Clueless!
By Stanley Collymore
What kind of a world are we living in when so many of
you either simply stand idly by and watch or, worse
still, unthinkingly or even willingly participate as
part of a system where rank stupidity
masquerading as intelligence,
rapacious greed compounded by a total indifference
to the real needs and aspirations of the genuinely
unfortunate: those deliberately left behind or
else completely ignored because they’re
considered to be of the wrong colour
or social class, is regarded as
okay and even fulsomely
celebrated as though these callous activities
are major constructive achievements to
be positively aspired to, unashamedly
paraded as successes and, what’s
more, justly commemorated?
A world where the filthy rich, no matter how illegally
or immorally that wealth is acquired, literally call
the shots and with absolute impunity and
unchallenged immunity liberally
accorded to them by all concerned but most
particularly by those who’re legally and
constitutionally charged with safeguarding and ensuring
the fundamental rights not just of the privileged few but
all of us, notwithstanding that though, nevertheless
still feel they can act, and invariably do as they
jolly well please; never mind the adverse
consequences that their selfish and
premeditated actions might have
and, as all reliable indicators
suggest, generally and
insufferably inflict
on all others.
A world, too, where the possession of money and even
the wanton abuse of it is considered to be cool, where
morality is what you can cynically and arrogantly
get away with, and if caught out can summarily
resort to employing and efficiently utilizing
the services of a fawning and obliging
media so as to give a Hollywood, Oscar
performance style, fake mea culpa professionally
served up on air and at prime time too to a markedly
brainwashed and intentionally poorly informed,
captive TV audience unquestioning of all
things that require even a modicum of
brainpower, yet both willing and
quite prepared to believe
everything that is
told to it.
Is this then the definitive world of contemporary humanity that
you really want to congratulate yourselves on having created,
where after many millennia of mettlesome evolution, that
unfortunately led to you, this is the very best that your
collective efforts can come up with, while at the
same time you conceitedly delude yourselves
that it’s all a fitting legacy to pass on to
succeeding generations, privileged no
doubt to be so honoured you flatter
yourselves, to appreciatively
emulate and naturally
enthusiastically
build upon?
Well I thoroughly disagree! And even if I were to find myself
in a minority of one over this matter it still wouldn’t make
any difference at all to how I really feel. For how can a
nation where the standards of literacy, numeracy and
coherent communication are abysmally poor; where
these crucial skills have quite literally bypassed a
quarter of those within our population who’re
under the age of 50, yet live in a country
that prides itself on exceptionalism
in many fields of endeavour are
quite embarrassingly on an
intellectual parity with
the least bright of
our 10 year
olds?
Leading to a situation where it’s now generally
although embarrassingly recognized if not
welcomingly accepted by a majority
of Britons that older people and more
especially grandparents can spell and add
up infinitely better than their children
and grandchildren can; and, quite
ominously as well, there are no
discernable signs on the
basis of empirical research
that’s been carried out
of this alarming trend
being forcefully
reined in and
reversed at
anytime
soon.
So do us all a great big favour folks and stop deceiving
yourselves that you have a legacy worthy to pass on
to anyone and for which future generations will
obligingly thank you for. You don’t! For you’ve
neither the perspicacity nor the intellectual
acumen required to embark, as things
stand, on such a fundamental and
obviously life-changing enterprise much
less the ability to pull it off successfully.
Those of us who ruefully are your
contemporaries already know
that well enough and it’s
a safe bet too that our discerning
descendants, much more astute
than you patronizingly deign
to give them credit for,
will likewise reach
the same logical
conclusion.
© Stanley V. Collymore
9 October 2013.
(2013)
This poem was prompted by the alarming, spiralling out of control, and mindless sycophancy urged, fostered and minutely manipulated for and at the behest of a small coterie of privileged and affluent control freaks with a discernible penchant for venal and criminal pursuits and who actually run our country, of what are fundamentally worthless, yet compulsively arrogant with it fatuous jobsworths who on an almost daily basis and with quite sickening regularity I unhappily come across during my travels throughout this questionably green and pleasant land that we call England.
And it’s written in grateful appreciation for amply providing me with more crucial raw material than I could ever have previously imagined or hoped for to: Ann Smith, Reading Central Library, Berkshire; Lesley Sim, Head of West Sussex Library Services; Dave Loveman, of West Sussex County Council; Tim Stanton and several colleagues of his at Crawley Library, and many others too numerous to cite here but whose invaluable contribution has made this poem possible. Thank you all.
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