In a world of political disassociation, in which the elite and non-elite are suspended in two entirely different realities, social media has become a device for humanising political figures and creating relatability. Our politicians share the same social space as our friends, our families and our favourite products...
Read MoreIn our turbulent, unstable, querulously rebellious society, it’s no longer cool to be seen shaking hands with big business. By channelling the voice of business interests, Cameron did himself few favours – even if his words and warnings were on the mark. The irony that eludes many spectators is within what Trump currently represents versus his personal history. Whilst being an infamous businessman himself, the blusterous equivalent of our Alan Sugar, his movement symbolises a distinct detachment from a world controlled by the business elite...
Read MoreIt’s not an opportunity for inspiration; it’s an opportunity for a selfie. Such is the pervasiveness of social media that many of us are unable to exist within a moment. Moments, in fact, serve only to perpetuate a self-image – a branding – easily framed by the perfectly angled photograph, wherein the select shade of the sun amplifies the features and attributes we most desire to expose, and renders in shadow those that we do not. We do not marvel for the sake of a cherished memory; we marvel for how an event may be represented to our friends and peers, and the return benefit gained on virtue of being physically present. Each day, we deposit into a shared fiction, one which narrates how we must live...
Read MoreTrump's visceral, pithy speeches, wordplay, catchphrases and general lexicon are engineered not to manoeuvre himself around a political contest, but to pitch his own brand of politics. Anybody watching his first presidential debate will have seen two contenders each playing their own game; the two halves of the stage are divided by more than political party allegiances. It is the division between new and old politics. We’ve seen something similar in Britain...
Read MoreWhat our parents fail to teach us is what it takes to break from the rules, or stem the flow in the river, is a strength and mental defiance unknown to most. This challenge is not only an active act, of refusing to live as those around us, but a passive one – one automatically entered into the equation behind each decision and action, to the point that our behaviours are self-defined, uninfluenced by the ‘should’ and ‘supposed’...
Read MoreIn the purest sense, any individual is capable of a creative act, of producing a thing that hasn’t been produced before and which sets a new curve. To say an individual isn’t creative is akin to suggesting they have no imagination. And if somebody is unable to imagine a reality outside of their immediate (even if only one compelled by their hopes and desires), then there’s something seriously afoot...
Read MoreFor those alive and well in the 70s and 80s, the obtrusive bleeper became an icon for fast-paced business types, but this pales when compared with the modern smartphone, which is essentially a fifth limb for many of us. It’s not only that the number of quality of life technologies is increasing, but that we’re becoming increasingly dependent on them. To be part of the modern world, it’s necessary to have a smartphone. Likewise, it’s increasingly necessary (and just a tad self-destructive) to be an active participant in social media. Almost unconsciously, technology has transitioned from convenience to necessity...
Read MoreYes, there is something so familiar about our two nations that the Britain has often been unfairly designated as the 51st state. And yet, like the modern dysfunctional family, it’s hard to admit that we have anything more than blood in common. At least as far as Britain goes, we’re unnerved by the likeness, even a tad ashamed and embarrassed that our younger sibling has gone off to become more successful, and only comes home to gleefully ram our faces into it...
Generally, we’re an idealistic people. We’re inspired by the idea of the socially divergent working from humble dorm rooms and garages (modern day version of a lair), changing the world from the shadows. Spurred by Hollywood and an inveterately sensationalising media, there exists a cultural-wide love affair with the superhero narrative, attested to by the sheer number of superhero movies produced over the past decade (non-coincidentally resurgent from the 1970s and 80s). A number of factors are behind this: encroaching world wide calamity – the threat of (nuclear) war or the constant peril of terror attacks...
Read MoreLike the legendary Batman Villain Two-Face, there are two halves to Britain’s new identity that are at desperate odds with each other. Younger generations grew up listening to the rhetoric describing Britain as a great, multi-cultural society. After the fall of communism in 1989, the 1990s saw an influx of Polish immigrants, in no small part owing to our need to rectify a labour shortage. Regardless of the motives, there was a light to this openness, styled as an international beauty with the world viewing Britain as a progressive and tolerant society...
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