Tuesday 10 January 2012

Whatever - so what eh?



I have a regular good old ding-dong (London-speak for heated discussion) with one of the lads on my bus. He's a challenged, disadvantaged kid with little going for him. Some mornings he finishes his breakfast of Red Bull and cigarette by tossing the can onto an area of littered grass and mud outside the run-down block of flats where he lives. The can then adds to an accidental collage of fast-food wrappers, dog excrement and an eclectic sprinkling of marketing driven "packaging". 


He then inhales deeply on his cigarette, grinds the stub into the road, clears his tortured lungs, spits theatrically and boards the bus. Many a time, me being a judgemental bourgeois old cow/Romantic Novelist, I chide him for his conduct. OOOOOh ! I do hate litter. He shrugs and says "Whatever - so what eh?"


I ponder this matter quite often. Yesterday a bus job came up that involved me picking up some folks from a pre-school. Bright little souls aged between 3 and 5  with their parents were waiting outside the school to board the bus. Opposite the entrance there was a dilapidated housing block, awaiting refurbishment. It has been a long wait and I guess it could be a lot longer yet. The picture above is the view that these kids were looking at. Maybe we should think about how the seeds and attitudes will grow.


Emma thinx: By the eyes of the child arrives the vision of the man.

5 comments:

  1. Looks liked it could be a really cool building.

    I liked your slice of life essay. They give you fodder for your writing. Yes?

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  2. You are good and I love your writing - join us on Triberr and you posts can, and will, be in front of 40,000 on twitter - it's cool, like you. Here's a post I put on my blog yesterday about it http://bit.ly/whMkBN - if you want in give me the e-mail address to send the invite to.

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  3. Insightful, lovely writing! I like your style and the way you "thinx"! Intriguing food for thought...for all of us!

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  4. "Red Bull and a cigarette for breakfast?" I'm sure you brighten each and every one of your passenger's days. Hopefully, some of your kindness will rub off. Great line about the "seeds and attitudes," with a very powerful ending! Julie

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  5. Loved your end quote. These are definitely not the best of times. In fact, I'm beginning to wonder if there ever were any. Keep writing for us. I thoroughly enjoy it!

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Thanks so much for stopping by. Always so happy to get your feedback. Emma x