The 11th hour of power

If you know me you'll probably know that I'm  not a total politics-phile. But I like to have a gander at it once in a while. Last night I was reading through a few articles for my literature review for my FYP not really watching the TV which my homie Mike had on the 11th hour. It's coming up to election time so it's a little easier to inflict the torture of such bullshit on one's self for the moment.

They'd a panel of Irish guys, I didn't know any of them. I assume they were economists or in politics. Anyway this table of panelists were chatting about where you'd find Irish people abroad these days, where we fit in society. Pretty interesting point and he's saying how you'll find us right in the middle ranks, never at the top (the Americans) never at the bottom (the Czechs, he said), right in the middle. Then one of them goes (no bullshit here), 'at the bar'. To which this genius and the rest of the panelists all broke their shits laughing.

Now I'm not saying that these shows could do without some change of perspective to make them a little less mind numbingly boring to watch, nor am I saying that the people on them shouldn't be down to earth normal people at the end of the day. But I just don't know what to make of this, the kind of humor you'd expect to hear from a bunch of drunk retards(myself at times) in the bar at the end of the night. These are the same people who are going to be shocked over the coming year or two by the amount of graduates who'll emigrate.  Two points struck me when I saw this.

Firstly that these guys are so removed from the reality of the car crash economy we're now in that their minds are free to wander from the topic of discussion to a happier time(last Friday night when Jimmy said to Decky how you'll find Brian Cowan in the Irish bar in Malacca next year). And secondly that these guys don't belong on TV. I mean if you're not clever enough to make the kind of neutral humor(that can still be hilarious) that's typical of economy shows, or even the type of humor that's points out a huge irony but makes an important point then stay off the airwaves.

I'm bitching here, and I'm sure there's a throng of old men throughout the country who had a chuckle at it. I just thought it was pathetic. And felt like putting it into words.

Check out the episode yourself and decide. The quote I'm on about is at the 15 minute mark.

http://www.rte.ie/player/#v=1091258

Garion out