Thursday, May 01, 2008

Putting things in perspective

So apparently there is a bigoted troglodyte with a peroxided mop of hair running for Mayor of London (and it's not Ken L.). Apparently the chattering classes are up in arms. Zoe Williams at The Guardian gathers sound bites from weighty political commentators like Alan Rickman, Bianca Jagger and Mark F. Ravenhill, who has the following super duper deep thing to say:

Johnson doesn't have a strong instinct for a city that's as multicultural as London. He's not an inclusive politician in that way.

Have I already said that I -- like others out there -- really don't like Ravenhill? I guess I'm not an inclusive person in that way.

Zoe Willams, herself, in a moment of British self-obsession, imagines

... what a laughing stock we'd be, internationally, if we elected Boris Johnson as mayor.

Laughing stock? Internationally? Dear Zoe, let me tell you one thing: The world doesn't care about the Mayor of London. And guess what: Most people on this planet haven't the foggiest who Boris Johnson even is. Aren't we lucky?

(With thanks to Geoff for alerting me to this important article. And with apologies to people who -- for obvious geopolitical reasons -- have to care about this more than we do).

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