I heard all this stuff on the radio this morning about an organisation called Action for Happiness. I've just read their website and it all seems jolly nice and happy and.... ......Action for Happiness is a movement for positive social change. We're bringing together people from all walks of life who want to play a part in creating a happier society for everyone..... ......it also seems like hard work. I'm not against this as such, but I fear it is all a bit of a fad. Those joining sound very positive and keen to be seen to be happy. However, what happens when they are not happy? Are we supposed to chivvy them back into happiness? What about sad looking people? Those with lugubrious expressions. "Cheer up, Walter, it can't get any worse!" What if Walter just doesn't want a happy day?
My take on happiness is that one should have a sense of the ridiculous. Just having a sense of humour is no good. A good belly laugh is the required remedy for a blue day. Trying to be happy may be too difficult. Taking ourselves too seriously is the problem. A good dose of Ken Dodd is the remedy. If that does not work, pick another jokesmith. Laugh and the world laugh's with you. Force it, and, well, that's another matter.
Like Sir Tim Rice I was a childhood fan of Norman Wisdom, but unlike Sir Tim I never met Norman. Those who did were very pleased to know that he was an engaging person. Probably that was why the people of Albania found he was just the tonic for getting over a dour regime's lifeless lifestyle.
The Albanian ambassador has spoken nice words about him -
Tributes have been paid in all British newspapers and in many all around the world. I suspect some who may not have heard of him yet will read about him today. If you never saw a film of his here are a couple to see in clips. The Fifties were somewhat dull so a character like Norman Pitkin, as Wisdom became, was very much light relief.
Norman Wisdom Dentist (A Stitch In Time)
Norman Wisdom - Trouble in Store - New Chief's office
I am a fan of Little Britain. I think the characters do two things quite wonderfully. They amplify our fantasies (and anyone who says they don't have even the mildest daydream is lying!) and they debunk authority in a very realistic and meaningful way. The scenes where Carol Beer is in charge of "customer service" are not just funny but so near to being the whole truth in some cases.
We live in a society today where the computer is king and our lives revolve around it. Added to that most companies and organisations routinely instruct their staff not to admit that anything is wrong, defective or out of place. Discussion is minimal. Some stores just take things back without the need of questioning, others endeavour to dig their heels in and brutalise the customer. Either way, the staff member in question never admits to a fault.
Now we are told that computer boffins are trying to get machines to recognise human speech patterns in order to get search engine requests better filtered. But all this is putting the cart before the horse. Unless we can get a more civilised interaction between ourselves with regard to the service culture we are just going to rely on the boffins and the comedians to be at opposite ends of a spectrum.
I think the general election should focus a bit more on getting things done rather than brushed under the carpet. Whether it be the size of the national debt or a localised issue like speed humps, Britain is full of paper-pushers and long grass enthusiasts. If change means anything, let it mean changing Britain's longtime affliction with meaningless short-term fixes and fudges.
I'm approaching 60. All my life comedians and comic actors have made a running joke about Britain's attitude to service. Nobody wanted to wait at tables so we imported Italians. Tony Hancock berated the blood donor service, Arthur Haynes had a go at the health service, the Boulting Brothers gave us satirical films, John Cleese had a nice turn in customer care whilst at Fawlty Towers, and now, bang up to date, Little Britain picks up the baton (as if this is a relay race) and continues to mock the attitudes that beset us.
How long does Britain need to be reminded through humour that we need to get a grip and make some real changes?
