I am really having a hard time being here at the mo, especially since having the chat at work with my managers about when and how I'd like to leave next year - it means that now there is no chance they'll take the step of firing me (very expensive in Belgium), which means I'm almost definitely now here for another 14 to 16 months. It feels like a prison sentence today.
Of late, since I decided to take a more zoological approach to life with this nation of fuckwits, I've been having an easier time overall. As much as I'd like to slot entire nationalities into comprehensive stereotypes, you do find multiple intelligent and resourceful people here able to have an idea and take it to some sort of natural conclusion without accidentally suffocating themselves on it, and then when you find those people it's such a lovely surprise. And if you remind yourself that you're not here forever, some of the stupid things the Wallonians do, like name their dogs Caramel, or descend into utter blank-faced, lobotomized shrugging confusion when you scream profanities at them for nearly running you over on pedestrian crossings, or take 8 months to proceed through any bureaucratic process, get quite - well - 'cute' isn't the word. 'Zoologically interesting' probably works better.
The thing is, zoological approach or not, this is a bad, unhealthy place with the same endemic corruption as one finds in Italy, the same manipulations of power, the same culture of immunity and being above the law once you have a certain amount of money or a certain amount of fame. All the way from the child-rape-and-snuff-party-lovin' elite (multiple people claiming to have been victims came forward to identify and testify; no follow up) to TV presenter and children's author Gie Laenen (sentenced to four years in prison a year ago for sexually assaulting 25 boys over a 30 year period last year; has not yet been arrested to begin his prison sentence and, apparently, will not be) to an annoying 26-year-old TV presenter, David Antoine, who killed a pensioner with his Audi last year while she was using a pedestrian crosswalk and he was talking on his fucking cellphone (his license was suspended for two months and he has to do 100 hours of community work).
In all those cases and hundreds more, there's a pervasive, revolting tendency to fail to protect the most vulnerable in favour of protecting the ruling classes. And the ruling classes don't even use their immunity to develop any sort of competence. They just use it to give the world excellent basis for those persistent rumours Madeleine McCann is here - in the fucking paedophilia capital of the developed world. Retch. Tout court, this place is disgusting and hay fever isn't the only way it makes me fucking sick.
I guess it's been given an excellent example of victimizing the defenseless with impunity by its dominant religion. I love how the Catholic Church pretends to be falling all over itself to address instances of child abuse at its institutions in the past, and still goes through every arduous and expensive legal channel it can find to prevent its child abusers from being named or facing criminal prosecution. When Mum converted I tried hard to respect her decision and her revelation, but I had to ask eventually how she could stomach the very, very old corruption of the Church as an institution. She'd actually brought it up with her spiritual advisors, and they'd helped her draw a distinction between the spiritual and the political sides of Catholicism, which had reassured her. Which, I forebore from pointing out at the time and will struggle to continue to not point out, out of respect for her decision and her revelation, is marvellously fucking convenient for the political side of Catholicism.
6 commenti:
I respect others religious choices as long as they don't try and convert me (actually, I talk smack behind all religions backs).
When my husband and I were in search of a public high school in Chicago for my stepson, the principal of his middle school suggested Catholic school, at which my husband replied, "BUT I LOVE MY SON. Why would I do that?"
I think the two years of Catholic school he had in kindergarten & 1st grade scarred him for life.
BTW- you've caused quite a ruckus on my blog. I've been getting phone calls about it. It's pretty damn funny.
Oh dear. I just realized that other reader might have been mixing up bums and fannies, and hence some half of the confusion. I thought everybody had heard that 'don't call it a fanny pack while abroad!' warning by now.
Your husband is funny. The Catholic school I went to as a child wasn't bad but then all the teachers were normies, not nuns or such, and they didn't bother us often with religious classes. I don't disrespect the choice to be celibate, but I think anybody who does make such a headfuck of a choice should thereafter choose their company carefully - ie, those big enough to defend themselves from all the CRAZY that will result from not getting laid FOREVER. Erge est, not children.
Mum is the woman who taught me to be critical and moral as a child and her converting had a difficult impact on my world view. Which really isn't her problem, so I try to keep all the "WTF???" inside.
It's interesting on the Catholic school matter... every woman who's been in Catholic school has a decent, if not wonderful experience. On the other hand, every man I've known who's attended has a ridiculous reaction at the mere mention of it. I wonder if gender plays a huge role in the Catholic school...
And no, Americans don't differentiate b/w fannies & bums.
Did he go to an all-boys school? I think all-boys schools are always more difficult, no matter what the denomination, and also the boys schools tend to have more priests, and, well.
We were co-ed and there wasn't a priest to be found. One rather sweet aged nun, and then a bunch of normies.
you know, i never asked.
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