which we've mostly grown ashamed of, hence the reason we let it slide and made peace with everyone. The second is usually taken vastly out of context by ignorant nationalists.
It's a real sting in the ideal of world peace and harmony and even just Britain as a multicultural nation to have such sentiments bandied about on a day where we're supposed to celebrate what's great about ourselves, not what we think is crap about everybody else. There's no need to be competitive, or even comparative.
A friend of mine made a rather poigiant post on Facebook the other day, which went something like this:
Quote
In choosing whether or not to celebrate St Georges day I implore people to lean towards Charles Dickens, Isaac Newton, William Shakespeare, Gustav Holst, Rudyard Kipling, Charles Darwin, Michael Faraday, Isambard Kingdom Brunel and not the BNP and EDL. The EDL are not England, they do not represent England. Remember, being proud to be something does not mean you have to think your better than anyone else.
So, I think this sort of sentiment should be followed, to turn our backs on the Undudely element in England for today.
What we want on a day like today is for everyone to go down to the pub, quietly sup on a pint of Devonian cider or real Kentish ale and enjoy being part of a nation of great dudely people, not to get shitfaced on Carling and then go out to smash the window of your local Pakistani-run corner shop, or firebomb the nearest mosque like a reactionary fascist.
I know I'm kind of preaching to the choir here, but I'm just really venting a sentiment about Dudarchy in the UK, or the lack thereof. But of course, it never hurts to try and set a dudely example, does it? :)
ps, I love the fact that when I went to spellcheck this post, it suggested that shit-faced should be spelt shitfaced instead :)
So, Dudes, electoral reform.
I'm here, watching the results come in for yesterday's referendum on using the Alternative Vote system (AV) to elect our members of parliment, and thereby our ruling govermental party.
I'm pretty fucking dissapointed, if you don't mind me expressing it that way. The results are coming in as a pretty clear NO to change. People have decided with about 65% or more projecteto keep our old, and as I consider it, antiquated system in place.
We currently use the most familair electoral system in the world, known as First Past The Post. The Post is 50% of the seats available. Once you get 1 seat beyond, you win. And, in places like the USA, where there are only two actual options (seeing as US 3rd parties are shunned and ignore and the poltics are stuck in a switcheroo rutt) this works just fine. Afterall, they inherited it from us, when we had two parties. Alas, nowadays, like most other countries around the world, it's not a battle of two, it's not black vs white, good vs evil, conservative vs liberal, it's far more complex. And, when ther's more than two options, it's not that easy to clinch 50% all of a sudden.
The UK has two main parites, two major parties, two minor parties and a smattering of other smaller parties, and that's without even including the major Scottish and Welsh national parties and the entirely seperate Northern Irish parlimatary/party sytem. It's a complex thing indeed.
Last year we were headed for a hung parliment, as no one got past the post in the general election, so now we have a coalition government because the Tories were too afraid of being beat up on by the other parties with a weak minority government.
AV is a chance for more people to have their votes count. As such, I was for it, as my vote never counts. I vote for a party which has almost no chance of beating out the incumbent party here. For all you Americans, it's like me being an Alaskan Democrat... I'm wasting my vote. With AV, I can rank my preferences with more than one candidate, and if my first choice is knocked out my second choice might get more support. Candidates gets knocked out in rounds until one has more than 50% in the final showdown. Sound complex? Well, yeah, it is more complicated than the old system, but it's fairer. It's not ideal, not like Proportional Representation (PR), but it's a step forward we have never had a chance to take before.
Now, what does all this have to do with being a Dudely nation?
Here are my thoughts:
This whole campaign on AV and the results reflect, in my opinion, pretty badly on the UK.
First off, the underhanded decipt operated by the goverment in planning this referendum was shoddy. It was held in deliberately the wrong time when it could have waited for a year or two more. At the moment, people don't want electoral reform, they want spending reform because of all the cuts and austerity that have been going on.
Secondly, the hypocracy of the Tories who say NO to AV. David Cameron, the Prime Minister is only the PM because he was leader of his party at the time of the elction. He was only the leader of the party because he won via AV. Had it not been an AV vote for party leader, he'd not be leader or PM. It's good enough for him and his party, and good enough to get them the mayor of London, but not good enough for the UK? He'd a hypocrite and liar, man, plain and simple.
