Friday 18 November 2011

Boring

I just read the most boring and whiney article that’s ever been written, From Downton Abbey to Kirstie’s Homemade Crafts...The New Boring is everywhere. Where shall I start this rant?

Firstly, I’ll never understand why people will waste their time complaining about how much they hate the stuff they hate. Why don’t they just write about something they DO like? I guess I feel the need to defend the things I like that are mentioned, even if I get his point and would say all of that in jest anyway!

I think that yes, if all of culture was just Downton Abbey, cake and Kirstie’s Homemade Home, the world would very be boring. If we were only allowed to listen to Adele then we would all go mad, but the same is true of any other band or musician (except, perhaps, the Beatles). But there isn’t anyone who only enjoys the things that this article describes – because it would be BORING and they would not be human.

Part of the problem with this is that it’s all the stuff that’s been ruined by being overhyped. Like Keep Calm and Carry On posters, the minute something is liked by most people it gets over used by people too lazy to think of something new. Are there people who hate Adele? I can’t imagine that there are, but there may be those who think she is over exposed and even the biggest fan must be sick of hearing Adele songs on EVERYTHING. Imagine how cool a Keep Calm and Carry On poster would be if you’d never seen one before.

With Downton Abbey, I can see his point but only if people actually watched it seriously. Like most people I know, I watch Downton Abbey because it’s the most bonkers thing in period costume! Lady Mary sexing Mr Pamuk to death, the evil maid and footman plotting together and Mathew’s broken penis... what more could you want from a programme?! 

The cake and craft aspect of the article is most difficult to explain. I imagine that if you don’t want to make stuff yourself (or aren’t any good at it) you would be bored beyond words but Kirstie’s Homemade Home. But that doesn’t mean it’s generally boring. I sometimes watch Kirstie’s programmes because I’m interested in the crafts, but she is coming at it from a completely different angle than me. Kirstie Allsopp is a very rich middle class Tory playing with crafts because it’s fashionable. I can imagine you would be very bored if all your friends suddenly calmed to be all creative and started really bad and boring stuff inspired by this. But for me, making stuff (I really hate the word craft because it’s far too twee & Kirstie Allsopp) is not at all about playing. It’s about looking at cheap mass-produced products and thinking that you could make a better version and it would be cheaper and greener and fun. I started getting into craft (vom) when I got to uni and started reading about feminism. My craft inspiration came from reading Bust and watching Threadbanger (but mostly Meg Allen Cole and Corinne Leigh, rather than the other loons they have on that channel now) and from the amazing Craftivists. This craft isn’t boring, it’s bloody amazing.

Rant over. Did it make sense?

1 comment:

  1. Yes! Because, like, I'd imagine this dude isn't exactly the target audience for either programme (he probably writes about other stuff, I dunno, can't be bothered to read someones moans) and, you know, dull to one person is heaven to someone else! Although I still can't watch Alsopp because, you know, Tory. And yay making stuff for yourself! My moomin cushion is one of my favouritest things, because I made it myself and it's more special that way.

    Also, "If we were only allowed to listen to Adele then we would all go mad, but the same is true of any other band or musician (except, perhaps, the Beatles)." So. True.

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