Is the Guardian worse than it used to be?

Can’t stand Ricky Gervais. Never took to any iteration of The Office.

Ricky "I have no catchphrase" Gervais?

Funny, I'd just go "..ooh, bit sexist..." and let you guess who I'm doing.

He used to live around the corner from me, and is a very short man with a face that appears red and scaly because either rosacea or retinol treatments gone bad.

original office is absolutely genius, one of the best works of television ever

gervais sucks

let's here it for the exorbitantly talented comedy writers connie booth, arthur mathews and stephen merchant who did great work in the face of fearful obstacles

It's became overwhelmingly certain in the last few years that David Brent was mostly a self-portrait.

I quite enjoyed the films he made, Ghost Town, Lying, and (ahem) Cemetery Junction

Suzy, does that make you a Whitley resident (or ex-...) ?

So many references in that Cemetery Junction film I recognised (often when things were markedly different, e.g. Cemetery Junction itself is not a railway station, posh girl surname Kendrick, the dull office the main character works at..)

And, although I've not met RG (i don't think) , I'm sure I have met some of the people that the characters were based on!

xpost yeah, some people I know raved on the David Brent "rock band" sequel, I thought it massively unfunny. Also, conversely, "Free Love freeway" is too good a song to be treated with the derision that the comedy calls for.

Ha no, I’m in Bloomsbury and RG used to live in a block on Southampton Row.

I used to live near Cemetery Junction so I was going to watch that film just to see if there were references I'd get but when I found out it was a railway station I thought oh they just used the name and lost interest

I feel like Gervais kinda redeemed himself with Afterlife... no, it's not exactly a hoot but it's thoughtful and even sweet at times

Xpost it's really evocative of Reading in the seventies, but cast through a dreamscape where various things are slightly different.

I don't know if it's a good film or not.

I used to love The Office, but RG is such a revolting prick I will never revisit it. but I can't tell if you all realize that guardian tweet wasn't about the show? maybe it was too banal for comment, but they're soliciting cherished memories of working at the office

Well, yeah...

Certainly not gonna watch afterlife to check but I feel like I’ve seen RG try for thoughtful and sweet & it tends to be mawkish garbage (remember Derek, that was impressively unwatchable)

the only thing I've watched with him briefly in it was Curb Your Enthusiasm, other than that I've effortlessly avoided everything else he's done his entire career.

But seriously ... why are the Guardian asking for memories of the office? (Not The Office.)

Because no-one who still has to go into work reads the Guardian.

The Philippa Perry advice column this week is far too soft on nepotism: I want people to like me and it makes me a bad boss

The question I need help with my career. My heart sinks every morning – I feel overwhelmed, under-capable. Everything is a firefight and I just get through and think OK, and then I must face it all again the next day, repeat ad nauseam.

I feel I’m over-promoted. Probably because of a family connection. I’m very senior at a large charitable foundation.

I feel a fraud and I have no idea how to make people do things, I just am not a natural leader in this area. I want to “like” people into doing things. I never “command”, I always almost plead – a sort of, “Please, please, if you could would you…” puppy-dog style. And it is exhausting. I am not strategically bad, on that level I think I am OK, it is all the rest......

Snippet of answer (but gives a good flavour of the overall response):

The best leaders are not those who dominate, but those who listen, respect and consider feedback from employees when making a decision. I expect you already do this because even if nepotism played a part in your promotion, I doubt that is the whole story. Shop around for a book on assertiveness and maybe shop around for your next counsellor, too. I think some help to control your inner critic and impostor syndrome would be beneficial – and you’ll need that whether you decide to stay in your present role or live another life.

even if nepotism played a part in your promotion, I doubt that is the whole story.

That almost certainly is the whole story, in fact.

What better place to go for advice on nepotism than a national newspaper?

government?

Sometimes the 'inner critic' has a good point and should be listened to! It's saying you were only appointed to this role because of your connections and it's not working. It's time to leave for the sake of your own mental health and self-respect, for the charity's sakes, your employees' sake, and for the people your charity helps.

