From The Mind of Merc - Non-Gender Roles

Sometimes I find my mind wandering over various eclectic topics and occasionally I am inspired to write some of them down. Today I was thinking about Non-Gender Roles.

I saw an interesting video on Facebook the other day in which a young individual explained why they view themselves as being ‘Non binary’ when it comes to gender and that it is wrong to classify people as male or female as this is outdated, creepy, and wrong as gender is ‘all in the mind’.

I have to say that my immediate reaction to this was: ‘Er... no – there are such things as male and female – it’s just the associated stereotypes that are wrong’.
For example, the idea that
Boys wear blue, girls wear pink
Boys wear trousers, girls wear skirts
Boys play football, girls play dolls
When actually,
Boys and girls wear and play whatever they want

Saying that gender doesn’t exist as a means of overcoming the pigeonholes society places people in is like sticking your fingers in your ears on bonfire night and trying to pretend there aren’t any fireworks outside – not the case, also not going to make it so.

By all means, if you feel so inclined, buck the trend. But surely to do so it would be better to adopt a nonchalant attitude to people’s reactions – as in ‘this is me – deal with’ rather than ‘you’re wrong because...’. Because to do the latter you are, in a way, sinking down to their level by inflicting a negative attitude on them. They may be wrong but claiming to change the truth to suit individual beliefs could also be viewed as wrong (and delusional).
To quote Sherlock Holmes “Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.” – ergo don’t try and change facts to suit your own views – accept the facts and use them to support your own views.
Be free in your choices, be transgender, be heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual but you are biologically either male or female.

(Of course I could be completely misunderstanding the term – in which case I would welcome clarification)

As I have said before, I firmly believe people should be allowed to make their own choices in life (provided said choices do not harm others) – it is their life and therefore theirs to do with what they will. So don’t feel confined by societal roles but don’t seek to change scientific fact as a means of doing so especially when it isn’t necessary.

So if you are biologically one gender or the other then that, technically is what you are – it does not mean to you have follow societal norms or even stay as that gender but for all intents and purposes that is your physical gender.

Nobody Expects Franklin D Roosevelt - Mercorabilia

This was inspired whilst watching an episode of Red Dwarf in which Arnold Judas Rimmer was trying to give a stirring speech to the crew and I couldn’t help noticing its similarity to a scene from another comedy show.

Rimmer:

We have nothing to fear but fear itself… Apart from pain. Fear and pain. Pain and fear. The two - two things we have to fear are fear and pain… And maybe humiliation. The three – three things we have to fear are fear and pain and humiliation… And obviously death and failure. But apart from pain, humiliation, death, failure, and the unknown, we have nothing to fear but fear itself. I’ll try it again.

(If you’re wondering about the title of the sketch – it is Franklin D Roosevelt who coined the famous quote "We have nothing to fear but fear itself.")

Disney Life Hacks #3 - Pocahontas

A continuation of my new Disney Life Hacks series - those little tricks the Disney stars use to achieve the unlikely, unbelievable and impossible.

Today, Pocahontas shares her top tip:

(And here's Meeko in action)

Unsuspicious Circumstances sketch - Mercorabilia

A return to the world of Midsomer today and, in a way, it’s mixing it with the Mock the Week round ‘Scenes We’d Like To See’ as it’s ‘Things You’d Never See in a Midsomer Murders Episode’

Barnaby: Evening, George.
Bullard: Evening, Tom.
Barnaby: So what have we got?
Bullard: John Smith, aged 89, found dead in his bed by his housekeeper.
Barnaby: So what did he die from?
Bullard: Natural causes.
Barnaby: <pause> Are you sure?
Bullard: Yes.
Barnaby: Hmm. What’s the scar on his chest?
Bullard: That’s where I cut him open to do the autopsy.
Barnaby: I see. And this?
Bullard: That’s a tan-line from his watch.
Barnaby: So there’s no sign of foul play.
Bullard: No.
Barnaby: What about this?
Bullard: What?
Barnaby: This bruise.
Bullard: That’s your shadow.
Barnaby: Ah. <pause> So there’s nothing untoward.
Bullard: No.
Barnaby: No suspicious toxicology results.
Bullard: No.
Barnaby: No sign of anything that could be construed as suspicious.
Bullard: No.
Barnaby: Are you trying to tell me that this Midsomer resident genuinely died of natural causes?
Bullard: Yes.
Barnaby: Hmm. <pause> Isn’t that in itself suspicious?

From The Mind of Merc - Music Videos

Sometimes I find my mind wandering over various eclectic topics and occasionally I am inspired to write some of them down. Today I was thinking about music videos. This is a phenomenon I’m struggling to understand.

To explain my consternation, there are innumerable musicians and music stars who claim to support various charities donating their time and effort to numerous causes. AND YET they and their record companies will still spend millions if not billions of pounds making videos to accompany their songs.

The reason this puzzles me is that such videos are by their nature redundant and consequently pointless as the companies are not selling the video – they are selling the music, which is purely auditory.

This means they are forking out ridiculous sums to create these ‘innovative’, ‘ground-breaking’, lurid and often unconnected new films for something which they want people to listen to – not watch – with the apparent intention that it will encourage people to want to listen to the song. Surely if the song is not good enough to sell on its sound alone then it is simply not good enough.

I firmly believe artists should revert to the previous format for music videos – i.e. them singing/performing the song in a plain surrounding. No gimmicks, no CGI, no exorbitantly expensive sets. Just them and their music. If it is truly the music that they love and want to share then that is all they will need.

As for the directors who create these ‘masterpieces’, if they are truly as gifted as the companies claim then they will undoubtedly find or be found work in other less spendthrift projects.

Also, it is increasingly unlikely that the majority of the population will see said video a) because doing so is time-consuming in an increasingly time-constrained world, b) because most people will no doubt purely either hear or only be interested in hearing the music itself and c) despite its availability through sites like YouTube these, and consequently it, are still not the first port of call for someone seeking a new tune or piece of music.

Just think of the people and charitable causes that could be helped if, instead of spending these obscene amounts of money on unnecessary film, the money instead went the causes they claim to support.

When choosing out of ‘Artist wins award for new music video’ or ‘1000s of lives saved thanks to donation by record company’ – I know which headline I’d like to see.