You might have seen in the news yesterday that two RAF engineers were sentenced for vandalising a fibreglass statue of Paddington Bear, after one too many sherbets. For reference, on the right is a photo I took this morning to show the kind of statue we're talking about - they're currently dotted around all over the country.
Anyway, here's the thing. In summing up, the judge presiding over the vandalism case described Paddington as a "beloved cultural icon [who] represents kindness, tolerance and promotes integration and acceptance in our society." He went on to describe the vandals' actions as "the antithesis of everything Paddington stands for." And this is where it gets interesting.
Reaction to the judge's words has been cautiously mixed. Can a fictional, anthropomorphised talking bear really stand for anything, asks a section of society that could probably find better things to do with its time. Another, slightly more clickbaited response to that has been to observe that of course fictional characters can stand for something - people have been investing in the morality of gods for millenia, after all. And for there it all gets unseemly and petty and divisive - the antithesis indeed.
I was thinking about this yesterday, after reading the story, and then read 199 Song's excellent post which reminded me of Morgan Freeman's closing voiceover to Se7en, specifically:
Ernest Hemmingway once wrote, "The world is a fine place, and worth fighting for." I agree with the second part.
I know what I stand for. And I agree with the second part too.
Some songs.
Want to know what Cuyahoga is about?
...they're never gonna make you stand in line...
...I am a moth who just wants to share your light...
...All of these people who want us to fail, I won't let that happen now...
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