Text Art: Rotten Sport / Those fashy types!

Rotten Sport, RTomens 2019

A concrete poetry piece or text art is perhaps a better term. The title and text was not inspired by thoughts this morning outside a cafe in Kentish Town...at least not consciously. The words developed as I improvised on 'rot' 'spot' 'sport'.

At the cafe I pondered the use of the term 'fashy types' used during a chat I had with someone on FB. Fashy types? Hold on, so fascists are a type nowadays? Like 'hipster types' or 'Indie types'? Must be the word on the street; one which I don't inhabit. Ironically, a seriously evil ideology perverted by language in this way relegates it to something far less menacing than it should be. Aside from it becoming casual slang, you'll have noticed how commonly it's thrown around. Everyone who isn't on the side of...what are they? Post-Left? Neo-Marxists-who-haven't-read-him? ...whatever, is a 'fascist'! Obviously, eh? It doesn't take much to earn the accusation. Just support Donald Trump, be patriotic or pro-Brexit...easy.

Back when I attended RAR (Rock Against Racism) gigs in the late-70s nobody casually threw the word 'fascist' around. Now it's a thing. Yes, one of those stupid contemporary things. The idiots that use it so eagerly should read a history book or two. They might realise that their usage of the word is an insult to all victims of actual fascism in the 20th century. 

Another irony is that the 'other side' (conservatives, straight people etc) are the ones triggering sections of the Youth, these days. It used to be the other way 'round. Spiky hair, safety pins etc would send 'them' mad! Punks were beaten up regularly. I had a few close calls. Some Punks even wore swastika armbands (stupid, I know) as the ultimate trigger. Today 'straight' society is doing all the winding up, often unintentionally, but also consciously pushing buttons that will bring about a flood of tears and outrage. It's trolling in the real world on a huge scale!

Poor kids. I almost feel sorry for them. Mind you, some are old enough to know better but they've willingly gone along for the ride not having outgrown irrelevant Leftist ideology from the 80s. What choice do they have? To abandon all that in favour of thinking that's more in tune with the changed political landscape might get them branded as 'fashy types'. 

Me? I'm neither Right nor Left. I gave up political dogma long ago.