Language and Crap

So the tabloids (which now includes the Age) and talkback are all aflutter this morning with the Prime Minister's use of the word "shitstorm" on the teev last night, which appears to have caused a small shitstorm ("shitdrizzle?") itself. As the meek and elderly complained to Jon Faine that end times were approaching and the beast had revealed himself, Malcolm Turbull claimed it was an elaborate, carefully scripted ploy to appeal to the sort of people who wash Malcolm's car.

Given RoboPM 5000 was talking about the smoking remains of what was once the world economy, "shitstorm" sounds like an understatement. I'd have more respect for his powers of perception and description if he'd used "absolute total, global clusterfuck". I may be overstating things a bit, but some openness, honesty and clear-headed language is just what we need now. Or doesn't that help confidence?

I'm not sure about whether confidence alone is the issue. We've been trying to make ourselves happy with stuff. And of course, stuff means jobs, and money in people's pockets. Government has been pumping money into the economy to get us to buy more stuff and keep people in work making stuff. (In the words of Gary Larson, "Stimulus, response; stimulus, response: don't you ever think?") David Mitchell, talking mostly about teenagers in a Guardian article described it beautifully:

"One of the fastest growing areas in our economy in the years leading up to the crunch was the selling of crap to twats....

I'm sure this spending ... feels necessary to teenagers themselves but it isn't, and it's only peer pressure that makes it seem so. I realise the phrase "only peer pressure" will sound to teenage ears like "only an atom bomb" and I'm sorry."

But the problem here is that peer pressure is not just something that happens to teenagers. We all seem to want stuff, maybe not always to consciously be like everyone else, but because we don't know what the alternative is. What happens if people, en mass, decide that enough is enough and they have enough stuff? I can't think of any easy transition to that sort of world, although slowly reducing working hours is probably a part of the answer. And devoting more time to non-material stuff. I'm off to weave imaginary baskets, myself.

And the PM's language? Personally, I blame his long career as a public servant. Those bastards can swear their fucking heads off. I don't know how I've avoided it for so long.

Speaking of language, by the way, today is Moomba in Melbourne. "Moomba" is apparently an Aboriginal word that means, "oh dear, is that the time?"

Oh dear, is that the time?