So the well loved Aussie variety show Hey, Hey it's Saturday is back on the air. And apparently it's already causing a fuss with cries of 'racists.' It's made talk shows in America and apparently American's aren't coming to Australia on holidays anymore.

Fan-fucking-tastic. We'd prefer the Poms anyway.

The offending skit is all over the place. If you're reading something as obscure as my blog, then you've probably seen the video. By now, a whole bunch of people will have heard Harry Connick Jr's comments on the skit.

I could understand where his reaction comes from. Blackface in the US has a hugely different connotation than it does down here. As far as I can gather, in the US it's yet another symbol of racism and oppression while here, in Australia it's just another part of face make up.

But still, the majority of Australian's found it funny rather than racist. And the few I've heard call it racist have usually in context of 'wrong, but funny.' So while I got where Connick's coming from, I also think he needs to realize that he's in Australia and American attitudes don't apply to what happens here and more importantly, we don't care.

Then I got directed to

this video

And now all I have to say is 'You fucking stupid hypocrite. You not coming back to Australia is best news I've heard all month.”

I'm not exaggerating. It's been a shitty month.

Not Better or Worse, Just Different

As promised, Superiority complexes and why you are not a better person than me.

I have way too many people in my life superiority complexes. In fact, most of my friends from high school fall under this category. As does an ex. And my father. And occasionally, the fiancee.

According to these people, liking certain things makes me less of a person. Not as smart, worldly or as individual as they are. Now we've all judged someone by their interests – 'Twilight' has become a banned topic in my MMO clan due to my explosive reaction when someone praises it – but I'm talking about the full blown sneering and disgust that comes with telling someone you like a particular band/music group, tv show and so on.

I like what I like. My likes are varied and most of the time, I don't have to justify them. I can cheerfully admit when something I like isn't the best quality in it's genre. I watch things things because something in the show appeals to me, I listen to music because it's fun to sing along or dance to and I read books because I like the story and something draws me in.

My likes may not be considered classics in their field or even have a life beyond the end of the season or until another studio manufactored boy band takes their place. So what? That doesn't make me less of a person.

Miss Better Than You has very strong opinions about this. She has very strong opinions about everything, but this is a red button subject for her. As far as she's concerned, the only musicians worth listening to are independent artists played on independent stations, who perform shows to an audience no larger than 5000 or bands that have stood the test of time and remain as popular now as they were 20 years ago.

She has great disdain for me listening to commericial radio & going to stadium concerts, considers me uncultured and regularly informed me that I was unable to think for myself and just liked what the record companies told me to like. Apparently I should have been true to myself and listened to what she told me was good.

I didn't listen to her taste in music because I didn't enjoy it. There was nothing about it that I found appealing and nothing in it spoke to me.

Different taste in music does not make you a better person. In this particular case, it made her a pretentious bitch who tried just as hard to fit into her perception of a mold as does a wanna-be goth or emo.

Worse than that, IMHO, is the bandwagon-jumpers. Now I have adverse reaction to almost any statement praising Twilight, but having said that, I have read all four books (plus the Edwards's POV book) and I'm hooked. I hate myself for this by the way. In almost all of the numerous arguments I've had regarding the quality of the books (and I use the term loosely), whoever I've been arguing against has asked “Have you even read the damn books?” and when I've replied with “Yes, all of them actually” it's become a heated debate because they know that I know what I'm talking about.

I will debate anything with anyone. As long as they know what they're talking about. The Fiancee has spent many hours ragging on the Harry Potter series and making fun of me for being so addicted to it. All he's ever seen is movie previews on TV. Unfortunately, I'm the kind of person where picking on something you know nothing about makes your opinion automatically invalid.

Being the average consumer and not a reviewer, when I listen to a song or watch a movie, the intention behind it or the artistic merit behind it or whether it will stand the test of time doesn't matter to me. Whether I enjoy it or not does. Liking something with no artistic merit that will fade out as soon as the next example in that media steps up and takes the stage does not affect my intelligence, my work ethic, my morals. It does not change who I am as a person. If it changes your opinion of me, then to be perfectly blunt, your good opinion is not important to me.

Unfortunately here is where I lower myself to the level of those I'm speaking of. Anyone who judges a person based solely on their tastes in media, whether it be music, TV or books is someone I look down.

I am who I am. I like what I like what I like. If I liked everything you liked and for the same reasons I wouldn't be me. I'd be you.

Drama of the Week

I'd really hoped to share my thoughts on the new brand of romantic comedy, where the comedy comes first and the movie doesn't increase our expectations of unrealistic behaviour from the objects of affection in our lives, but I'm having a mild crisis at the moment.

