India Knight, in her column in the Sunday Times, identified a new sub set of the population – “stolid, slightly boring, living slightly ploddy lives”. I should not miss out the fact that she has "written before about her admiration for such stolidity; she genuinely finds it very touching." How does she identify this new group in our population? Well you can apparently recognize them because of one characteristic. They stay with their partners. India Knight Rules OK
Don’t get me wrong; I have always loved India’s column; I thought her full of common sense with a remarkable down to earth approach to life if her column is anything to go by.
I have noticed recently the occasional tone of disdain creeping in, and a note of admiration for the self-focused, tiny group of people most of whom live and work in London, who work in and around politics, government, journalism, top industry and finance. The tiny group of people who control the flow of wealth and information to the rest of us, who have been degrading that flow for the past 10 years.
Back to the article; I am perfectly aware that India started out to defend long relationships, and to decry the need of so many people for “BIG FAT WEDDING DAY” type excitement. I am aware that she was getting across the need to see marriage as more than a wedding. But oh, the mocking turn of those phrases, the bursting through of the conviction that she was not like that, that she would never have to live in such a tedious, dreary way.
Look out for your language India; this is not the first time you have allowed that tiny glimpse of contempt to show through. We would not like to see you descend from your throne of wonderful, kind common sense to become another shrill mocking recorder of your view of the world. Like me.
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