Entertainment from the Guardian

[8Ace]

I love the guardian. Cif can be a tremendously entertaining way to pass the time - watching people who appear to be members of Sixth form Leninist debating societies getting all hot under the collar and blaming Thatcher for, well, everything. Just occasionally, however, they really excel themselves.

In 2012 we had this, roundly criticised, piece of utter bilge. :

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/jul/...

And now today's. If it were anywhere else I'd assume they were joking:

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jul/...

Particularly at this bit:

Guardian said:

I'd like to think there was a good environmental message in there, but when the good engines pump out white smoke and the bad engines pump out black smoke – and they are all pumping out smoke – it's not hard to make the leap into the race territory

Edit: Another cracker: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jan/...

Edited by 8Ace on Tuesday 22 July 14:31

Edited by 8Ace on Tuesday 22 July 14:33

[Beati Dogu]

They're the very definition of "useful idiots".

Even the Grauniad's heavily moderated Komment Macht Frei was allowed to tear them to bits.

[mybrainhurts]

George Monbiot will be furious if he reads this. He might even put another jumper on.

[bob1179]

As soon as I saw the thread title I knew it would be the 'Thomas the Tank Engine' story! I came across it while reading the apology of the Sky News reporter earlier today.

Do these people actually have nothing better to do with their lives?

As an aside, my daughter seems to absolutely adore Thomas and his friends. She doesn't seem to have turned into Victorian esque slave driver after watching said childrens entertainment (though she can get a bit cranky if I have an ice lolly and don't share it...).

[W124Bob]

Good job she hasn't read "Swallows and Amazons", one of the girls was called Tittie! The only girl in "Just William" would just "scweam and scweam". Thomas never did me any harm, well not much (model rail in loft and 36 years driving trains!)

[HonestIago]

The accusation of racism is utterly breathtaking!

[mybrainhurts]

[Mark Benson]

I think the author's bio says it all....

Tracy van Slyke's bio said:

Tracy Van Slyke is a nationally recognized leader and expert working in the intersection of progressive organizing, strategic communications and independent media. She has led a groundbreaking coalition of grassroots organizing networks and organized campaigns.....

....blah, blah, blah, lots of meaningless streams of 'progressive' words....

.....an alignment of the leading grassroots organizations in the country working together to build a new economy that works for everyone. There she led work to advance critical narratives about our economy through multi-platform communications, online organizing and popular education strategies and organized successful national campaigns focused on rebuilding our economy and the housing market....blah, blah and on and on and on.....

Typical of the breed - never progressed from student politics and never held down a job that didn't rely on some kind of public or charitable funding.

[bullies180]

I now have the thomas the tank engine theme tune stuck in my head

[Otispunkmeyer]

Mark Benson said:

I think the author's bio says it all....

Tracy van Slyke's bio said:

Tracy Van Slyke is a nationally recognized leader and expert working in the intersection of progressive organizing, strategic communications and independent media. She has led a groundbreaking coalition of grassroots organizing networks and organized campaigns.....

....blah, blah, blah, lots of meaningless streams of 'progressive' words....

.....an alignment of the leading grassroots organizations in the country working together to build a new economy that works for everyone. There she led work to advance critical narratives about our economy through multi-platform communications, online organizing and popular education strategies and organized successful national campaigns focused on rebuilding our economy and the housing market....blah, blah and on and on and on.....

Typical of the breed - never progressed from student politics and never held down a job that didn't rely on some kind of public or charitable funding.

That reads like the ultimate in non-jobbery. That description is literally just a bunch of words. Remember in that TG show where Jeremy attends a meeting at the BBC in the Peel P50? and in the meeting room, the woman with a knitted hat is rambling on and on with an endless stream of nonsensical, progressive buzzwords flowing from her pie hole? That is the image I get reading that.

But I suppose, in another time, people like her would have died of starvation or cold or something by now. Neither use nor ornament to anyone.

Edited by Otispunkmeyer on Tuesday 22 July 16:38

Edited by Otispunkmeyer on Tuesday 22 July 16:41

[CrutyRammers]

Comment fodder, and it's done its job well.