“The society which has abolished every kind of adventure makes its own abolition the only possible adventure.” Paris, May 1968


Sunday 28 October 2012

"Charity creates a multitude of sins." Oscar Wilde.

As the full extent of the power and influence of Jimmy Savile is exposed so too is his place in the unpleasant network that is the ruling elite in this country. The Tory Party, Royal Family, Vatican and the media have all been complicit in a huge cover up that is slowly being unmasked. Doubtless there is much more to come. But what positive outcome might we expect from all of this?  Some form of token justice and recompense for Savile's victims would be nice of course. It would also be satisfying to see our corrupt and degenerate masters revealed for what they are. It's a long shot I know but it might even be possible that some really fundamental issues get talked about. It is probably too much to hope for but how about we consider for a moment, not just the activities of a few evil men but the kind of social relations that allow such people to prosper. Perhaps a tad less ambitious but important none the less would be to have a long hard look at the charity industry. Savile's whole public persona was based on the notion of charity. Had he remained just another self-promoting show biz personality he would never have been able to wheedle his way into the inner circle of government and royals. It was the endless high profile fund raising and volunteering that gave him the necessary leverage. This is not to throw stones at the good folk who give their time, energy and hard earned cash to help those who they perceive to be worse off than themselves, far from it, but the whole industry of giving is sadly far more complex than the simple kindness of strangers. Some interesting thoughts from Jules Evans on the nature of charity, self help and mutual aid at http://philosophyforlife.org/pow-mutual-improvement-back-to-the-19th-century/

1 comment:

Gitane said...

Excellent blog Ray.My colleagues and I have been banging on about this for over a year.We have to work with many MH "charities" and it has become increasingly obvious that although faced with huge funding cuts the administrations have remained intact yet the people on the ground, care and support workers etc. have practically disappeared.
Most of these administrations are little more than gravy trains for the middle classes offering jargon like "progression" and "self support" etc. Most of them are busy parking their mentally ill "clients" in inappropriate placements and workplaces. Ticking boxes but achieving little. GPs we've noticed, have little or no interest in MH patients because of the high costs of real therapy (now coming out of the practice purse)as opposed to the cheaper option of the chemical cosh.
There were some really decent people in MH but they are now seen as irrelevant and troublesome.
A hundred years of good work wiped out in 24 months.