Even Criminals Get Dementia

I found myself  watching “The Fear” last week and, much against my better judgement as it started so weakly,  I followed it to the bitter  end.  I found ways of finding it interesting by spotting the location shots,  continuity errors and dementia symptoms. Seemed better without the sound on,  as the dialogue was dire,  though the music was perfect. On reflection ,  it was worth it a little bit.  Fear Pier -- Pier of Fear -- The only way is Pier. . . . 

Each episode concluded with a voice-over reminding viewer that if they had any issues raised by the programme they should look at the Channel 4 web-site.  I immediately reached for my lap-top and fired off an angry shot at the script writers for wasting my valuable time (after all,  there are only a finite number of days in anyone’s life for watching that dross -- and you cannot take un-viewed set-box recordings to heaven with you.)

The dementia societies listed in the Channel 4 web-site should be ashamed of being associated with this appalling travesty:   the very week that  Xmas To Remember web-site is launched,  an awareness raising campaign on dementia. Yet, even criminals get dementia:  without fear or favour,  it can strike at anytime.

The symptoms include:
memory loss, such as remembering past events much more easily than recent ones --
problems thinking or reasoning, or finding it hard to follow conversations or TV programmes (like this one) --
feeling anxious, depressed or angry about memory loss, or feeling confused, even when in a familiar environment -- 
Impaired vision or hearing causing the person to misinterpret sight and sounds . . . . . . . . .

We are not surprised that B&H City Council would not be ashamed with being associated with this:  they need all the money they can get -- echoes of the  White Slave Trade -- chained to treasury forever --

Dementia can often be very funny,  too funny.  A bit of incontinence here ,  a bit of memory loss there.  The shooter forgets where he left the get-away car -- it is a standard cartoon caper -- slap-stick comedy with blood on it -- blood for blood -- hellihallihullinations == Combination of Jeff Keen’s short Breakout and BlazArt -- a bit of  pataphysics, dada and surrealism -- http://www.brighton-hove-rpml.org.uk/WhatsOn/Pages/BMAGShoottheWrxjeffkeen27octto24feb13.aspx

At that point,  I warmed to the whole holistic batacchio:  even the hero anti-hero giggles a bit --

the twist at the end is poor,  though,  unless it is was a code for euthanasia:    mercy-killing with knobs-on --  that is the wrong message  to be associated with -- that’s precisely how society behaves towards the old and infirm -- talk of “social death” and “biological death”.  Ideally, the two coincide, but in dementia, there is discordance. As people with dementia decline, they are no longer deemed worthy of attention or thought.

As far as society is concerned, they are already history -- Better Off Dead -- DNR =+=

And the messages about Brighton as the place to be?  Well, let’s  put our blue blind-folds on. . . .