That aside, the govement ruling party than got staunchly behind the NO campaign, which operated a disgusting tactic of scaremongering, mudslinging and out and out lying to the public. Conversely, the YES camp came out with lots of intelligent, pro-active and well respected celebrities, from Eddy Izzard, to Joanna Lumly, to Steven Fry and Tony Robinson saying how important a move forward this is. The NOs ran such a scary and dishonest campaign that even the power of celebrity got quashed!
Beyond this, the results speak ill of us as a progressive people, where the pro-active youth are but a small number of the vote, where most youngsters are apathetic and disinterested in politics, and it's all the nation's elders who come out to vote en mass in their very tradional mindset. Which, actually, is very ironic, as politics has shifted to a younger man's game these past 15 years, with all the party leaders now being men in their 30s and 40s, not 50s and 60s. A lot of young MPs are also prominent, putting a lot of the older ones to the back, in the shadows. gone are the days of Thatcher and Churchill, Gladstone and Disralei... now is the time of the nappy politicians, elected for by the incontinence pants voters. So much for equality, eh?
So, I'm sad that we're a stagnent nation of apathetic nay-sayers and crusty traditionalists who fall for scaremongers and liarswho are only out for themselves, not the people. Where are the laid-back, free-thinkers? Oh yeah, they were all out on the road trying to get people to vote YES. Great effort guys, sorry the nation didn't live up to that dudely ideal.
Erm...........yeah what he said !
So to throw positive and relevant thought to the subject, what would constitute symbols (cos folk like em) of Englishness that would bond the populous in thier pride of this great country they call England ? Or even on a broader aspect Britishness ?
I have a few to throw tot he forum:
The Wombles and quality TV in general (coronation street for example, now im not cool with soaps but have tollerated it in the name of keeping the peace and come to 'like' it, much like 'Adventure Time' and 'The Regular Show') - hmmm...drug of the nation ! just realised the error of my ways...........arse!
Tea (even though it's not English) - maybe it shold be the act of drinking tea ?
Cricket and football - even though everyone else get better than us at it.
Bottom Jokes, especially farting
A ruling Monarchy (note that I didnt specify anyone, although my favourite is Egbart - he had a cool name)
We do seem to be quite good at fighting - is that Dudely ? I think we have always done it in defence to be fair, so maybe so !?
Did I miss the boat here ? it's been such a long thread, it is cool to bring up randoms from the bygon thread pasts, isnt it ?
...eDude
Quote from: TheOlivant on June 15, 2011, 07:52:01 AM
Did I miss the boat here ? it's been such a long thread, it is cool to bring up randoms from the bygon thread pasts, isnt it ?
...eDude
Fuckin' a yeah, dude. When we say "any rug in the place dude" we mean any rug in the place dude. Welcome to our nice quiet beach community dude.
This is where I would say "any rug in the place dude", but I see you already found one!
Have at it dude. 8)
I'm keen to get involved in this, i'm from Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk in England which is pretty dudey.
I'll read through the thread later today when I have time, and begin from there :)
x
First article that will at some point merge into the Dudarchy in the UK project: http://dudespaper.com/when-in-york.html/
After 18 months... it's going somewhere?? Slowly, so sweetly slowly :)
That article was pretty rad :)
Well if you ever wished to visit Bury St. Edmunds then i'm sure myself and my fellow dudes will welcome you! It's quite a dudely place, not to mention that it is the home of Greene King with many many pubs, and has a higher percentage of alcohol purchase than the rest of the UK!
It also has a pretty chilled out place called The Abbey Gardens which is based in the ruins of the old monastery, where people like to hang out and spend their days chilling in the sun. Can't go wrong there.
x
Ah, Bury St. Edmonds.... or as it once came up in a pub quiz as the answer to the cryptic clue: "Interred Holy Blackadders".
I got that one, the one that I can't believe I missed was: "Plate still full". Answer.... Nuneaton! Gah! :D
Dang, it's been a while since I tried to kickstart this thing... *rubs temples with the mantra "die beat, die!"* Thanks, btw, to TheOlivant for your contribution there, sorry it got missed in my forum-blind haze, just read it and smiled :) Haha, farting!