Absolutely top tier Grain cuntery here

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/dec/19/until-i-get-a-second-pink-line-on-the-lateral-flow-im-going-to-squeeze-the-pips-out-of-life

Graun, ffs spellcheck where's the irony button?

just read that and came to see if it was posted here - skin still crawling from latty flow / cappuccino line

Currently squeezing the pips out of life by walking to Greenwich Park to birdwatch while listening to the EOY track nominations

Rachel Cooke is a massive TERF too.

My inclination for theatre lower than usual mind

We should have a whip round for her: Ridiculous as this may sound, I feel duty bound to go out; to spend what spare cash I have on a ticket for something and a bowl of pasta afterwards.

Will no one think of the impoverished Guardian journalists this christmas?

Wonder what would be on her EOY ballot

Article written appallingly and yeah she’s a fuckawful terf, but I thought it was pretty understandable. My situation a bit different from hers but I’m not really enjoying being boosted and having to stay in every single day in case I test positive for something that is probably not going to kill me all so I can test negative in another week. Hate living like this, frankly!

What is irritating about it in particular is that she presents her desire to go out as 'doing her duty to the arts and the hospitality sectors". If you're going to squeeze the pips out of life, at least admit you're doing what you really want to do - not cloud the issue with some ridiculous notion of "it's the least I can do for these brave sectors'.

yeah look i've gone out more than i shd, hopefully reasonably sensibly, but i'm not having a middle class public wank over it like i'm a fucking hero

There are two approaches to the current lockdown-that-is-not-a-lockdown. The first, which is by far the more popular, is to try to protect Christmas by doing nothing that might involve any risk of catching Omicron before then. You stay in, and you tick off the days. The second is to test and test and test, and then (so long as the result is negative) to go out and squeeze the pips from life.

Literally no part of this is true

there is interesting potential in the psychology of decision fatigue in the UK right now - having access to comparative global privilege of max vax and still having to sit indoors looking outside wistfully to Protect The NHS due to govt fuckups, and how that tests even the previously very "sensible".

I wanted to read something that got across the vividness of doing stuff when it feels like a countdown to nothing once again. Instead we get niche cultural indicators used as exclusive shorthand for sensory experience again. The family's annual Christmas visit to the Barbican for Handel's Messiah, and the usual bibbling lament for four beloved restaurants and the West End: if you know, then you know. idk why I'm surprised they still publish this shit.

in summary if you're doing shite twee latty flow patter plz commit and let's have a latte pun so I can have the dubious pleasure of bringing up my full stomach lining

Luna Schlosser:
>>> Sometimes the 'inner critic' has a good point and should be listened to!

This point in general is good.

It applies well to people saying 'I think I have imposter syndrome', hoping to be told 'Yes, you do, because you're actually *amazing*', rather than 'No, you really have been over-promoted and are incompetent at what you're doing'.

Yes.

Also, I enjoyed your post verhexen and agree w it. Merry xmas :)

well done mate

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/dec/24/i-used-to-avoid-pop-music-but-this-year-i-embraced-its-joyful-sexy-escapism

(unsurprisingly the comments are even worse than the article)

Oscar Quine

Didn’t even bother scrolling down

short version: He was always listening to pop music.

which senior Graunist is he related to?

willard van orman

"Yes, I think very deeply" brainyquotes.com Oscar Quine

Oscar Quine is a writer and journalist based in Glasgow

Can he be persuaded to move to Edinburgh?

I don't need to see more than the headline, tis the season to be jolly and I'm already aware that there's plenty of pig ignorant cunts in the world

Also the Onion already published this piece

https://www.theonion.com/ill-try-anything-with-a-detached-air-of-superiority-1819583947

It's even less 'interesting' than the headline

just forcing myself to listen to Koyaanisqatsi because I'm cultivating a "pretentious" persona next week

I've got 25 more Pierre Henry CDs than I had before the pandemic, so fuck yer pop music, where's my medal?