What makes us tick? Find out by prodding it with a big stick. Blogs about consciousness, archetypes, philosophy, Jesus and Paul—I mean, even super heroes! It's an illness.
Ugh, mate. Where do you even begin? With the fact that debates aren't usually rapid fire responces? Come on, questions need more than a forty five second TIME LIMIT!? Rishi, why are you cutting disabled peoples PIP, you ****?! Maybe we'll begin with that weird popularity-gameshow-feel? It could have been aptly called 'Don't get booed!' It knobbled any real meaningful exchange—great thinking, itv! Public discourse is an outlet and they're supposed to be a grand showcase of political excellence, flirting their grand ideas to the masses, that's right, isn't it?
This is like watching a telly debate
This supposed itv debate was a real chance to show my family what the Keir Starmer was really about with regard to all the important issues. Yep, his father was a nurse or some b*****ks, and his mother made tools. That was most of it, well, unless you count his anti-Tory, parliamentary programmed polemics, which was no more than stating the bleeding obvious that the country is ****. Such dystopia to come!
First off, can we acknowledge that CONSTANT interruptions need to change? It was a bit of a one way assault from a terrified Tory—noisy, rude, with scare tactics, my face rarely left my palm. Sir Keir had no bite, like Stallone in one of those old Rocky films where the dude isn't fighting back. Rishi, playing the angry posh kid did whatever he could to get his way. Neither party had a chance to properly explain anything and the moderator was a news reader—did itv let her do a news report on herself?
We shouldn't forget the dodgy facts. Look, everyone has different viewpoints, but straight off bull***t shouldn't be allowed in these debates, we used to have fact checkers but that's clearly gone. Don't you think a candidate should be dishonourably disqualified if they lie or twist the truth?
It may appear that I'm saying televised debates are a complete waste of time, because I am, quite frankly. They're about as informative as a hayes mini cooper manual for fitting a kitchen. As this is my blog, I have a responsibility to call out for some kind of meaty, proper lengthy debate—maybe a Netflix or YouTube event would do it justice because itv are sporting a no frills value lettuce.
British Gameshow Erotica: Exploiting Our Obsession with Seedy TV
6 to 7 min read
Naked Attraction isn't the same as watching Baywatch for the first time as a kid in the Nineties. It's a bare-all bonanza of boobs, balls, butts with banter, bringing a buffet of bulging bits binding Brits to their boxes with a barrage of bewitching bodies!
Curiosity Served Raw:
In a genuine Naked Attraction world would be strange; everyone's nude and everyone primarily remembers you because of your peculiarities, everyone will know a Fiona Floppy Flaps or Donkey Dick Dave. The selling point is the gradual process of unveiling, which in such a real world, might reflected or portrayed as the slow and gradual build up to the person? Objectification is why the contestants break up; this fact is ongoing proof in every episode. The pseudoscientific 'sex facts' add another layer of comedy just like 'Open House', because of it's so-called cutting edge-ucation. Naked Attraction as a world would be very silly.
Desire for Meat?
As a TV show, the raw physical presence on the live meat market is positively dissected and judged by contestants who might make you tilt your head. The unconventional format does not stop the laughable predictability of who a contestant might pick. It's supposed to entice our innate animalistic desire to attract a mate, but please, forgive my ignorance; I only half watch it in the background while I write these blogs or draw silly cartoons, I can tell what they want. It's like being a candle in the dark for the self-loving nympho contestants. The internet is rife with direct, intravenous filth, so why do we bother watching this drivel?
The Comparison Game
Let's face it, there's a weird kind of voyeurism involved in these shows. A lot women find it hilarious, there are men, like me, rooting for mr micro to get picked. No, it's never cocktail sausage Colin, but always a confident dullard with a gargantuan horse size monstrosity, penduluming in-between his knees, hypnotising the contestants and viewers alike. We tune-in and might end up comparing ourselves or gawping at the madness of it, have a giggle at the weird and wonderful. Some people – all ages included – do like to oggle, others prefer erotic paperbacks, or possibly google image results of Anne Widdecombe. We have imagined regressing back to when our primary sex organs defined our breeding outcomes? Another mesolithic period?! The chosen get fed, clubbed and dragged into a cheap hotel/cave.
