thinking down

‘Can anybody tell me what’s wrong with this picture?’ ~ William Foster (Falling Down)

thinking down

Funny how mundane, everyday things can spark an existential crisis. Lookin’ at William Foster in Falling Down… although, no, I didn’t go on a violent rampage afterwards! My despair was considerably less dramatic.

I was is in Lidl of all places and my card was declined. I have money in my account so figured I needed to reset the contactless by using chip ‘n’ pin. Again, declined. I did my best to contain my exasperation towards the machine. The shop assistant just looked at me blankly before resetting the reader so I could try again. In the end, I had to use a different card but, somehow, it got me thinking…

How much of our society is free and democratic?

Did you vote for the monetary system?
Did you vote for chip ‘n’ pin and then contactless?
If you dislike like the above, do you honestly think you are free to vote for an alternative?
Did you vote for Facebook, Instagram, X, Amazon, Google and TikTok?
Did you vote for Big Tech to dictate how you interact with the world?
Did you vote to have shit you don’t need constantly advertised at you 24/7 through every media orifice?
Do you actually know if you want an iPhone or a Smartphone?
Have you ever given it a moment’s thought?
Did you vote for war?
Did you vote for lockdown?
Did you vote for the option of mostly buying poison disguised as food in supermarkets?
Did you vote for supermarkets?
Did you vote for lobbyists to put corporate interests ahead of yours?
How many laws in this country did you vote for?

I am struggling to think of a single thing I actually voted for and want… then I realised the problem: thinking!

I understand why many blame illegal immigrants, it’s much easier, but I can’t jive with such division any more than I have time for that stupid American export known as identity politics.

I remembered society is built upon paying heed to the words of Sergeant Prendergast and moving on: ‘Listen, pal, they lie to everyone. They lie to the fish.’

Maybe there’s a game on tonight, got a beer?

2026