This isn't unusual btw. There's always something going on that messes with my head. I've come to conclusion that my life is destined to be filled with some kind of bullshit and my coping mechanism – after tears. Chocolate and retail therapy – is to be ridiculously melodramatic about it. I try to keep things in perspective and to keep my sense of humour while carrying on about the drama of the week. Since Red and the Flake are yet to roll their eyes and say “Here we go again” I can only assume that I'm succeeding or at least, avoiding sounding like a drama queen.

Anyway, at the moment I'm feeling small and unimportant. Unfortunately, it's not in a cosmic “'how big the universe is and I'm barely a freckle on the arse of everything' way. It's a 'why does everyone find it so easy to overlook/forget/disregard me?' kinda crisis.

As I mentioned in the last post, since the move to Hometown from The City despite everyone claiming they were so excited to have me back or were going to miss me so much, none of them have made any effort. I reached a place a while ago where I decided that I was only going to return the effort that was put in. Perhaps not the most mature decision in the world, but honestly, why waste time with a one way friendship?

As an example, my former best friend, Miss Better than You , was unprepared to drive 90 minutes from Hometown to The City, but had no problem driving triple the distance as a day trip. Then there's the Sanctomummy, who is a great friend to have – as long as you make all the effort and don't actually expect anything of her. The tragic part is, she's cut a large number of people out of her life for not sitting around waiting for while she's captivated with the new boyfriend. Really, how dare someone not put their life on hold for her and being busy when she wants to make time? (I know how bitter that sounds. It's not meant to be.)

Now, I'm not a stupid person. I rate myself as being slightly above average in intelligence, but certainly nothing special. Yet, nobody ever seems to give me credit for knowing what I'm talking about. In fact, nobody seems to think I know what I want.

My 21st, I'm on the verge of moving out with The Fiancee and as has everyone else in my group of friends who's turned 21 before me, I want useful household things. Dinner sets, towels, sheets, a toaster, The kinda stuff you used to give as a wedding present, but since shacking up is now acceptable, is given on other occasions, Such as a 21st. So what awesome shit do I get? 2 wineglasses. (I don't touch the stuff. The giver knew that better than anyone else). A 3-cd pack. A fucking Sorting Hat, complete with a stuffed Hedwig. Yes, this was from my so-called closest friends. Honestly, the gift from a friend that I appreciated most was the $80 worth of bourbon shots that a guy I hung out with at school (and hadn't seen since) bought me.

What else? Setting up the nursery while pregnant with Mr 3 and insisting I did not want an armchair in there. The Fiancee kept insisting I did, as did the Mother In Law. Two days before my due date, I get a friend to push the damned thing out on the curb. End of it you'd think? Ah, but I don't know what I want remember? I get out of hospital and the fucking armchair is back in the nursery – which has been rearranged by the Mother In Law.

Testing borderline for gestation diabetes, looking up the details and telling The Fiancee “It's no big deal. I'll have to watch what I eat and it means a higher birth weight, so it'll increase the chance of a c-section. Let's not say anything till we do the second test and get a confirmed result.” He promptly talks to everyone he knows who's ever had a baby to find out what he can. THEN gets all sulky when I get mad and point out a) I already know what he's found out and TOLD him that and b)We'd agreed not to say anything till we got a definite result.

There's believing anyone but me. God forbid, I know what I'm talking about.

Red & her now-husband, wanting to buy a mini-motorbike for their 3yr old nephew and being told “He can ride it anywhere” by the seller. You can't. I knew this because I worked in the RTA at the time and had spent the better part of the last week handling phone calls about the laws. They argue with me because 'the shopkeeper said so'. So I bring home the information and she just looks at me and says “Well then why is he saying you can?” “Because he wants a sale.” And he's a douchebag who recognizes just how gullible you are.

Also while at RTA, The Fiancee informing me that to switch from an auto to manual drivers license you just have to tell them because 'that's how his best friend did his.' Never mind that was 5 years ago or I had dealt with people who didn't want to retest– his mate did it this way, so that was the way it was done.

If I was presenting something as fact without any sources, then yeah, definitely question me. But I don't. Even if relating an anecdote read somewhere, I make it very clear that I don't know how accurate the story is. I research urban legends and have pissed off more than one person who's enjoyed telling a 'true story' by pointing out that it's bullshit. And don't try and tell me that something I know is wrong, especially when you have nothing more to back it up than “So and so said.”

Next time: Superiority complexes and why you are not a better person than me

To be alone is not always to be lonely

So, over the past 12 months or so I've become incredibly socially awkward. There's numerous reasons for this, but the main one? I can go two or three months without speaking to someone who isn't family, a salesperson or working for my landlord.

About 12 months ago, The Fiancee & I got evicted from our craphole of a house, so our useless landlord could move into it. The city we lived in was having a 'rental crisis' where it was hardf to find a rental place to live if you were working full time. Being two unemployed people with a toddler? We didn't have a hope.