British Smut: Laugh Out Loud, But Also Think It Through
How they turn every flirtatious moment into a punchline feels somewhat like putting tomato ketchup on a delicious steak—yeah, it'll get a laugh, but it diminishes the succulent flavour. Countless people profess that good sex involves a connection; a little fornication is fine, but to see it reduced to saucy puns and risqué humour for eleven seasons is tiring, don't you reckon? Try something new, they could all take turns in a big white cube to prove how good they are at shagging or make the presenter do her job dressed like gimp Madonna's tit suit—Richardson never has a go!
The Whole Thing Failed Anyway!
Yeah, duh, Naked Attraction doesn't prioritize the forging of enduring bonds. No, because is about tits and cocks and cheap tv ratings. The media haven't celebrated any marriages between previous contestants who chose one another because they only hook up for a jump. Unbelievable how the experiment failed.
Normal Attraction Coming Soon!
Does the constant barrage of vulgarity, boasting, shock tactics, and euphemisms all overshadow the unseen reality of the beauty of great relationships? Yes. If Naked Attraction has failed, would that mean regular, everyday attraction has won? No.
Naked Wisdom
Is it healthy watching it with your wife? Is it good for couples? Are we now mindless consumers? Certainly not. I'm quite the detective: 'Ha! That woman who hates high pitched men just said she doesn't go for big todgers. . . she just rejected the baby-dick with the deep voice,'
My better half: 'So, what?'
Me: 'So, duh, she'll either pick average Joe five incher or that fucking Leviathan cock who talks like Joe Pasquale!'
'Look, stop, you gotta. . . listen, not all women are bothered about penis size!'
'She just picked hung helium Harry, you're all bloody dark horses!'
The Hidden Truth Behind Jesus' Disappearance: Was His Body Stolen?
When truth is shrouded in legend and theology, we have to hypothesize. We should always ask questions.
5 to 7 min read
What headline is more plausible? An executed agitator has been raised from the dead, or a group of devoted followers stole the body of their leader today, some speculate it was to continue the movement?
The Dogma vs The Reality
This topic is relevant to me because of the dissonance I see in my specific family members entrenched in irrational belief. We can throw common sense out the window especially to accommodate biblical perspectives we want to be accurate. This is forcing a square peg through a round hole.
Thick books with stained glass windows, written by evangelical authors sit on shelves, spelling out biased arguments for occurances we can't prove, like, 'The Empty Tomb: Was Jesus Resurrected?' The focus is on an out of reach conclusion. Though, We have no proof there was a tomb in the first place, or that it was ever empty.
The impossibility of any resurrection is never enough to break these paranormal beliefs. They are still taught in universities as academic and scholarly disciplines. Of course Right from the onset thete has been Jewish polemic has claimed Jesus was not even crucified adding that that his body was taken—this is often reduced in favour of the non-Jewish biblical sources who lacked the history. Indeed, yes, we all have our flat-earthers, don't we? But still:
Matthew (28:11-15) has High Priests instructing guards to spread the story that 'His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.'
The Critical View: Motive, Means, and Opportunity
The core argument against the literal resurrection is a simple one:
a) Sedition and Display: In reality, people found guilty of committing sedition against Rome would have been left on the cross as a gruesome example. Governor Pontius Pilate would have had every reason to leave the corpse on public display.
b) The Follower's Motive: The crucifixion was a major blow that crushed the movement. The movement was only important if the teacher was still relevant to its prophecy. Apostles had every motive to retrieve Jesus's body to deny the death, continue the myth, grow the faith, and establish a footing.
A Common Myth
Critical Scholar John Dominic Crossan, noted that resurrection stories were common in that time. This wasn't a unique idea. Followers had the means, motive, and opportunity to pull it off.
