Elvis once had a hit with, "A Little Less Conversation". It was a huge hit, even reincarnated into a modern dance track and used in Nike adverts (I think), but the point of the song is lost on some people.
"A little less conversation, a little more action please". It might be in the context of love, where two people who like each other are talking and not doing anything about it, but that sentence can also be used in context with anything. I've said it so many times before, and I'm going to say it again. There are too many people in this world who complain copiously and then do nothing about it. Yes, I mentioned this in yesterday's blog post, but I've just seen yet another example. Someone has been complaining on Twitter for the last 20 minutes about some issue or another, but then openly says, "But I can't do anything about it".
Nonsense. A human being can do anything they want to, if they try. And what is the point in complaining about it if you're going to sit back and do nothing about it? Sure, you might not be able to do a lot, but it's better than doing nothing. It's better than sitting back and waiting for someone else to do it for you. Surely? Surely that makes sense? Surely you've got to try?
Someone asked me, "What have you done then?". It was a question that quite frankly, pissed me off. I shall now list some of the things I have done:
1) I was angry when the national FA fined me for my comments against the (racist) ex-Chief Executive at the County FA. I sent a letter to the national and county FA's, made a statement by resigning my position and went to both local and national media to highlight the issues. I received a good response and helped, albeit on a small scale, against the sensitive issue of racism in football. I was hounded by people close to the FA and people attempted to bully me into submission, but I didn't. I stood up for myself. I then backed that up with a letter to David Bernstein, the chairman, outlining all that is wrong with the modern game, and I received a reply. I did something about it.
2) No one was happy with the management structure at our local cricket club. When an EGM was announced, I was the person who stood up in front of a crowded room and outlined the thoughts of the majority of our members by openly criticising the management and proposing a complete overhaul. I am now on the Board of Directors, and with the help of others, starting to rebuild the club (that was on the floor) to a respectable community club with aspirations of higher standing. I instigated that change. I did something about it.
3) I am increasingly despondent at the inequality this country provides whilst masking that fact with false pretence. Homophobia is prevalent in society, as I have found out for myself in the past few weeks both online and in person. I was called a "second rate citizen" by a nasty piece of work on Twitter, amongst other things, and was personally attacked at work by a customer who refused to be served by "someone like me" as "I don't know if you're going to destroy my bank account, as you have made the wrong choices in life yourself". This is wrong. Plain wrong and disgusting. Sure, 98% of society is fine, but the remaining 2% are not. I will stand up for myself every time, and I will not bow down to such abhorrent behaviour. There is no way I can sit back and hear stories of people suffering because they are scared of coming out, due to these horror stories. So I wrote my own story, and donated it to a website called 'RUComingOut' (www.rucomingout.com), to help others in a similar situation. Right now, I am in conversation with a lot of people who need that help, and I will always be there. I am doing my bit to help the community I am a part of. I did, and still am doing something about it.
...
This has turned into a slightly angry post, and yes, I am a little angry. I am fed up to the back teeth of people complaining and moaning about this, that or the other and then just doing nothing about it. What are you expecting? Someone else to do the job for you? For it just to stop and go away? It doesn't. YOU have to get up off your arse and DO something. "Do" is a verb. No one got anywhere by sitting on their backside and doing naff all. Some people would do well to remember that.
I had to let that out. Now I'll let you carry on with watching Match of the Day, or downing vodka shots, or whatever you were doing.
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2 comments:
So what do you want, a medal? Some of us have done a hell of a lot more than you have, but we don't choose to brag about it from the rooftops or expect praise and a pat on the back!
You honestly seem to think that nobody else has any understanding of anything. Sorry to burst your bubble but people DO understand and they DO NOT need to be preached at and patronised by you or anyone else.
Your final sentence sums it up perfectly as you obviously think that no one else could possibly have been doing anything important.
This comment made me laugh for many reasons...
Alan... Alan... I don't know any Alan's! If I don't know who you are, chances are you don't know who I am, so how do you know what I have and haven't done? (Unless it's just an alias of course... And frankly, that wouldn't surprise me!) Besides, I am well aware I am not the only person in history to do anything ever - that much is obvious.
This is for the people who expect things to happen without doing anything about it. And those people do exist. And frankly, some of them do need to be preached at. Truth hurts.
As for "we don't choose to brag about it", cool. I couldn't care less if you do or don't, but I will. Isn't that allowed?
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