Advice To Self

As I write this I'm wondering if there is any escape from the recent obsession with a UK TV programme called Strictly Come Dancing, It seems to be everywhere, discussed and referred to with nauseating regularity. Typically discussed in terms of  this or that person's journey and who's turn it is to be next, typified by the  'have you done Strictly yet?' questions that splatter the sofas of breakfast time TV presenters. But then I realize actually it's only really a big thing on the very thing that created it, the chattering media. No one down the pub talks about it. No one in the workplace cares a hoot about who's in and who's out.  People at dinner parties aren't pushing the usual subjects like career prospects, property values, or children experiences to one side in favour of this celebritie's dress or that professional dancers hotness or who should or should not be there in the performing crucible of the dumbed down, chum-fest that is so popular with certain people within the media is now only known by the cognoscenti as  'strictly'. Bit like MacDonalds losing the 'I'm Loving It' lyric  in favour of the whistle as a sole jingle.  Or Nike removing the word Nike and maintaining only the swoosh. We're so big, so successful so ubiquitous, this seems to say, you only now need a subtle hint as to our greatness and popularity.  If you don't know who we are by this piece of stylized shorthand get with the planet.

How sickening is that kind of arrogance? But if you watch TV or more accurately BBC you could easily be forgiven for thinking that being a contestant on this programme is the most important direction any human being could possibly go - are they doing or have they done or are they due to take some future part in Strictly. You cannot escape it - news readers, sport stars, presenters, singers, actors;  or wives or husbands or sons or daughters or mothers or fathers of any of the above. If you watch BBC or listen to the BBC or read any populist news paper or magazine you will be bombarded with 'news' about these individuals journeys. The judges are everywhere: from advertising butter or supermarkets, to being given there own reality shows. The participants are generating cult followings based on how good or how awful they are. Jeers and cheers mean the same thing - you're all celebrities and now you've reinforced your image further in our minds for good bad and indifferent we will never forget you because you are now so famous because you have forced or been forced ineluctably into our lives.

But only if you pay attention to these things. Elsewhere there are great swathes of space where there is nary a feather boa trumped up celebrity tear amid the sounds of strained metaphors dressed in vaudevillian outrage.  No silly costumes or posturing hairstyles or prattles about journeys. No crap about overcoming adversities or finding 'my selves ' or loving every minute, this person, this dance this experience and it  is all so amazing amazing amazing. My advice? Just steer into other stuff. Watch Netflix and watch or re watch Breaking Bad. Check out a box set of the Sopranos (something like 85 episodes over 7 years.) Or The Wire, or Rome or I Claudius or... Game of Thrones for goodness sake. Or tune into the Travel Channel and re-watch all of Michael Palin's Around The World series. Failing that turn off the TV and go to the theatre and watch Journey's End or French Without Tears or anything on stage that doesn't break out into song and dance.