Twitter as judge, jury and career executioner

The last couple of months have been dominated by one story that has blown up far beyond a reasonable level and is seemingly out of control. I'm obviously talking about the #Metoo bandwagon that pretty much everyone seems to be jumping on. Now, I'll start off with the obvious clarification that what some of these guys have allegedly done is reprehensible and I'm not defending them. The problem is that they don't get any chance to defend themselves at all before a Twitter storm announces that they are guilty and ends their careers. How many stories have we heard of a man being fired from his own company, or forced to resign or kicked off a project because someone has accused them of inappropriate behaviour? They key word here is accused because an accusation is not proof and, before Twitter, society generally used to need proof before condemning someone. Now all it takes is a person with a grievance to shout as loud as they can and everyone believes them. That's how the modern world appears to work.

I had thought that a government minister resigning because he once touched a journalist's knee many years ago would be the point that this whole thing ate itself... but it kept going. I thought a man claiming to have PTSD for months because another man touched his crotch once in a club was the point at which this all jumped the shark... but it kept going. Then I thought that a man killing himself because his life had been ruined by accusations, which he was never even given the details of, would be the point that everyone stood back and thought seriously about whether the public domain was the best place for sexual harassment claims to be made... but it kept going. Maybe all of these men did what they are accused of (isn't it odd that it just seems to be men?) but maybe not. The best way to find out is by reporting these things through the proper channels (be that the police for serious cases or employment tribunals for workplace incidents). At the moment, the goal of these people coming forward to scream #Metoo isn't exactly clear. Well, revenge seems to be a lot higher on the list of motivations than justice for many of these cases (Ellen Page). Maybe it's as simple as naming and shaming, which is a very childish tactic that undermines the judicial system and ruins lives without due process.

Perhaps the best thing to come out of this whole mess is that the methods for reporting sexual harassment and abuse will become clearer, simpler and more effective. That's got to be the goal that we strive for rather than making all men fearful of interactions with other people and the next witch hunt.

I think the one aspect that Twitter is actually useful for is exposing how widespread cases of sexual harassment seem to be, but I also think that could have been achieved without attaching names to the accusations. See Terry Crews's story for a perfect example of this. Obviously the New York Times has to take a fair share of blame for the way this has been handled. They set the tone and Twitter has just run with it.

This all makes Mike Pence seem like a genius rather than a dinosaur, which is an interesting side effect.

#NationalDay Blues

The National Day holiday is almost upon us in China (in fact, it starts tomorrow). It's unfortunately timed for anyone who works in the school system because they've just gone back to work and now they get another holiday. Sounds great, except that it's the last major holiday until Chinese New Year, which is very late this time around. Still, a holiday is here so it's time to make the most of it.　

Deadline Day

So today is the transfer deadline day: words that elicit a whole range of emotions from football fans and mass hysteria in the upper offices of football clubs. Anyone sensible would think that deadline day is a terrible time to get your transfer business done, considering that teams have had all summer to get the job done, the season actually started three weeks ago and deadline day usually ends with failed negotiations and panic buys. In some cases it makes sense for a transfer to only go through on the lat day. Long and arduous negotiations finally come to a head and life is beathed into moves that were long tought to be dead. In most cases, it seem like teams take a scatter-gun approach to the business and try to get just about anyone through the door. It makes for tedious, but often addictive television as rumour and counter-rumour follow each other on the yellow ticker and it seems that this season will be far more interesting than the past few, even if deals don't get done in the end.

What is the point of having a deadline on transfers anyway? I don't think I really know the answer to that. I vaguely remember there being some talk about it protecting smaller teams from having their players poached during the season, but it just leaves them having their players poached at a moment when they have no chance to replace them. If one of the super-rich teams comes in for a smaller team's best player and lets the whole world know about it through a convenient leak to the press, the smaller team has a hell of a hard time keeping the player who suddenly remembers that he always wanted to play for the bigger team because of ambition, or trophies or respect for the coach or whatever excuse they use to cover their greed for the bigger contract on offer. I suppose that's not entirely fair as there are some players who move for other reasons, but I think it covers most transfers and I haven't even mentioned the agents yet.

All in all, I think that the transfer window experiment has had its time and has just become a horrible, twisted parody of itself (like politics and blockbuster movies). I suppose it's a reflection of the vaccous and money obessed society we have become in 2017. The world is going to hell in a handbasket. Things were better in my day. Everyone has nodded towards the grumpy old man who said those words to them whilst ignoring them and wondering when the next instagram snap of that celebrity's beach holiday will be posted. I think the transfer deadline day is a sign that the grumpy old men were right (that and the instagram obsession). I don't really know what my point is here, but maybe it's that there's no getting off this ride to nowhere.