So we packed up and moved back to my hometown, a place that holds few sober happy memories, quite a few vague and fuzzy drunken memories and a lot of misery. His justifcation was “It will give your family and friends up here a chance to get to know you again and spend time with Mr 3.” I just figured “Well, we have to live somewhere I guess.”

His enthusiasm was infectious and I started to look forwards to it. Friends from the city promised to come and visit. Friends up here got really excited to hear I was coming back. It had potiential.

So visits from friends in the 12 months since we moved here? 5. Friends from the city came once. Friends up here showed up four times.

I can understand why the hometown friends have eased off. I never expected them to put their lives on hold for me during the 5 years I lived in the city. I've changed a lot in that time and from the little time I've spent with them, they are still the same girls now that they were at 21. Spending more than two hours with them drives me crazy and I'm pretty sure the same is true for them.

I never know what to say – nobody will want to hear about the awesome drop I got boss hunting in the MMO I play. Those without kids don't want to hear the ins and outs of potty training. Those who do have kids are now dealing with schools and homework. So I say nothing and that's not exactly a good way to encourage people to invite you anywhere.

My family? I barely speak to anymore. My mother is an alcoholic and given the choice between staying sober when Mr 3 was around and not seeing Mr 3 anymore, she chose the booze. My brother and I haven't spoken more than 'Hey' 'Hi' in over 2 years. My father – well, that's another entry, but at the time of writing this, we haven't spoken in 3 weeks and it's likely to continue that way for a while.

There are three people I enjoy spending time with, but two of them are in the city and the other is notoriously unreliable. The sad part is, I've adapted to this. I would now rather stay at home, watching tv or playing MMO with The Fiancee than go out to dinner with friends.

I guess it's a blessing, as it will take a hell of lot nowdays to make me feel lonely.

The Ugly Truth

Last weekend a couple of buddies dragged me out to see the Ugly Truth. I hadn't heard anything about, but was prepared to give it a go, being a fan of Katherine Heigl's work so far and lovin' Gerard Butler in Phantom of the Opera.

I loved it. I mean, really loved it. In the past 10 days, I've seen in 3 times. Something about it really appeals to me on a level I can't explain.

Perhaps it's due to the ongoing problems The Fiancee and I keep having, perhaps because I know girls like the main character. Perhaps it's just that I hate most romantic comedies, finding them to set up women for unrealistic expectations on how men in love behave.

The Ugly Truth isn't so much a romantic comedy, as a comedy about romance. One friend describes is as 'the anti-chick flick.' Another calls it 'a romantic comedy for guys.' All these descriptions are true. Admittedly the formula is predictable, but oddly enough it's kinda thought provoking. Or maybe it just hit home because of the Problems (yeah, they deserve a capital) in my own relationship.

What really surprised me was the reviews. One star. Two stars. Comments saying it 'fails in it's objective.' Claims of 'unoriginal.' Comparing a particular scene to a famous scene from a classic romantic comedy. Yet not one person I know of who has seen it, has had any complaints. Several of them has said that it's made them think about their own relationships, current and past which is big thing for a run of the mill romantic comedy to do.

Maybe, like the rest of us, the reviewers found something in the movie hit home and couldn't handle it.

Obligatory About Me Post

Like the header says.

I'm 27, engaged with a 3yr old son. I'm overweight, wear glasses, painfully self concious and am a generally bitter and pessamistic person. I started this blog as a place to air my unpopular opinions incognito, but I'm too lazy to research the stuff and many updates have gone unposted because of this.

I have a livejournal I never update anymore as it was mostly used for fandom stuff and after a year's absence from it, most of my friends-list there have moved onto different fandoms while I'm not really a part of any fandoms anymore. I also want to keep my thoughts here separate from the few fandom related things I'm still involved in.

I do things my way and I have some thoughts and opinions that may be unpopular or uninformed. That's life. I also have no need to prove myself to anyone and if you disagree or wish to argue, you're welcome to. I can't please every body and there's more important things to use my energy on than trying. I won't ever apologize for being myself, no matter how offensive people may find me.

Gordon Ramsey vs Tracy Grimshaw

So Ramsey calls Grimshaw a dyke and compares her to a pig at some food show. Grimshaw responds by calling Ramsey a 'bully' and uses a national TV show to do it.

Ramsey's not the one I'm calling a bully. Was he out of line? Fuck yeah. But Grimshaw was the one who used her position at A Current Affair to retaliate, dragging Ramsey's wife into the debacle as well.

She can take the moral high road all she wants. Being pissed off about it is perfectly understandable - it was an unprovoked attack out of absolutely nowhere. To use a TV show that's known for aggressive and bullying tactics to reply? It's a fucking joke.

Better be careful on that moral high ground Grimshaw. It's pretty shaky, especially when you're a member of the ACA team.