Comments for The online home of Alasdair Blackwell – aliblackwell.com http://www.aliblackwell.com Just another WordPress site Thu, 17 Sep 2009 12:39:29 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Comment on ☆ Thoughts on Chugging by James http://www.aliblackwell.com/2009/03/08/thoughts-on-chugging/#comment-1550 James Thu, 17 Sep 2009 12:39:29 +0000 http://www.aliblackwell.com/?p=167#comment-1550 "Well fuck off frankly. Don’t walk in a public place if you don’t want your personal space invaded... There’s you, here’s me; why shouldn’t I ask for a thirty second chat?" So to clarify: people wanting to do their own thing in a public space without being accosted: Fuck 'em; people wanting to do their own thing in a public space without being accosted: be nice to them because they're romantic anthropologists. Wait, no, I know: You've got the moral high ground because it's all for charity! You should know that every time a chugger makes eye contact with me I go home and kick a baby to death. And it's YOUR fault I do that. Ha, who's got the moral high ground now, baby kicker? “Well fuck off frankly. Don’t walk in a public place if you don’t want your personal space invaded… There’s you, here’s me; why shouldn’t I ask for a thirty second chat?”

So to clarify: people wanting to do their own thing in a public space without being accosted: Fuck ‘em; people wanting to do their own thing in a public space without being accosted: be nice to them because they’re romantic anthropologists.

Wait, no, I know: You’ve got the moral high ground because it’s all for charity! You should know that every time a chugger makes eye contact with me I go home and kick a baby to death. And it’s YOUR fault I do that. Ha, who’s got the moral high ground now, baby kicker?

]]> Comment on ☆ Nothing is Unnatural by Charlie http://www.aliblackwell.com/2009/04/26/nothing-is-unnatural/#comment-1444 Charlie Tue, 14 Jul 2009 20:43:52 +0000 http://www.aliblackwell.com/?p=192#comment-1444 "But a concept of the unnatural can of course be a positive force. Fiddling with children is unnatural." Exactly. But why is fiddling with children unnatural? Because society deems it to be so. "There is no such thing as Society." Sorry, Mrs Thatcher, there is. The social mores of a particular period in the evolutionary cycle define the concept of "right" and "wrong". In each era there are those who would move forward and back and, in our era, your religious zealot was one of the latter. In different eras, different aspects of behaviour are seen as unnatural In the Middle Ages, what we would perceive as child abuse was normal: marriage at twelve, childbirth soon after, death by thirty. Amongst the poor in Victorian times, incest was as common as gin. In ancient Greece, homosexuality was almost compulsory. So what's my point? It's not whether things are right or wrong that matters. It isn't whether they are "natural" or "unnatural". Behaviour of any kind depends on society's perception: good and evil are relative to social perception. As we develop as a species, we move the boundaries forward and back according to our perceived expectations from our existence. Social mores do not drive society, they grow from it. They change according to the needs of the people who make up society and the concept of right and wrong, natural and unnatural are therefore entirely fluid. How we define these concepts: right and wrong, natural and unnatural defines us as a tiny cog in the cycle of evolution. We are defined by our place in the evolutionary development of the human race. “But a concept of the unnatural can of course be a positive force. Fiddling with children is unnatural.”
Exactly. But why is fiddling with children unnatural? Because society deems it to be so. “There is no such thing as Society.” Sorry, Mrs Thatcher, there is. The social mores of a particular period in the evolutionary cycle define the concept of “right” and “wrong”. In each era there are those who would move forward and back and, in our era, your religious zealot was one of the latter.
In different eras, different aspects of behaviour are seen as unnatural In the Middle Ages, what we would perceive as child abuse was normal: marriage at twelve, childbirth soon after, death by thirty. Amongst the poor in Victorian times, incest was as common as gin. In ancient Greece, homosexuality was almost compulsory.
So what’s my point?
It’s not whether things are right or wrong that matters. It isn’t whether they are “natural” or “unnatural”. Behaviour of any kind depends on society’s perception: good and evil are relative to social perception. As we develop as a species, we move the boundaries forward and back according to our perceived expectations from our existence. Social mores do not drive society, they grow from it. They change according to the needs of the people who make up society and the concept of right and wrong, natural and unnatural are therefore entirely fluid. How we define these concepts: right and wrong, natural and unnatural defines us as a tiny cog in the cycle of evolution. We are defined by our place in the evolutionary development of the human race.