When challenged with the common retort, 'Why risk death for something you know to be untrue?' The answer is clear: they were risking death for the continuation of their movement and their version of truth shaped by Torah scripture and Messianic logic.
A high-stakes agitator
Jesus was another Galilean miracle worker who sprang up to impress crowds, much like others before him. Snippets of his theo-political teachings emerged. Don't forget, he was anointed by an important man, the Baptist. Jesus was charismatic, apocalyptic and a prophet-like leader. With his apostles, he sought to change the oppressive religious establishment, with claims of God coming to Judge the wicked within their generation.
He argued with the Sanhedrin: Pharisee and Sadducee, before he was captured and executed. His prophecies were over. Killed in order to save Jews from Roman swords. Disbelief, shock. I'm simply saying it follows: his closest circle could have swiped the body, solidified the myth, and evolved.
Conclusion: Questions are the Answers
This challenges the heart of Christianity, but things have to be challenged—it's how we uncover the truth.
We can agree that Jesus was resurrected as a concept—an idea that attracted faith toward the Jerusalem Church which his brother, James, headed for decades later. Bodies don't get up and walk off. Come on, 'The Walking Dead' really?
However, it may never have fell from cross decomposed, if you choose to discard Gospel accounts altogether. We don't actually know for sure, but ressurrection really is not a good case.
Feeling Down? Well, if You're in the UK That Makes Sense: The UK Mental Wellbeing Ranking Has Fallen!
Well isn't this a cheery post?
5 min read
Let's face it, life here in the UK isn't always sunshine and beer gardens. A recent study ranked us second to last in terms of mental wellbeing—ahhh! But before you book a one-way ticket to Benedorm, there's more to this...
The Telegraph points to a few possible culprits we could blame for these collective blues. One big finger points to the internet and social media with its constant barrage of negativity and unrealistic portrayals of perfection. It aided the economic woes that put retail mostly online, providing many thriving towns into empty building projects and charity shop high streets! That's before we even get into culture wars, and wokism. It looks like we're turning more stupid!
A national digitised national echo chamber, teeming with screen addicts, who, on average, now spend less time making the bacon and more time eating it, and then chatting to AI. Mine's called Linda. Now we're only months into a new Labour government and it's stupid on turbo-drive!
What new archetypes and identities will arrive soon, digisexual, typophiles? But, come on! we do have a glimmer of hope! We do have regions that actually smashed the ball out of the happiness arena. What should we do to improve our national mood? Well, according to the data, we should simply be wealthy. Sign me up!
Well. . . we all have our own ideas on how we can be happier, I'm not a community action type of person, and I take pleasure in my self-gratifying dry, grumpy humour. Spending too much time in our so-called happy regions could tip me over the edge. So ask yourselves, how happy are most of us, as Brits, when we are complaining online, or smashing ideas we think are ludicrous?
I strive for total disconnection from my community—my house is my castle to keep people out. Perhaps, this happiness study might have to redefine key British notions of happiness, because we are quite unique? We are all characters here, even if a few of us are a little bit tapped.
Our weird irony and paradoxical ways extends to the pleasure in dealing in misery, look what we voted for in 2010 and the drivel we watch on television! This recent research should conclude we are quite well and good with our own special happiness, thank you very much, but nah.
Share and leave a comment, it'll be nice to know your thoughts!
Should We Replace the Collective Term 'Personality Disorder' With Something Less Harsh?
7 min read
Years ago, when I was a student mental health nurse, I wrote an article for an NHS magazine called Mental Health Practice. It was an opinion piece, reflecting on how careful we should be when labelling a condition as a personality disorder, because, the meaning carries connotations directed at one's sense of identity. It is counter-intuitive given how invalidation itself significantly impacts on people living with these diagnoses. The name of this condition acts like an ongoing trigger of the condition: We can, for example, argue, that borderline personality disorder, alone, is infact, confining a person to their disorder.