The monarchy point is a good one, because I did want to cover it during the Dudarchy thing (which is looking like it mind end up being a column, rather than a large multi-page article, the way things are panning out, and with the York article up and running).
The monarchy is certainly a pretty undude in general, but without babbling, I will say one thing in its defence: I did cover what the Levellers did for the dudely state of play in the UK, but the sad thing was that they did pave the way for Cromwell, the history's most infamous super-puritan, who ruled England with a cast-iron fist until his death, paving the way for the monarchy to return with a bang in the form of the Reformation. After Cromwell's ban on all things ungodly, including the theatre and all forms of singing, the newly rebuilt and now once again Catholic monarchy sparked a short era of partying and pissing about to spite those Puritan ideals for generations and leave a lot of dudely glee across the land.
Alas, this is a drop in the ocean compared to the overwhelming tyranny and nobheadedness of the monarchies we've had, but, isn't that always the case? :)
That's fucking interesting man.
Any thoughts about establishing a separate Dudeism UK branch-off site or something likewise. Just somewhere for the UK dudes to establish all this information, to help the "Grand Old Dude of York" promote Dudestock, etc.
Just an idea man.
Quote from: ThatEnglishDude on August 26, 2011, 03:39:48 PM
That's fucking interesting man.
Any thoughts about establishing a separate Dudeism UK branch-off site or something likewise. Just somewhere for the UK dudes to establish all this information, to help the "Grand Old Dude of York" promote Dudestock, etc.
Just an idea man.
Well, there is a "Dudes UK" facebook group, which at the moment is mostly Mother Duderior posting jokes and random crap, but, y'know... :)
I love these lazy Saturday's at work...
So, what's going on the in UK today? Anything important? Oh, wait, of course there is... Football, Rugby and the return of Doctor Who! Oh, wait, I was looking for important things :P
Sport is a very British obsession, and lord knows we've invented enough of the buggers. But, as has often been raised, is so dudely about sport anyway? Well, we always look to find dudely activities and sports and I think we have a general agreement about most of them.
Football, as we've already covered in this thread, is not one of them. Often dubbed "the beautiful game" by all truly souless meatheads ;) football is mired in hooliganism, greed, corruption, on-pitch violence, farce and fame-seeking man-children. What a waste of money and a Saturday afternoon, if you ask me!
Rugby (or rugger, depending on how posh you are) is a great British staple adopted by counties such as France, Italy, Austria and South Africa... and not many other people. The forerunner of American Football, and a game for big, rugged men who are built like brick shithouses and have the faces of bareknucle boxers, it's not a game for the fainthearted. Rugby, unlike its more popular cousin, football, isn't often as badly publicised and maligned by general social critics (such as myself). The problem is, where football is the sport of the common man, rugby is often a more middle-class sport played by a certain type of gent (you know the ones I'm talking about, the chummy-chums who want to be toffs but don't have the breeding, but still like to coin the phrase "ya" when standing in a quiet country pub in their rugger shirt), and I'm stereotyping greatly there. As such, it's seen as somewhat elitist, as well as more violent and physically demanding that almost any other sport in the world (apart from maybe the tooth-looseningly violent game of ice-hockey).
Cricket. Ah, now, that is a true gentleman's sport. A game meant to be played with gentle ease and topnotch sportsmanship. A game where you are get dressed up in whites and meander out onto the green at the local cricket club on a sunny Sunday afternoon for a bit of standing around and saying "oh, I say" and "good show!". I do love the idea of cricket, I'm just not any good at it, and I find it dull to watch on TV. That being said, I'd love to watch it properly, lazing in a deckchair (the outdoor recliner) on the side of the pitch, in the shade of a willow tree, with my straw boater over my eyes and a glass of pimms nestled between my ankles, with a wasp swimming in it. Ahh, that's the way to watch sport!
