Wednesday 18 January 2012

Do rats really leave a sinking ship? (or "Oh Captain, my Captain!")

At last I have seen the light. I now realise what all those `time wasting`courses I had to attend during the latter half of my 30 year police career were all about.

I always felt that "Diversity Training" was a pathetic substitute for reasonableness, good manners and of treating one's fellows as one would wish to be treated. I never felt prejudiced about anyone because of their race, colour or ethnic or religeous origins and inclinations. I laughed at lots of jokes, winced at lots of others, voiced the occasional comment of disapproval and on a few occasions I intervened and gave a few quiet words of advice. With one noteable exception, my words and advice seemed to carry some gravitas and honours were usually left even.

So when I see stories like this I refrain from telling tired old wartime jokes about Italian tanks having one forward, and eight reverse, gears - it's not funny and it's not clever.



O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills; 
For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding;
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;
    Here Captain! dear father!
      This arm beneath your head;
        It is some dream that on the deck, 
          You’ve fallen cold and dead.

(Walt Whitman)















16 comments:

Conan the Librarian™ said...

For Sale: Italian WW2 M91 carbine. As new, only been dropped once.

Hogdayafternoon said...

Conan: 1st (with a disgraceful example of stereotyping).

I'm waiting to hear the news that he knew there was a woman in a house overlooking the bay who always sunbathed topless on her balcony.

TonyF said...

I think it will be a case of (in a bad Italian accent) "You are a beyoodiful lyedee," *CRUNCH!* "What a mistake-a to make-a"


With thanks to Capt. Bertorelli.

Hogdayafternoon said...

TonyF: Having just seen `Allo `Allo performed by The Harleston Players i can really appreciate that superb, but disgraceful, 2nd example of stereotyping from a blog pal, both of you obviously in dire need of diversity awareness training - available soon at a council run hall near YOU (if you're in Diane Abbotts constituency).

TonyF said...

I really liked 'Allo allo', I know the stereotyping is what made it so funny, but at least it did take an equal amount of piss from every one..

I was just pissing by when I heard a shat... (Crabtree)

As for 'diversity', I can safely say, the closer you look at something, the more you see. Once it wasn't possible to get anything smaller than an atom, then those damned physicists go and split it and find electrons, protons and neutrons. Which of course they looked at closely, and found quarks... If they had stood back instead, they would have a nice view without all the lumps and bumps.

Hogdayafternoon said...

All references from me, about stereotyping, are firmly of the tongue-in-cheek variety (unless you're French, in which case i say, `vive Biffins Bridge` :)-

CI-Roller Dude said...

HD, from what I've heard, it sounds like that ship's capt was thiking with the wrong head. He was having dinner with a lady as the ship was taking on water.

Dave Pie-n-Mash said...

Psssst. HogDay.... Am I allowed to guess who you are in the Day of the Jackal movie? Or would you rather wait until you write a post about it? I have two possibilities. And Yes, I am clearly a nerd for having a copy of Day of the Jackal. I come from Dagenham so I make no excuses. One man's awful movie is a Dagenham man's intellectual film noir.

Hogdayafternoon said...

Dude: Stereotyping wins again!! And its OK if you keep it quiet. Certainly saved my neck a few times over the years

Dave: Brilliant film, a classic. Exactly 60 mins into the film. I bet you're gonna say its the bloke on the front door of Number 10 who knocks the door ;)

Dave Pie-n-Mash said...

YOu were the copper outside No. 10? My versiion of the movie has 3 minutes or so of preamble, so my 60 minutes in was not your 60 minutes in. I had you pegged as the young detective who walks into the room, picks up files and leaves. Or, as the young PC walking through the park. Both scenes a few minutes before the No. 10 scene. What a colourful life you've lead.

What sort of an anorak am I that I went away and dug this out? I need a hobby....

Hogdayafternoon said...

Dave: The Pc who knocked the door was my mate `Animal`. I was walking along Whitehall en route back to number ten, a few seconds before that scene. 3 seconds of non-fame! Full story (and how I met Edward Fox) coming along shortly.

Justthisguy said...

The Whitman poem was about Abe Lincoln, or Abe Lenin, as I like to call him. Fortunately, he was never President of _my_ country! (Ours was Jeff Davis.)

Deo Vindice!

Hogdayafternoon said...

JTG: Fancy meeting you here! Is that "Battle Cry of Freedom" I hear playing in the background? :)

Hogdayafternoon said...

JTG: Fancy meeting you here! Is that "Battle Cry of Freedom" I hear playing in the background? :)

Justthisguy said...

No, Hog, it's "The Bonny Blue Flag."

Hogdayafternoon said...

JTG: Of course! Hurrah, Hurrah, for Southern rights hurrah. (My dogs middle name is `Beauregarde`)