Wandering through the wilderness

For the last few months (maybe more than a few) by blof has been distracted by politics and cults. It wasn't what I set out to talk about, but they are issues that caught my interest and I think they are important ones to discuss. This month, I'd like to return to something a little less substantial. I want to address the barren wilderness that a summer break from work in China has become this year. I know that sounds bleak, but what I'm referring to is the lack of sports and foreign movies since the end of June.

Many of you readers (if there are any) are probably not aware that the number of foreign movies shown in China is restricted each year. The way around it is to make sure you involve a substantial contribution from Chinese investors or movie makers while you're shooting your masterpiece. It's why you're starting to see more Chinese faces in big blockbusters and exotic sounding production companies attached to them. In July, however, the restrictions are even tighter. From what I've been told, the idea is to prevent big Western movies being released during the busiest time for cinemas in order to support domestic movies. I don't think protectionism is the right way to go about this, but it's not up to me. As such, Spider-Man and Dunkirk will not be released over here for a couple more months and we are treated to yet another Monkey King abomination instead.

As for sports, the problem is not one of Chinese restrictions, but rather one of timing and taste. Pretty much the only thing a self respeting British man can watch during the summer is Formula 1. There is plenty of basketball and some baseball, but who wants to watch that. The biggest problems are the lack of meaningful football and totl blackout of the cricket. How could I survive such a baren landscape? Well, I've had to turn to my other hobbies... beer and Xbox. I should probably do some reading, but I'm a bit stuck for what to read. When I think of something, I'll let you know.

The Cult of Europe

Recent weeks of news and counter news about the Brexit negotiations and the state of the EU have brought into sharp focus the cultish aspects of the European project. A recent article that I saw about cults characterised them as being "organizations that are established under the disguise of religion or other groups, deify and preach about its chief members, bewitch and deceive others by fabricating and spreading superstitious and evil thoughts, enroll and control members, and endanger society shall be affirmed as cult organizations." I think that this definition could probably be applied to most governments, but it is particularly relevant for the EU.

A grouping of countries that was supposed to be an economic union has gradualy morphed and shifted towards being an organisation that supports its key founding members (Germany and France) at the expense of everyone else in the group. The Common Agricultural Policy has always favoured French farmers and the Euro and ECB exports German fiscal policies to the rest of Europe  (despite the strong currency and Angela Merkel's fetish for austerity being disasterous for the weaker economies such as Greece, Italy and Spain). When discussions about the Greek bailout problems occurred a few years ago and the suggestion was made that the country would have to leave the Euro to rebalance it's economy, the response from Germany was that leaving the Euro would automatially result in expulsion from the cult. Sunds a lot like Li Hongzhi's insistance that seeking medical attention for illness is a sign of a lack of faith in his Falun Gong cult and seems a lot like bewitching  and deceiving others. There's also an argument to be made that German austerity is supersticious and evil thought.

In order to join the EU, applicant countires have to commit to Germany's fiscal pronouncements and join the Euro: enrolling and controlling members. The EU definitely endangers society by inviting refugees into its borders and then letting them go wherever they like without any border checks whatsoever (I support free movement of people, but I don't see why you can't have border checks like those between Britain and France). All that's missing is giant rallies to worship Angela Merkel, but I don't suppose we're too far away from that.

The clearest sign of the EU's status as a cult comes from how it treats its members who wish to leave. Almost every leak from the EU about Brexit negotiations talks about how Britain will be damaged by leaving and that the country must be penalised for its audacity to go it alone. EU members are heading for some sort of economic and political utopia whereas anyone who leaves is heading for armageddon: which is pretty much the story for any cult you care to think of. It might stop slightly short of the doomsday prophesies and the beatings handed out by cults like Eastern Lightning.

Cults engage in brainwashing techniques to discourage critical thought and to ensure the absolute obedience of their members to the cult founder and his/her schemes. The European parliament serves that purpose for the EU. Most members have well and truly drank the cool-aid and any questioning of the European Project is met with derision and disdain. Look at how reluctant they were to give any conncessions to David Cameron, despite it being clear that reform was necessary for the continuation of the cult... err project.

Okay, maybe I've stretched the premise of ths post a bit far but EU leaders have to start thinking for themselves instead of just having blind faith in the union and those guiding it. The EU needs urgent and wide ranging reforms, but that isn't going to happen unless the people in positions of influence sit down and look critically at which parts of the union work and which don't. Not everyone in the EU can keep up with the German economy and the richest countries can't contiue to prop up the poorest just to save face. As things are, the European Cult is damaging its own members and its neighbours. Brexit should have provided the wake-up call that the union desperately needs, but it seems to have just driven everyone deeper into the cult. I truly hope they wake up soon, because the beautiful dream of a united Europe is quickly turning into a nightmare.