There are plenty of things which I could comment about this week, as every day we seem to be waking up to a breaking news story. So why is that I find myself unable to whip up enough enthusiasm to write about any particular subject?
And, I think to myself, if I just cannot be “bovvered” as Vicky from Little Britain would say, I can imagine how completely switched off the average person must be.
While there are small pockets of people bickering viciously over Mintoff, who never fails to stir extreme emotions ranging from hatred to adulation, I read the comments and shrug. The only ones worth reading in my opinion were Carmen Sammut and Vanessa McDonald, both of whom gave a clear-headed analysis of the larger-than-life figure which is Mintoff.
And while the Chris Said alleged perjury story seems to have taken a new twist with the revelation that it was more than just a mix-up of what time something took place, again I read it and push it aside.
Next.
(But not before I make a small point about the correct use of the phrase “political correctness”. At the risk of sounding like a pedantic TEFL teacher, this term is being used wrongly all the time. When someone is being political correct it means that he says things which don’t offend anyone because of race, gender, sexual orientation and so on. The term which should be used in the context of Chris Said, who is being praised for resigning, is that he has acted ethically. End of lesson.)
The Nikki Dimech “did he or didn’t he take a bribe” story continues to unfold, and none of us are the wiser as to what really happened. We learn that the former mayor apparently had a drug problem of mammoth proportions, and my only reaction to this is, so why was he accepted and pushed as a Nationalist candidate? I always had the impression that the Nationalist Party was extremely finicky about vetting and accepting prospective politicians to run on its ticket. It used to be the Labour Party which was in complete disarray because of internal squabbles, but more and more it’s the PN which seems to be falling apart before our eyes.
Again though, I’ve noticed that everyone has lost interest… this story will continue to play out in our courts and in the media, but public opinion has already moved on.
Have you noticed that, now that the funerals are over, even the fireworks tragedy in Gozo has already been pushed aside?
And while it has provided the papers with numerous letters to the editors, even JPO’s summer bombshell about introducing divorce has simmered down – although be prepared for a fresh onslaught on your senses when it’s “debated” on Xarabank this coming Friday.
The thought of the same old arguments being churned out yet again already fills me with ennui.
Too much information
Information overload has a lot to answer for and is probably the reason why our attention span seems to be getting shorter and shorter. We want to know the gist of a story as quickly as possible and if it becomes too complicated most people quickly reach their boredom threshold. Only those who are obsessed with the intrigue and tangled threads of Maltese politics really bother to get all worked up about it.
The rest of the nation is understandably more interested in that which hits close to home.
Young people just want to go to David Guetta and party all night long, while their parents anxiously wait for the sound of the key in the lock to know they are safely back home, while worrying whether they can afford to pay the next electricity bill.
This apathy and indifference goes beyond what political party one votes for; although there are those who still tediously insist on dividing the nation according to their voting preference. Most of the normal, sane people I know do not go around mentally labelling everyone Laburist or Nazzjonalist, because most normal, sane people do not want to live in that kind of world.
We go to work, pay our bills, and try and find time to do something we enjoy in our spare time.
The behind-the-scenes machinations of political parties don’t infiltrate our lives except perhaps in a kind of vague, detached kind of way. Joseph Muscat makes a statement and it may or may not impact our consciousness – the Prime Minister issues a swift rebuttal and we yawn.
Meanwhile, the country somehow plods along, working well in some areas, but completely hopeless and inefficient in too many others.
Class is not a political issue
For too long there has been a myth in this country about how the different social classes are split across political party lines. Last weekend, I think one can safely say that this myth was put to rest once and for all.
The song festival Indifest, organised by the Nationalist Party, ended up in a free for all when a fight broke out because a family did not agree with the result. From all accounts, it was not a pretty, or very civilized, sight. (I think it is safe to assume that no true Labour voter would be caught dead participating in Indifest).
So can we just conclude once and for all that yes, there are different social classes in Malta, but they do not fall into the pigeon hole of Labour = lower class, Nationalist = upper class, despite relentless attempts to hammer this fallacy home.
People who know how to carry themselves with dignity can be found all across the political spectrum. Likewise, those who are uncouth and one step removed from savages can be found deep in the trenches of both political parties.
What we should be worried about is why, despite decades of free education and opportunities for all, there is such a large section of the population which still has absolutely no idea of what constitutes appropriate social behaviour and good manners.
Oh, and if you can’t think of an answer to that one, don’t worry: we can always blame it all on Mintoff.
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