When a trained psychiatrist labels someone, and, someone who (like everyone) will have their own personality, will feel an unkind impact. Immediately, upon diagnosis, their personality is sort of stamped 'out of order,' you could expect a person might feel frazzled or marginalised, because a trusted source delivered such news. In contrast, it's a bit like the clergy saying your soul is evil, your teacher saying that you're thick. Imagination can take the freshly diagnosed individual to a few unkind places.
Alternatives
How? Such terms reject, ignore and can reduce a persons lived experience. I previously identified this as a type of invalidation, a significant thorn in the side of people with problems of which they seek help. We could rename the whole personality disorder umbrella term, using something more fitting, like 'Ingrained Behaviour Pattern' for instance. I wrote this magazine article in a time of active stigma against these particular clusters of conditions. I am unsure if much has changed.
From the magazine:
'IT WOULD be awful to be told that you have a personality disorder. Imagine coming home from seeing your psychiatrist and thinking to yourself: ‘Am I disorderly or is my personality out of order?’' Mental Health Practice.
Are my views the same now? Have I changed my mind?
To answer this the way I feel I need to, I might have to go off on one! So imagine a sun-touched golden haired surfer, paddling her solid surfboard in the blue cool sea. Without recognition of what water is, nor any grasp of the concept of swimming, a shark could swim through the water and bite hard into the board crushing it with it's powerful jaws. Mechanised and cold, not one ethical thought of doubt crossing it's mind, no fear of spiritual consequence; the clockwork dynamics of reality simply playing out. It's the multifactored determinants of our world that drove the genetic evolution of that shark.
Human Minds, Bodies, and Awareness
Modern sharks instinctively swim, hunt and eat as a consequence of evolution. The natural world, has made many creatures like bio-organic robots. Even our lives are dominated by biological pullies and cogs, and even much of our human conduct is chemically triggered: Grehlin and leptin regulate our desire to eat and to stop eating. Melatonin and adenosine make us tired, cortisol makes us more hypervigilant, do you see where I'm going?
We often describe sharks with vocabulary rich with soulless words, like cold, spiritless monster, we call them the perfect hunters and killing machines. Yet, we cannot for a second see ourselves that way, because, self-evidently, axiomatically, we experience and articulate being alive! Bollocks to a shark.
I see myself as the awareness of a human, not just the human itself. Fancy myself as a bit of a mystic, but still, I honestly know I'm a bit of a shaven wookie, a Homer Simpson. The human animal is just as mechanical as the shark. Phenomenal consciousness within any form will vary: we can't know the sharkness of a shark any better than the shark would grasp the meaning of the German word for shark! Hai.
What's this got to do with Personality Disorders?
It has everything to do with personality disorders because we humans defied the laws of the natural world by denying our own physical instincts full control over us, we developed reason, logic and most of all discipline. Today, we are liberated, resulting with our awareness of what a 'person,' is, from the word 'persona' meaning mask, to appreciate that social etiquette or conduct has become personality. The etymology and development of personality is social, pertaining to conduct and assimilation.
From a Spiritual Perspective
It's a mistake to assume your personality is you, rather than your mask or social presentation. This persona is comprised of aspects of the mind, and one's own physical attributes, (namely genetics). Psychiatry should be looking at concepts surrounding social assimilation and ingrained behaviours not highlighting a faulty personality.
How we see Ourselves and Others
In all thinking creatures, lots of well organised braincells enable higher processing. This means the performance of certain tasks; unlike humans, copious olfactory neurons give dogs their superior sense of smell; sharks can detect blood from miles away. As we humans evolved; developing reason, morals, and our arts and sciences, we suffered for it.
Our Complicated Nature
We realised the harsh realities surrounding death on an intellectual level. We knew mourning, and grasped impermanence, existensialist fear and still sugar-coat it. Of course, we avoid such things, pleasure seeking behaviours and comfort take pride of place.
Unlike snakes, sharks and chickens who are unburdened of the finite implications of non-being, no evidence shows all animals wrestling with nihilistic trappings of athiest philosophy; our, uniquely human words, and complex and stupid ways such as flat earth actvism, our religious teachings etcetera are testament to the fact that we are a species that will define itself.