An interesting take on cricket can be found by Rev Scott Oliver at the following link: http://dudespaper.com/the-big-lebowski-and-cricket.html/
Hockey. Ah, yes, a sport I actually wasn't completely shit at! Mostly because I was great at getting in the way, a good trait for a defender. Now, we're not talking ice hockey, or street hockey, this is field hockey, the original and best (not least because it's usually seen as a woman's sport and has a uniform consisting of short skirts and long sock... ding dong!). Ah, the majesty of the Indian dribble and grace of running down field and slipping the ball over the short-cut grass and into the opposition goal. Sadly, all my experiences with hockey were on hardcourts... gravelly hardcourts, where getting a sturdy wooden hockey stick in the face or shin will put you in a heap on the ground where tiny stones will immediately jump towards your open wounds... thankfully, my dudely sense of cowardice kept me from getting injured myself, but... hmm, i think we'll scratch that as a good dudely sport, shall we?
So, what is the best sport the British have invented?
Could it, crown green bowling? Also known as bowls? I'd certainly say it beats its french cousin boules (where they use metal balls and toss the thing and make nasty dents in a chap's lawn), and lambaste compeer croquet, where the the rules are mostly unknown and so people just whack the ball about with the mallet until some sense of satisfaction of it going through the metal hoops enough times has been achieved.
Bowls is a gentle, elegant sport that brings together the zen of bowling, the accuracy and focus of darts (and all without a pint of lager in your hand) and the outdoor goodness of cricket. Once again, a good, comfortable set of whites and a sun-blocking white floppy hat are all in good stead.
The idea of bowls is to roll your balls gently and accurately down the green to rest by the "jack", the little white ball which is initially rolled out as a marker for the game. Each player takes turns to land their balls as close to the jack as they can, with a little gentle competition by tapping the opponent's ball out of the way or nudging in closer yourself, or even knocking the jack's position to suit yourself. All done with good grace and manners. That is, unless you play like Paul Kay, who starred in the excellent film Black Ball http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackball_%28film%29 where he plays the bad-boy, hotshot maverick of bowls who attempts to light a fire under the stale and crusty arses of the old fuddy-duddies who rule the world of professional bowls.
Yes, I'd much rather spend this afternoon watching a good bowls match than having to listen to the yelling and cheering and jeering and disappointment that's attached to the avid fans of footy and rugger. I won't deny people these pleasures, but, by jingo, I'd love a good game of bowls to mellow out the sporting giants of the weekend!
What-ho!
Since aquiring the Kindle and subscribing to the Guardian/Observer on it, reading the newspaper each day is becoming like crack to me. Now, let's not get bogged down in a long rant about the Murdoch empire and phonehacking, that's just too... too depressing to relive right now.
Instead, here is one of my favourite artciles of the last few weeks, that appeared in the Observer, by Henry Porter, detailing a very British way of enjoying the simple things in life. It really does smack of dudarchy :)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/aug/07/henry-porter-perfect-holiday?INTCMP=SRCH
You know, I think this is a damned shame, and I am actually ashamed to be British when I hear the sentiments that are bandied about in times of crisis when holidaymaker's travel plans are affected. Awwwwww, diddums!
At this present moment there is a rather large and nasty hurricane storming up the USA's east coast, and last I heard a total of six lives have been lost and thousands of homes are under assault from this terrible natural disaster. So what's the reaction from Brits abroad?
"This is unacceptable, I have to be home tomorrow for [insert bullshit reason here]".
This happened twice in the past few years as well. Most recently with the Iceland volcano eruptions and before than in Thailand during the political upheaval. The common lack of compassion and understanding, I believe, comes from the modern sense of entitlement that's now inherent in most of the population.
"I paid for this holiday so i should be allowed to go there in spite of a massive earthquake that's killed hundreds of johnny foreigners who shouldn't be living there anyway if it's so dangerous. I want to be sitting on the beach being a jetsetting prick." I'm not sure that's a direct quote, but it's what I hear ;D
The attitude in my house is that if things go awry, you get over it. It's just one of those things. We had a bugger of a journey to York back in June, but it's hard to really get uptight and throw around blame to make yourself feel better when you're aware it's down to an accident on the motorway, isn't it? It's an accident, not a personal attack, these things happen.
Likewise, if I was trapped in or out of the US at the moment I'd be grateful I wasn't flying through that hurricane, and I'd feel a deeper sympathy for the people whose homes are being assaulted by the fury of the elements right now, not looking to find who I can sue to get my hotel costs refunded!
