Here was me pondering what I could possibly write about today …
Let me start with Jeremy Vine, Radio 2, this very lunchtime. The ‘easing’ of lockdown restrictions in England. One has to question one’s sanity! What is it? Six people from two households allowed to meet outside in a park or in the garden? I’ve always thought the phrase ‘blows my mind’ was nothing if not exaggerated but, somehow, it seems scarily appropriate for this! Who is dictating how many people one can see in one’s own garden?! Six people. I’m honestly surprised ‘they’ didn’t say five and a half, just for a laugh. Just think, ‘they’ could have triggered the illumination of switchboards the land over as the brainwashed malfunctioned in a bid to compute the half! Such fun – if it weren’t so scary; so sinister.
Jeremy had one of his experts on hand to answer any questions arising apropos the possibility/fear of seeing one’s fellow race once more; sorry, let me re-phrase that, apropos the permission to sit in the garden with one’s family. Permission? What are we on?! Never again shall I question the ease of brainwashing. Take a moment to ponder the ‘ingredients’ … A year of constant media indoctrination pushing manipulated data designed to scare; the denial of social interaction – divide and isolate; the passing of emergency bills effectively stripping basic human rights and empowering governments; human beings confined within four walls, hostage to the ceaseless inculcation fed through every channel. The stuff of horror films! Worse, there was the attachment of DNR orders to the files of the elderly and the disabled, without consent! Life was no more. In its place, fear. Ironically, a fear of death so crippling that it was prohibitive to living!
As I read back over that paragraph, I question the use of the past tense. What has changed? As I said, today heralds the easing of lockdown restrictions in England but the damage is ongoing. I was aghast at the question of the first caller who was well-spoken and sounded intelligent: her birthday tomorrow, she was excited at the prospect of sharing cake and prosecco in her garden with her son and his family but … what happens if one of them needs the loo? HELP!! Her own family, in her own garden and she feels the need to phone in to a radio show to ask ‘an expert’ whether or not her grandchildren are allowed to go into her house to go to the loo?! There she is, the definitive ‘success’ story. Completely and utterly brainwashed. All faculties dormant. Programmed to receive. Perhaps she should check her medical file isn’t complete with a DNR order and her organs haven’t been ear-marked! Far-fetched? Once upon a time …
Moving on, I’d like to thank my family, my friends and my readers in China, the Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Azerbaijan, USA, the Netherlands, Poland … and the 33 in Canada who graced Trish-Trash.com with their presence, yesterday (Sunday) – between the hours of 11am and 12 midday (UK time) – on desktops! Seriously?! If only this post was privy to a soundtrack, I would choose that from Jaws! What is going on? I have a feeling I have expressed that sentiment previously. Is this Groundhog Day?
Clicking on to Google Analytics late last night, I was more than a little surprised to see the huge spike in my readers – in Canada! Further research only served to arouse further suspicion – morphing into hilarity. Could it be something to do with Meghan, she about whom I am always so benevolent? Possibly but not recently. I feel there is little more I can add to the Meghan discussion – for now – other than to big up her obvious talent for ventriloquy. So …
Canada. Why Canada? Why 33 on desktops at 11am? More to the point, that’s actually 5am Canadian time! Who knew? Trish-Trash is on the radar. My question is whose? Prone to cynicism – again, who knew? – in this strange world, governed by technology, we are all, actually, little more than data; studies. Writing Trish-Trash over the past year, in particular, my eyes have been opened to the clandestine censorship which, clearly, exists. These past twelve months have borne witness to the increasing restraints on freedom of speech. ‘Woke’ aside – deserving of neither merit nor recognition – any attempt to sway from the party/government line is condemned – or buried, figuratively speaking. As the masses meekly conform, there becomes strength in numbers and, thus, those of us who question – who are not willing just to merely accept – are, in the main, accused of being advocates of conspiracy theories, dangerous fruitcakes subjected to online criticism. For my part, I align myself to none of these labels. I read, I listen, I question. I have a brain and my own mind. I follow my instincts. Of late, I have written several poems all of which have been topical, often political and, by their very nature, controversial. I hope most of those who have fallen over Trish-Trash.com will be aware of Ode to COVID, lines I penned at the end of 2020 which I had made into a video for YouTube. Provocative? Emotive? Both but testament to my overwhelming feeling about everything; the loss of free will; the right to choose. I know I am not alone in this but it takes courage to veer from ‘the crowd’ and that basic human right, to be able to express one’s own opinion, should never be curtailed.
Perhaps there was a virtual Canadian Tupperware party at the weekend and my regular reader from these climes spread the Trish-Trash word? All 33 of them, then – unable to sleep, of course – rose at 5am on Sunday, switched on their desktops and enjoyed? Negative. Even if that were so – humour me – said number would have been conspicuous in the number of individual page views. Again, negative. Of course! I checked back and Friday’s post had a link to Ode to COVID. Enough said.
It is all of seven months since I had my influx of 35 Argentine readers, all on desktops, on 5th August, 2020 at 3pm Greenwich Mean Time! I remember it well. Did they return? No, they never did! My euphoria brutally felled, my dreams of Trish-Trash’s acclaimed world promotional tour, taking in South America, was destined to be little more than dust on the shelf. Yes, I know, I did mention how amusing I found Jeremy Clarkson but … Actually, it’s quite fun to go back to 10th August, 2020, if one is so inclined.
We have ways of making you talk … As 1800 hrs draws ever nearer methinks, while partaking of my large Gin, I shall ponder the uptake of a martial arts discipline of some sort. Just because.
‘It’s easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.’
Mark Twain
This is Trish, signing off.
