Workers or Shirkers?

 


As we all know we are living in trying times, money is tight we are all having to tighten our belts and save as much as we can wherever we can.  We are working harder for longer, as our pensions are decreasing all the time. We are all living longer.  We may feel that we are all being unfairly taxed and that we aren't getting back what we pay for.  Some think that there are a lot of people out there that should be working but aren't!

The benefit claimer?  Like it or loath it many suspect that a lot of our hard-earned cash goes to "can't work won't work" members of society! 

But think on this:  regularly we see on the news about companies going into administration, sometimes at the cost of hundreds, or even thousands, of jobs.  I imagine some of these people have been working for these companies for many many years, never missing a day's work and are suddenly finding themselves in the Jobcentre, along with their similarly long-serving colleagues.  This is a completely new environment to them, where they are suddenly slapped with the stigma of "Benefit Claimant". This must be heart breaking to (i) find your self in the predicament in the first place and (ii) to be so harshly judged. Try looking at it from their perspective.

Figures out from the Office of National Statistics in April 2012 detail 9.27million economically inactive people.   Does this though mean that everyone of those 9.27million have specifically chosen to not look for work and decided to live the benefit career.  Or among that figure are there the sick, disabled, young (school and university leavers), single parents, or the widowed, who have for whatever reason have be unable to get into work.  We shouldn't cast judgement on those who are claiming Benefits as we don't fully know their situation.  And we should accord them respect as fully valued members of society, not second-class citizens.

I'm sure that there is a individuals within the figure that perhaps aren't doing all they can to look
for work, but it's unfair to brand everyone with that judgement.  I know many people that are desperate for work.  I have been in that position and, on one occasion, jumped at the chance to disinfect lorries to earn money rather than live on Benefits.

Living off benefits can be soul destroying all on its own.  But when you are in that situation, have to visit the Jobcentre to sign on and you get smarmy comments from the staff, who I'm afraid do
look down on you as they have the job and you don't, coming out with phrases such as (and I quote) 'have you bothered to look for work this time', 'well you can't be that poor if you look that smart' and don't think this is a threat but as soon as you're better there are jobs out there - go get one or things will get uncomfortable for you' - some among many hurtful and unnecessary comments that I have had from Jobcentre staff.  Some seem to feel they have the Power of God, but it would be brilliant if they would just do their own jobs with appropriate courtesy! It has to be said that there are honourable exceptions to this observation.

But when you are genuinely sick and start getting letters threatening benefit cuts?  No ifs, no buts?  Surely the very reason you can't get out for work may also make it difficult to attend such appointments?  To then to be interrogated on every aspect of your condition? - this shows up more about The System than the attitude of those claiming the benefits

So next time you see that mum at the checkout carefully counting her change or the queue outside the Jobcentre, don't be too quick to judge.  We are all in uncertain times and you may just one day find yourself in the exact same place.  Treat others as you would like to be treated.

UK Top 40???

Who Are You Kidding?!

So I think we can all agree that over the past few hundred years our music has changed,
our tastes have changed and life events have influenced and inspired us to create music,
whether this is to express are views on issues such as poverty, (Plan B Ill Manors), highlighting poverty or discrimination again social classes.

All through time our opinions on life, society and relationships with people, drugs, alcohol
and sex, have been influenced by someone sitting down like I am today and putting lyrics to paper  and lyrics to music.

Some genres of music have been cast to certain types of society, For instance; classical orchestral music is by some people considered to be reserved to the high class citizens among us, the Oxford graduates, the stately home owners who have spent many a year acquiring a taste for the
sounds of the oboe and so forth.
This is not true, as classical music is slowly being incorporated into the hip hop scene, which is brilliant in my opinion, as two musical genres are coming together to create some hard hitting tracks, (Doc brown - Nothing to lose), for example, was written five years ago and in the background, you'll hear Vivaldi four seasons - winter. The reason I have chosen this song is because I believe it shows that the two genres can work together, it breaks the stereotype that is so often placed on the hip hop scene and opens the way for other artists to experiment. The other example I want to include here is Professor Green - Astronaut. This is an extremely heart felt track about rape and heroin addiction, the base for this song was a piece called Berlin Song by Ludovicio Einaudi, this piece brings home the emotion behind Professor Green's story on this particular track. Just another example of how classical music is being incorporated into the hip hop scene.  .

This leads me on to the common perception of 'urban music' (by that I mean HipHop, RnB, Rap etc) where many people believe it is derogative to women and boastful of drugs, alcohol and violence. 

Some of it is.

But not all of it! Like the saying goes: the minority spoil it for the majority!!! 
There are some really, really good artists out there who take a step back from the world around them and see what's going on and how it might be affecting them, and other people, and this then in turn inspires them to get writing. These artists are seeing the bigger picture, and are putting the word out there. Rap isn't all about guns, hoes and drive bys as a lot of people think it is. That is the stereotype, and a common misconception. For example  (Genesis Elijah  my truth), is a track about how the commercialised version of hip hop is unreal. He talks about not 'repping a gang that I was never in' which refers to the constant glamourisation of gang life in the hiphop scene and the fact that most of theses artists have never been in a gang anyway. His line 'Never been dumb, the music always had a message in' is another example of how some artists are willing to "sell out" to make money in the industry, yet he always remains dedicated to putting a message out there through his music. Many hiphop artists are perceived to be unintelligent 'yobs' and yet some of these artists are some of the most intelligent people you'd ever meet. He proves this point, with his track Bellyfull that was performed at the Occupy London demonstration at St Pauls Cathedral, London. It was taken from the EP 'Civil Unrest'  which is a politically minded collection of tracks, blowing the theory that rappers are all uneducated out of the water, and supports my point that not all rap is about guns, hoes and drive bys! The lyrics were very well thought out and put together and voiced a lot of our feelings and anger towards the economy in a very intelligent way, Something a few Politicians could learn from.

I think that hip hop has an unnecessarily bad reputation for its content. I agree that some hiphop (mainly the commercialised side) can be exactly the stereotype, but with artists such as Genesis Elijah, Jack Flash, Professor Green and Lowkey in the genre, it should be clear to see that some of these stereotypes are so incredibly wrong. There are artists out there who have a message to deliver to the rest of us, they have a meaning behind each and every track (just youtube any of those names and select any song you wish, my point will be proven) and its artists like these who are being underrated in the industry, while there are songs in the "Top 40" that have no message at all, no real meaning, just a club beat with some incredibly cheap lyrics thrown over the top, and a sexed up video to accompany. For example Amelia Lily - Shut Up (And Give Me What You Got). While this song is being played over our airways repeatedly on a day to day basis, no one has picked up on the lyrics. In hiphop when a song is 'degrading' to a woman, everyone complains about it, yet this track is suggesting the 'misuse and abuse' of men and no one batters an eyelid. This song has made it into the mainstream, while tracks like Jack Flash - There No More, and Lowkey - Bars For My Brother which are about real life topics, that people REALLY have to deal with, are left on the shelf. Where is pop's bad rep? Why does hiphop bear the brunt of all the negatives in the music industry when its the industry's fault that the real artists aren't getting heard. Our radio waves are full of generic pop beats with terrible lyrics and negative underlying messages with no musical talent involved. It just seems to me that the real musicians (be it lyrical or instrumental) don't get the recognition they deserve, while the likes of Amelia Lily, Cheryl Cole, One Direction and ESPECIALLY Psy (Gangnam Style) are murdering our ears with mindless nonsense about this girl or that guy and not having much to say. the real story tellers are not being heard!!!

It's because of these ridiculous double standards with today's music industry and on the radio that are making me want to boycott the radio until they start playing music that means something.