Putting it to Bed
To end this madness, let's consider thought that is considered to be caused by the mind, not bodily mechanics. First off, mathematics, we can say, isn't inspired by a biocommunicator like grehlin or melatonin — disciplined discussions don't require key neurotransmitters to drive a person into a debate. The pious meditations we choose to practice don't result from peptides, but from the self which we need to grow. A life of embracing egotism, and hedonism are not helpful for personalities that endure disorder.
That little idea is quite sweet. We are more than just crude matter and desires. We are the experience of our experience, 'being' has layers'. If you've been told your personality isn't quite orderly enough, or you've had social conduct or assimilation issues, you have the opportunity to practice self awareness with meditation. The answers are with you.
Do you think the term 'Personality Disorder' needs updating?
The Great TikTok Tizwas: Banishing Byte-Sized Videos
6 min read
Remember that plastic charm bracelet fad? Every kid wanted one of those overly priced rainbow looms, which they used to weave plastic rubber bands into constructs, shaping almost anything. I saw teddy bears that looked inbred, as well as Winnie the Pooh, puppy dogs and Mickey Mouse, more often than not, they had the same intrafamilial qualities. My kids would've stabbed me in my sleep if I got rid of their creations! Well, the latest homogenous trend, TikTok, is facing banishment. Most of this blog, is based on my opinion, informed only by biased news channels, but I will say, it's so unfair for TikTok users; because they're forced to consider what could happen to their content, followers and income. I think the US Government clearly want the app to make line dancing videos and we Brits want it because we have bugger all else. It seems they put some news out to test the waters, see who'll kick-off first, this really is preparing everyone. Harbingers of change. It makes me think, why the sudden urge to slap the app?
Trying to Make Sense of it...
In the rumor mill, doubt is always churning out theories creamier than the milk of our finest British cows. Farmer's would say this TikTok ordeal is a power grab, a bit like how number ten try to get their greedy fingers on their land! Apologies, I'll stop with the farmyard lingo. Think about the alarmist reasoning; highpointing threat of user data is merely an excuse for action, a ruse and it is a sign of bad faith with the East. Indeed, we should be ramping up better trade relations, trust and healthier interractions. Let's face it, Western trade coming in from China is colossal, massive and of course, you have to ask yourself; couldn't they have easily attacked or breached the West many times in our history of trade? Have they? Yes, the chinese government has hired hackers to watch the US Government.
Oh, uh, okay, they aren't simply playing politics here? Banning the much used app to frustrate China? Is this cutting off your nose to spite your own face? It seems dramatic, politically loaded and irrational, doesn't it if we can avoid economic loss and keep the app? The US intelligence can monitor TikTok, counter-intelligence brings more jobs, reducing unemployment! Let's get more people doing these internet security jobs, easy. Let's be honest, as I said before, banishing TikTok plops a turd into the 'good relations' cake mix. Millions of users worldwide would be left longing for their daily dose of narcissism and street fights! Remember a couple of years ago, that massive data leak from a Shanghai? It exposed the personal details of nearly a billion people?
So, What's the Real Deal?
The truth, as always, in a political sense, is likely a complex web of diverse considerations, democratic concensus and sometimes quite stupid outcomes. That's social media. It is achievable to address these security fears without resorting to a full-on ban. However, xenophobic concerns surrounding cross cultural pollination and influence have been identified, and cetainly factor into this decision to ban TikTok. Does such rhetoric detract from a hacker threat?
Will The US Government Be Solution Focused? Is Diplomacy on the Cards?
Balancing national security and user privacy is what most people want and it seems quite possible to increase scrutiny: imagine TikTok being regulated under stricter regulations—solved? Yeah. Non biased, audits and data security measures can solve national security concerns. This means the US Government and technology expertise should increase their collaborative efforts. It is absolutely essential to find a solution. A complete ban does come across like a quick fix, but all quick fixes tend to be more costly, if you dont fix the issue properly.
What are your thoughts? Am I totally wrong here? Are you happy to see TikTok gone? What if the US had someone make a TokTik knock off?
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