12 Comments
May 12Liked by Nathaniel, Issariya

I certainly never want to belong to a club like The Garrick- amongst those ruby-nosed old farts? Men and women are definitely entitled to their own space, it's the ENTITLED who need to open their doors to EVERYONE-men, women and anyone else. Privilege is the oppressor, keeping all other talent in its place. Men and women can have their clubs, just don't exclude the underprivileged so that they remain barred from equality. Thank you for another thought provoking piece- enjoyed the music and story too.

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I agree - I can't see how this tokenistic gesture at the highest level of society will do anything to change the inequalities normal people face. This kind of gatekeeping elitism is how the establishment sustains itself. Anyway, glad you enjoyed the read!

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May 12Liked by Nathaniel, Issariya

Love the analysis of the original little mermaid story. Knew of the old darker version, but never really considered it more deeply. Great article, cheers to new narratives!

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Thank you! I always find it interesting digging into the hidden messages in these old fairytales - glad you enjoyed the analysis too :)

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And this is why I hoard your writing. Because I want to phone a friend, corner a passing neighbour, tell someone about what you've written, followed up with, as my MW friend would cheekily say, 'Discuss'. Hear hear! This is so well said in an eloquent, calm, but firm way! I'm going to stop there because I have too much to say.

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Thanks so much! Always a delight to read your thoughtful comments.

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I recently wrote about the disenchanted feeling I have about wine and men. Men are boring. Sorry, but they are with few exceptions. I hope that club is dismantled. And to be fair I have no issue with men only clubs. I am in many women only clubs. The issue is the social power they give the male members access to. Smash the Patriarchy.

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Your point about the social power that comes with elitism sums it up exactly! There are many good reasons why certain clubs should be limited to specific demographics, but not when it's about protecting power and reinforcing dominance. Where wine intersects with that pushes it out of reach for the rest of us. Thanks for your comment!

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Well said, this is an excellent and concise trashing of everything that's wrong with "fine wine". I feel that it makes a perfect partner for something I wrote back in March: https://themorningclaret.com/p/fine-wine-isnt-wine-its-just-commerce

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Thanks Simon, totally agree with your points - fine wine isn't really about the liquid in the bottle, so as the idea of it: aspirational, exclusive and sadly out of reach for many true wine lovers (including the majority of us who work in the fine wine trade). Thanks for sharing!

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May 13Liked by Issariya

Fantastic song choice. My absolute musical queen <3

And such a neat snippet on the Hans version of the Little Mermaid, thank you!

Great piece Issa.

Stupid though celebrity culture is as a general thing, it's still a shame to hear of the people involved and the imagined virtues you might place upon them...

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Thanks Henry! I adore Laura Marling too.

To your final point, I agree - there are all sorts of political figures on the books too, but you'd expect it from them. Not so much from the more artistic "leading lights". Shame.

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