You make big plans that have no wriggle room of space for maneuver, you roll the dice you take your chance. Surely if your son booked a holiday with plans to return on the day before he starts at university, your son's only got himself to blame, if anyone (why not just say "oh fuck, never mind"?) for planning things around such uncertainties of the universe without space to breathe in the face of such upsets?
The thing these days is all about entitlement and blame. "I'm entitled and if I don't get someone's to blame... and as such I'm entitled to compensation!"
Get a grip, take some perspective and admit, shit happens, sometimes there's no one to blame, and in this universe you're not entitled to jack, you have to either earn it or make it yourself.
And, for gods' sake, have some sympathy for those less fortunate in times of disaster, willya? My thoughts are with the people currently under attack by Hurricane Irene at this time. Hang in there, dudes!
A snippet of good articles from my weekend papers that I think have some baring on Dudearchy in the UK.
An insight into the family life of great British dude, Bill Bailey:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/aug/27/bill-bailey-my-family-values?INTCMP=SRCH
Americans may often hang ten in style and cool, but this is how us Brits get on with surfing :P
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/aug/26/tim-dowling-surfing-cornwall
David Mitchell lets us know why it's better to laugh about Hitler than the less dudely alternative:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/aug/28/hitler-madame-tussauds-david-mitchell?INTCMP=SRCH
Has it really been almost 4 months since I did that talking to myself thing? :o
I was wondering what the opinion was on the rather undudely nature of David Cameron's recent attempt to shatter our relations with Europe and create disharmony in the EU?
The fact that he's taken steps that even Thatcher balked at is quite frightening. Thatcher was happy to stay in Europe, and Major helped forge the Maastricht Treaty.
But who's one of the most famous Conservative PMs in history? What did Winston Churchill think about Europe? "We must build a kind of United States of Europe" he said in Zurich, in 1946.
Isolationism is very undude. Afterall, in the world of Star Trek, the future of Earth is one big Utopian country, not tiny, factious nations holding grudges and sniping across the borders (both real and political).
And, if Britain leaves the EU, and Scotland leave Britian, it's said that Scotland will go straight for the EU. Aren't we effectively shutting out Europe and casting off Scotland at the same time?
Major disharmony, wouldn't you say? :/
Man shut up with politics shit!!!, talk about dude stuff!!, fucking hell, BORING'!!!!!!!!! Go be a politician and stop boring us with this shit!!!!!!!
Quote from: tiem on December 15, 2011, 09:39:32 AM
Man shut up with politics shit!!!, talk about dude stuff!!, fucking hell, BORING'!!!!!!!!! Go be a politician and stop boring us with this shit!!!!!!!
Read the whole thread, or contribute something yourself.
Check the attitude at the door. Chill man 8)
C'mon Rev. Tiem, could you just take it a little bit easier? Also there are hundreds other threads to follow man. Let's chill a little. 8)
Rev. Ed, sorry but I haven't read all the thread, I did it in the past but now I forgot it and it's a bit long, anyway let me add a couple of things.
First rugby is a cool sport, especially the third time, if the nomenclature is correct, when both teams and supporters have lunch together. That's pretty dudeish, imdo. And they use a ball, even if not a bowling ball. But I can understand your preference for bowls, which is shared by many Italians especially at the beach or at picnics. Darts are pretty cool too.
As for Mr. Cameron, he did the right thing. That is he said "this is not in the interest of UK". And this is his duty, to do what is in the interest of UK. While everyone around Europe bends at 90?toward Bruxells he said no thanks. I know that he might have done it to please UK banks but I think UK should stay as it is now. Europe is collapsing and the euro is going the road of the old russian currency. We in Italy have a Prime Minister who being a man of the banks and a fellow of Bilderberg group made the Save Italy financial plan which is going to kill Italy's economy and empty common citizens pockets. We are just a step away from Greece and democracy is just an empty word.
His solution to reduce italian public debt in a broken economy has been to raise taxes instead of cutting privileges, public expenses and inefficiencies. Raise taxes, a three yo child would have found the same solution, and without a 25.000 euros salary.
Believe me, Cameron saved the UK economy, and don't worry about Scots, Europe will have collapsed before they can join it.
