It
has been a long time since I considered the implications of a word like
sarcasm. It was usually enough to
remember the notable exchanges between Whistler and Wilde, especially the
exchange of Oscar hearing Whistler say something clever and his then saying, “I
wish I had said that!” and Whistler quipping, “You will, Oscar, you will!” Now that is sarcasm at a high level: clever,
witty and true!
Which brings us to the ignoble piece of narcissistic
trash that is the current president of the United States of America. Even for him he has plumbed a new low in
trying to pretend that his “Let them drink Dettol!” was an example of sarcasm,
used as a form of ‘sarcasm’ to taunt the members of the press. I watched that particular piece of the press
conference and the idiot said it with what passes for sincerity with such an
empathy-lacking sociopath such as himself to a member of his scientific
advisory panel. Trump is a crap actor in
the same way as he is crap at all aspects of a life. For what I saw to be sarcasm, Trump would
have to be a sophisticated, articulate, Machiavellian, consummate thespian with
high comedic skills. Trump, that is not!
I refuse to believe that Trump has any
conception of irony or sarcasm, even though his entire existence and his
present position exemplify the concepts!
The
British total of dead from Covid-19 has now gone over the 20,000 that the
scientific advisors said would be a limit that would indicate that we had done
well to contain the disease. So, we have
done badly, because not only are we over the total of 20k but also the figures
that we have at the present give only an indication of what the true numbers
are and will be.
Yet again the testing put in place by the
government has failed as the testing opportunities have crashed for the second
day running, one wonders how the government is going to spin that disaster in
the sequence of disasters that have marked their management of the crisis.
Tomorrow
in Spain is the release of the Plague Kids into society. No one seems entirely sure of the exact rules
for the release of the kids, but it will be interesting to see how the general
population interpret them – at least from our limited viewpoint defined by the
house!
I will watch the news with a great deal of
interest to see how the rules apply generally.
Today
has been one of those days that simply seem to slip by and one wonders what one
has done to justify the gift of 24 hours.
To be fair to me, I have (I think) come to a final draft for the
chapbook, The Coast of Memory. Tomorrow
a final print out and checking and then, as far as I am concerned, it is done!
