Clueless!

Where ignorance is bliss tis folly to be wise!

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.

 

Commentary:

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.