Quote from: Andrea Da Fino on December 15, 2011, 12:46:20 PM
Believe me, Cameron saved the UK economy, and don't worry about Scots, Europe will have collapsed before they can join it.
You cynical old bastard :P Maybe... time will tell. Most of us here are just worried that he passed on one thing in our interested and ignored the big picture.
Ho-hum!
And you play bowls in Italy? I did not know that :)
Well, at least this wasn't a Blog today and someone else put something into the opinion pot. Dudos! :D
QuoteMan shut up with politics shit!!!, talk about dude stuff!!, fucking hell, BORING'!!!!!!!!! Go be a politician and stop boring us with this shit!!!!!!!
All those exclamation marks? That's a sign of something or other!
Take it easy Rev Tiem there's no need for this unchecked aggression. The Dudearchy in the UK thread is for all things British (and also a place for Ed to talk to himself out loud until we decide to humour him) ;)
Go read some other topic if this upsets you or better still start your own thread dude.
And as for your post Reverend Ed... I think I agree with you...my immediate reaction when I heard what Cameron had done was "oh shit we've just been isolated"
Ahh we're all fucked anyhoo....lets crack open an oat soda or two before we can't afford it any more!
Peace
Cameron seems to be confusing the uk with the financial city of London as usual.
And as for scotland, salmond is under the delusion that the oil industry will keep Scotland afloat, which it doesn't now.
Ed, keep on venting that spleen man. It makes for good reading and no doubt keeps you sane.
Quote from: milnie on December 15, 2011, 05:38:52 PM
Ed, keep on venting that spleen man. It makes for good reading and no doubt keeps you sane.
Quote from: Caesar dude on December 15, 2011, 04:02:11 PM
The Dudearchy in the UK thread is for all things British (and also a place for Ed to talk to himself out loud until we decide to humour him) ;)
Aww, you all know me too well ;D
Now I just need to start formulating something that's in line with the ideas in my first post, and we might have an article ready to kick this project into life! :)
Just read back to the first post I made (almost 2 years ago... this has been a long stream of consciousness for me :P), and realised, when calling for GBDs (Great British Dudes) and asking for nominations for female Brits... I managed to omit my hometown area's only two local celebrities:
The late, great Linda Smith, and internationally renowned Kate Bush.
Linda Smith - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linda_Smith_(comedian) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linda_Smith_(comedian))
Comedian, socialist, activist and president of the British Humanist Association. The only person to ever say anything noteworthy of my parent's hometown of Erith: "I'm from Erith. We're not twinned with anywhere, but we do have a suicide pact with Dagenham". Beloved TV and radio personality with a gentle wit.
Kate Bush - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kate_Bush (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kate_Bush)
Groundbreaking musician/singer-songwriter, feminist icon and someone who took a career break of over a decade to dedicate to raising her son. Her style has influenced so many music acts on both sides of the Atlantic from Tori Amos to Florence and the Machine. Her decision to take creative control of all her albums and shun the stress of touring made her a bastion of Independence in an often subjugated profession, bowing out of the corporate and commercial game. Often cited for the poetic sexual content of her lyrics she's definitely got a strongly vaginal thing going on :)
Also, in her video for her single Experiment IV we saw the first televisual appearance of fellow GBD Hugh Laurie.
Two unique, intelligent, gentle souls. Definitely proof that I'm not the best example of Dudely to come out of Bexley (thank gods for that!) ;D
Kate Bush rocks! 8) And as a general rule I fucking love UK and Scotland, and probably also Wales and all those islands around, even if I haven't been there yet. Just London and Edimburgh. 8)
Quote from: Andrea Da Fino on December 16, 2011, 06:30:30 AM
Kate Bush rocks! 8) And as a general rule I fucking love UK and Scotland, and probably also Wales and all those islands around, even if I haven't been there yet. Just London and Edimburgh. 8)
My special lady would love to go to Italy... although I'm a little wary of the Mediteranean climate. If I can find a time of year when the temperature is around only 20degrees, I might consider paying your great country a visit :D
ps, when are we going to see some of your Dudeismo site turn into a project like this, so all us ignorant English-speakers can learn about how Dudely Italy is?
*the sound of hints hitting the floor* ;)
A wiser fella than me once saId "sometimes talking to yourself is the only intelligent conversation you can get."
