General

So I've been Twittering like a bitch lately.

Someone (Neil Gaiman or William Gibson - forget who) asked why zombies had become so common recently in film & fiction.

My answer was this:

Zombies represent an innate fear of overpopulation.

Which of course is a Twitter answer.

To E X P A N D ...

The zombie represents mindless servitude when singular, in most cases. But zombie plagues represent a fear that the world is incapable of sustaining itself, specifically the human population. The numbers grow daily, the resources deplete. What recourse but cannibalism.

More interestingly, and perhaps something that Charlie Brooker put his finger on with Dead Set (which I wasn't particularly enchanted by) is the fear that the world is slowly being filled with mindless hordes, all with only one thing on their minds: to consume.

Dawn of The Dead ...
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Obviously, I've been irritated by recent events.

I dislike the media in general, and in many cases, specifically.

The recent events in Norway have underlined my feelings of the past 10 years, and I can no longer be still.

In a previous blog article I asked if Twitter and Facebook and the news in general would have paid quite so much attention to the Oslo Bombing and Utøya massacre if they had happened in an African state, or even a South American state.

My question today is this:

If we were not in a Post 9-11 world, would international news have paid quite so much attention to these events?

Before anyone jumps up screaming at me, let me explain.

These events were terrible. A one-man terrorist cell (it seems) managed to cause more carnage and destruction than many would have thought possible in ...
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OK. I'm fed up with doing these pieces. But I can't stop. I'd rather be writing about women with similarities to Octopi, or chickens discussing the merits of laser hair removal. But then Glenn Beck opens the sewage outlet that is his mouth.

"There was a shooting at a political camp, which sounds a little like the Hitler Youth, or, whatever. I mean, who does a camp for kids that's all about politics. Disturbing."

Considering that he comes from a country that has school kids pledging allegiance to the flag, alongside national anthems being played at events ranging from Church picnics to baseball games, being derisive of encouraging political interest in youth is laughable.

And as for the Tea Party movement which he frequents - don't they have little jamborees for kids teaching God, Anti-immigration and the US constitution?

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Another event that occurred at the weekend, and one that was in no way overshadowed by the events in Norway, was the death of Amy Winehouse.

Obviously, this is a sad loss. That goes without saying. It is always sad to see someone young and talented die.

But the media coverage?

Again, we had "experts" in the form of journalists speculating as to the reasons for her demise. And the majority of speculators seemed intent on blaming someone for it. Specifically, Blake Fielder-Civil.

According to almost all the "pundits" I have seen or read, Amy Winehouse did not do "serious" or "hard" or "Class A" drugs prior to her entanglement with Fielder-Civil. Hogwash.

I recall having a conversation about Ms Winehouse back in 2005 with a German promoter, particularly referencing her emergence alongside that of Jamie Cullum as an indication that jazz elements were becoming ...
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So, after a turbulent few days, the world thinks it knows a thing or two.

A bombing in Oslo, a mass shooting in Utøya.

The gravity of these events cannot be underestimated. All at Mung HQ were deeply moved by these happenings.

However, being me, I cannot let the moment pass without pointing out just how stupid humanity is, and this is best represented by the media, as usual.

How many "news" reports circulated within minutes of the bombing in Oslo shouting "Al Qaeda"?

"Muslim Fundamentalism"

"Reprisal for Osama Bin Laden"

And so on.

How many?

This utter BULLSHIT was passed off as "news". We ...
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