]]> Comment on ☆ Thoughts on Chugging by Ali http://www.aliblackwell.com/2009/03/08/thoughts-on-chugging/#comment-1215 Ali Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:16:26 +0000 http://www.aliblackwell.com/?p=167#comment-1215 Hi Joey, Many thanks for your comment. And I know what you mean. There are some terrible fundraisers out there. I was very lucky to work in-house for a charity, and not have the pressure that commission would bring hanging over my head. Who knows how I would have behaved if I was gonna get paid more for signing people up. Ultimately there are a few chuggers out there who use appalling tactics, such as severe guilt-tripping, getting completely in the way, and not taking no for an answer. These people should, in my opinion, lose their jobs immediately. They give the whole of street fundraising a terrible reputation. All it takes is one bad experience with a chugger and that's someone who's switched off it for life. The <a class="ext" href="http://www.pfra.org.uk/" title="PFRA" rel="nofollow">PFRA (Public Fundraising Regulatory Association)</a> is currently cracking down hard on irresponsible fundraisers. My old boss at Concern Worldwide has recently moved to the PFRA and he is determined to get the damaging fundraisers off the streets. Ultimately street-fundraising is a relatively new industry and once the Cowboy Days have passed we can expect to see less people giving Chuggers grief, an end to commission (it's a PR nightmare and they might as well ban it), and a bit more public respect for what is an immensely positive but very challenging job. Ali Hi Joey,

Many thanks for your comment. And I know what you mean. There are some terrible fundraisers out there. I was very lucky to work in-house for a charity, and not have the pressure that commission would bring hanging over my head. Who knows how I would have behaved if I was gonna get paid more for signing people up. Ultimately there are a few chuggers out there who use appalling tactics, such as severe guilt-tripping, getting completely in the way, and not taking no for an answer. These people should, in my opinion, lose their jobs immediately. They give the whole of street fundraising a terrible reputation. All it takes is one bad experience with a chugger and that’s someone who’s switched off it for life. The PFRA (Public Fundraising Regulatory Association) is currently cracking down hard on irresponsible fundraisers. My old boss at Concern Worldwide has recently moved to the PFRA and he is determined to get the damaging fundraisers off the streets.

Ultimately street-fundraising is a relatively new industry and once the Cowboy Days have passed we can expect to see less people giving Chuggers grief, an end to commission (it’s a PR nightmare and they might as well ban it), and a bit more public respect for what is an immensely positive but very challenging job.

Ali

]]> Comment on ☆ Thoughts on Chugging by Joey Ramone http://www.aliblackwell.com/2009/03/08/thoughts-on-chugging/#comment-1155 Joey Ramone Thu, 18 Jun 2009 01:46:20 +0000 http://www.aliblackwell.com/?p=167#comment-1155 Hi, i'm glad that you enjoy your work and I found this an interesting read. I do find it quite surprising that given people's responses in the street to folks who do what you do, that you manage to still have a smile on your face! Personally, I do say, 'no thanks' partly because I already have a few charity DDs and I prefer to give to charity through sponsoring friends for one thing or another, making online donations etc, and partly because I don't think it's too clever to be giving your personal details including bank details to someone on the street. What I personally take exception to though is when 'chuggers' try to stand in your way so that you have to dodge past. To me, that is just rude. I have had this happen to me on a few occasions now and so I do tend to give 'chuggers' a very wide berth. I don't know about other people but I'm less likely to want to give anything if I feel i'm being hassled into it. Warm regards :-) Joey Hi, i’m glad that you enjoy your work and I found this an interesting read. I do find it quite surprising that given people’s responses in the street to folks who do what you do, that you manage to still have a smile on your face! Personally, I do say, ‘no thanks’ partly because I already have a few charity DDs and I prefer to give to charity through sponsoring friends for one thing or another, making online donations etc, and partly because I don’t think it’s too clever to be giving your personal details including bank details to someone on the street. What I personally take exception to though is when ‘chuggers’ try to stand in your way so that you have to dodge past. To me, that is just rude. I have had this happen to me on a few occasions now and so I do tend to give ‘chuggers’ a very wide berth. I don’t know about other people but I’m less likely to want to give anything if I feel i’m being hassled into it.
Warm regards :-)
Joey