Then you should come on May or October. This year on June we got to 35? on June and 40? on July, August and September. Fucking hot.
You mean adding a forum? ;D
Am I posting a lot today? Maybe it's slow here at work, in the last few days of my current assignment... back on the employment scrapheap again for a while until the agency get a move on!
So, what's going on in the UK jobs market? Seems not much, from my perspective. Been three and a half years since I was made redundant and I've been skipping in and out of the wilderness.
But is this lack of stability a good thing? Am I being kept on my toes, or is the lack of a routine and some guarantees in my life wearing away at my dudeliness?
I wrote some time back an article about liferoads, and taking a walk from the road most travelled being a good thing. Although I don't feel so safe wandering down these backroads at the moment. I feel like Old Man Life is about to jump out and mug me. I've been abiding with it as best I can for the duration, but now I'm thinking the biggest change would be to get a stable job. A change from a change is as good as taking a rest from resting... or something like that ???
I think part of Dudeism might be making the best of what you've got. It's not my ideal situation, but like I said, it gives me a change to swap things over and change things around one in a while. Mixing it up, as they say :)
I've had long times out of work, times in one-day assignments and a couple of good multi-month placements. I've also had the worst and most bizarre work experience of my life that killed my social life, beat the shit out of my home life/relationship and worked over my health something chronic. But those are all experiences I treasure, even if some of them I wish never to repeat. It's a learning experience. Someone in this office told me last week "You never really appreciate any job until you've had one that really properly screws up your life". A wise fella indeed!
So, although I'm greatly saddened to be forced out of this place I've grown to love in just 8 weeks, I guess I'll move on and learn to abide with whatever comes next. Whether it's more months at home, or into a new temporary position, I think I feel better equipped to abide with whatever comes my way.
Here's to another year of doom and gloom in the UK job market!
8)
Well, I'm becoming a bit tired of being unemployed and having to jump like a monkey for some clams. I'm seriously thinking about raising bees as beside making beer it seems to me one of the dudest job around. But also I'm going to seriously learn how to cut grapes as where I live there are many wine makers and it should open the doors to some work and a bit of money this Spring.
Then when I'll become rich I'll open a private lake for fishing if I'm able to find a cheap one. Well, this is far in the future. You know, in the agriculture usually small farmers never get rich but at least they have always food to eat. 8)
Quote from: Andrea Da Fino on January 09, 2012, 05:41:39 AM
Well, I'm becoming a bit tired of being unemployed and having to jump like a monkey for some clams. I'm seriously thinking about raising bees as beside making beer it seems to me one of the dudest job around. But also I'm going to seriously learn how to cut grapes as where I live there are many wine makers and it should open the doors to some work and a bit of money this Spring.
Then when I'll become rich I'll open a private lake for fishing if I'm able to find a cheap one. Well, this is far in the future. You know, in the agriculture usually small farmers never get rich but at least they have always food to eat. 8)
Gotta love the simple life, man! :)
I myself adopted my first bonsai tree yesterday. He's a beautiful 4-year-old Ligustrum. A little drop of natural, zesty zen in my daily life :D
Mist, water, mist...
Fucking eh!
I reckon where I live (falmouth uk) has some dudely qualities. A bowling alley, (though NO KALUHA!!), good places to eat/drink ( I can recommended a few) and hang out, eg parks, woods, beaches, a couple of local brewery's, live music venues etc. Transport links are pretty good, shops cater for most things, though you would have to venture further for some (eg head shop), but on the whole, it suits me and nowhere is perfect.
I will add, that if you want to get a job, sir, with the current market, the south west of the UK, is not good. As for the community, racially pretty cool, there's something for everyone, there is a good pace of life down here, unlike a city, which I like.
I do however think that those fucks in governmental league office could do better as far as housing is concerned, there are alot of second home owners in this part of the UK which makes it hard for young people leaving university etc.
For a county whose main income is tourism, it's ok, other industry such as mining and commercial fishing has been on the decline for years, so I prefer to shop local, support local farmers/businesses and organisations. Cornwall is a beautiful place to live, with an amazing landscape and a rich cultural heritage, I'm not sure I'd want to be anywhere else.