Why I Love the Brits
Don't know if you've heard about and been following the, um, development of the newly created LiveJournal community called "london_hurts". It's a place started by someone in sympathy with the Brits over the 07/07/05 bombings (how convenient that date listing works for both Europeans and Americans, btw).
Anyway, at the start of the community, there is an image banner of Big Ben with the words across it: "London Hurts. Today I am a Londoner & Today I Hurt".
Well, as you can imagine...
You sort of have to experience this for yourself. The person/people who started it had the very best of intentions, I'm sure, but it's developed into something rather different from what they intended. In short, Londoners have been taking the piss out of it ever since they came across it. ("Right, then. If you're all Londoners today, that's eight quid each for the congestion charge.")
Some of them have prepared their own memorial image banners, of course. My absolute very favorite is this one which introduces itself as follows:
The banners other fellow members (or should that be mourners?) have been posting are inspirational. Even though some of those making them are not in London, or even the UK, or Europe, they really manage to capture the essence of how we all feel here.
Anyway, I made my own, and I hope it gives you as much comfort as your touching tributes have given me. Thanks.
To see it, go here.
Oh. My. Agog.
That was brilliant. And then I went and looked at the whole thing. You know, we really should have taken that job in London when we had the chance.
Posted by: punkrockhockeymom | July 10, 2005 at 08:02 PM
Been there, rolled my eyes, went on.
I wonder how much of this is not so much a matter of cultural difference as it is a matter of emotional maturity and personal style. How many of the icon-makers are pretty young and believe that expressing yourself really fixes things, because they have so little experience of the real world and haven't learned that even as Bad Stuff happens, you still have to get up and get on with your life? Just another one of the romantickal idiocies of adolescence, whereever you are.
I have enjoyed the tea-drinking icons, though.
Posted by: fidelio | July 11, 2005 at 09:35 AM
I have theories as to what's going on, but of course to actually test them I'd have to personally know the people posting from afar about their pain, so I think I won't go there. What I think I can take at face value, however, is the response of the Londoners who have, um, contributed to the site. The entire transaction is there before my very eyes, and it's an education "an' no mistake", as they say.
Posted by: Corpsy | July 11, 2005 at 09:56 AM