I’m not a great lover of soap operas, but last night I found myself parked on the sofa watching Eastenders. For you guys who are not familiar with the soap, I shall give you a quick run down on what it’s all about. Basically, it’s a place in the East End of London where life is mundane, depicting morose lives of characters that spend most of existence in the pub, club or ‘The Cafe”. It’s supposed to represent realistic situations but lately had just become a constant stream of unrelenting misery.
I haven’ t tuned in for months, and last nights episode seem to have people talking. Some say that they too had become involved and felt emotional about the whole story line, even crying in front of their televisions.
I can never understand why people can get so into their soaps, like it’s another extension of their daily life.
I used to work in a place where the main topic in the staff room used to be the lives of the characters in these soaps. One time I walked in and they were discussing about someones illicit affair, a woman who is having an affair with her sisters’ boyfriend, while she too is also carrying on with another guy, and to top that, her sister is actually her daughter. While I listened engrossed in this unconventional drama, I started to think that my life seems a little dull compared to this woman. She seems to have all things going on, and god knows how she’s going to get out of this pickle. I then asked the woman next to me…
“Do you know what’s shes going to do?” she casually said “Well, we’ll just have to find out at 7.30 on Thursday night to see what happens!”. Then the penny dropped.
But what amazed me was the enthusiasm in their story telling, that made me believe that they were in fact talking about someone that they know. Maybe I’m a little naive, or just a soap opera snob, but it’s interesting how women (especially) can relate to these characters.
Do you think that soap operas are common in women who need some sort of escapism? Does it help them forget about the real drama in their life? The teduim of chores and childcare are livened up by looking forward to the outrageous story lines during the week? Whatever the reason, these half an hour installments seems to satisfy many of them, and it brings them joy even if the plots are just a little too far fetched.
The daily humdrum of life can be a drag, and if you are one of many of London commuters you would know how unattractive a winters morning trip to work could be. But this was changed when the ground floor was converted to a dance floor, when over 350 appeared to be travelers burst into dance and performed a mix of dance moves which left commuters feeling confused but also most importantly bringing a smile to their normally dismal faces.
Forget any cynicism, yes its an advertisment but considering what our world is going through at the moment, this kind of thing is just what we need, I just wished that I was there to join in the fun.
My eyes couldn’t believe what I was seeing and my jaw was literally on the floor. A program titled ‘My Fake Baby’ was one of the featured documentaries on Channel 4, which follows the lives of women who ‘looks after’ a reborn baby.
If you’ve never heard of a ‘reborn‘ then you are not alone, this was the first time that I saw or heard of this and I shook my head in disbelief that this niche has been created for women out there who are desperate to have a baby of their own. The doll uncannily resembles an infant, and are made with delicate and real life features to replicate a real baby. They can be customised to the buyers requirements from blinking, birthmarks and can also be fitted with breathing mechanisms just to add to that ‘living’ look.
One of the women featured in this documentary was Christine, an older woman who had a replica of her grandson made to get over her loss when Harry and his parents moved to New Zealand. It was obvious that the absence of Harry has deeply affected Christine. It was clear that she was emotionally unstable and is finding it hard to let go of her grandson. She spoke about him as if he had died, and in some way, I think she sees it that way, which is very sad. But I asked myself, would this really help her get over the loss of her grandchild? Or will it just prolong the pain that she has been feeling, by looking after an emotionless piece of plastic?
Like Christine, many women use these ‘reborns’ as aides in over coming loss, and who are we to judge even if we find it a little unorthodox? Many people deal with grief in different ways and if this is what ‘heals’ them then I can accept that, but I don’t think I can get used the idea of grown woman cooing after a latex form and hearing them call it ‘the perfect baby’. To me it’s just plain weird.
So what is it like to live in the 21st century? Yes, I have a mobile phone, a laptop, 4 computers, a PS3, DS console, HD TV, not including 3 extra TVs, my husband carries around an MDA like his life depends on it, my kids have mobiles and finally my life support, my Sat Nav. Which I swore to my husband that I NEEDED or else I will be lost forever if I ever went out in the car.
It’s not unusual is it? Most people I know probably have the same things I have and maybe even more, this is how we live, this is our life.
But then a harsh realization hit me, when I watched last nights Pacific Abyss on BBC1. Where a group of marine biologists goes on a quest to dive the most remote seas in the Pacific, and stopping off to meet the people in an island called Puluwat, Micronesia. Where the natives learns an old age method of navigation, passed on to generations.
These people navigate the Pacific seas only using the distant stars. Nothing is written down, all teachings are memorized and so used when they need to navigate from one island to another and even sailing for hundreds of miles without the aid of modern equipment and navigational charts.
I was not just ashamed of myself , but for most of us, who rely on modern technology to carry on our daily lives. We have lost our natural ability to work with nature, naturally moving on with the times, and forgetting that once we were like them.
I have total admiration and respect for these people. It humbled me, of course, I’m not about to rely on the stars or change the way that I live, after all, this is what I know. Having the latest gadgets, doesn’t make me any more knowlegable than them, actually it potrays the opposite.