]]> Comment on ☆ Nothing is Unnatural by ollie http://www.aliblackwell.com/2009/04/26/nothing-is-unnatural/#comment-197 ollie Fri, 08 May 2009 12:49:38 +0000 http://www.aliblackwell.com/?p=192#comment-197 I think that in your argument you put the case for both sides brilliantly. That is the problem. It seems quite clear to me that humans are a pivot between the natural and that which is not. We are conscious of nature- we are responsible TO nature and therefore surely not entirely part of it. Yet we are also a product OF nature and therefore we must not try to escape it. Why should we determine that we are one or the other? Both, as you point out, can have negative consequences; 'Genocide is natural', 'homosexuals are unnatural'... This is not and must not be a black and white issue. Genetics and pregnancy are classic examples. Killing a phoetus because it will die of cancer aged 9 is unnatural? natural? I don't know, and i shouldn't. We can't be evangelical about our status or the status of our actions as natural or unnatural. In my opinion there is no point. We must accept that we are neither and should use neither to justify our actions. In the 21st century 'super' or 'trans'-natural concepts will dominate: ethics, moralality and faith will determine our future, not an argument that everything is natural. Y'get me? I think that in your argument you put the case for both sides brilliantly. That is the problem.

It seems quite clear to me that humans are a pivot between the natural and that which is not. We are conscious of nature- we are responsible TO nature and therefore surely not entirely part of it. Yet we are also a product OF nature and therefore we must not try to escape it.

Why should we determine that we are one or the other? Both, as you point out, can have negative consequences; ‘Genocide is natural’, ‘homosexuals are unnatural’…

This is not and must not be a black and white issue. Genetics and pregnancy are classic examples. Killing a phoetus because it will die of cancer aged 9 is unnatural? natural? I don’t know, and i shouldn’t.

We can’t be evangelical about our status or the status of our actions as natural or unnatural. In my opinion there is no point. We must accept that we are neither and should use neither to justify our actions. In the 21st century ‘super’ or ‘trans’-natural concepts will dominate: ethics, moralality and faith will determine our future, not an argument that everything is natural.

Y’get me?

]]> Comment on ☆ Thoughts on Chugging by ChazBob http://www.aliblackwell.com/2009/03/08/thoughts-on-chugging/#comment-10 ChazBob Thu, 26 Mar 2009 17:41:50 +0000 http://www.aliblackwell.com/?p=167#comment-10 Fuck off you lefty faggot... Is just one of the comments made to me when fundraising for Amnesty International. Spot on with this rant Mr Blackwell, and love the site- top notch! Fuck off you lefty faggot…

Is just one of the comments made to me when fundraising for Amnesty International. Spot on with this rant Mr Blackwell, and love the site- top notch!

]]> Comment on ☆ Thoughts on Chugging by alex http://www.aliblackwell.com/2009/03/08/thoughts-on-chugging/#comment-8 alex Fri, 13 Mar 2009 01:51:16 +0000 http://www.aliblackwell.com/?p=167#comment-8 Fiery polemic Mr Blackwell! ...but I was confused at first, because where I come from chugging means drinking a jug of Reef and Vodka in one glugg... Fiery polemic Mr Blackwell! …but I was confused at first, because where I come from chugging means drinking a jug of Reef and Vodka in one glugg…

]]> Comment on ☆ Thoughts on Chugging by ollie http://www.aliblackwell.com/2009/03/08/thoughts-on-chugging/#comment-7 ollie Sun, 08 Mar 2009 22:42:32 +0000 http://www.aliblackwell.com/?p=167#comment-7 spot on. spot on.

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