I must confess to having, as a general rule, a love/hate relationship with
The Vicar of Dibley. Being female, clerical and inclined to chocoholism, people somehow feel the need to mention Dibley to me on a fairly regular basis...so the stick-on clerical smile has been rather necessary at times. Good comedy, though,- if at times disturbingly akin to my past life in a Cotswold village.
Last night, however, was something different.Sitting amid the debris of New Year's Day chez Fleming I was suddenly on the verge of tears as Jim read his letter to Tony Blair
"No...no...no...no more children dying..."
The whole family froze amid the torpor of the evening and when the programme ended there was silence for a good two minutes, before the inevitable question
"Do you have any white ribbon anywhere? I think we should wear armbands to church tomorrow"
I've just visited the BBC messageboards, where reaction was mixed, but for me this was the most amazing use of comedy to make a point that needs making more now than ever.
Could we maybe, possibly make poverty history this year?
Please God. Please.
4 comments:
Amen, Kathryn.
30,000 people dying needlessly everyday but out of view and we say nothing. Just five times that number of people dying dramatically due to an underwater earthquake and we are deeply shocked and desperate to help. It made me think.
Wouldn't it be great if we can really seriously reduce world poverty and make the world a more equitable place in 2005. Your Kingdom Come!
Amen!
And can you tell me how I can get a white band for my blog? I couldn't find any info on the makepovertyhistory.org website. Now, if only there was a place in the States where I could buy a physical white band ...
Here's hoping that this campaign will lead to MUCH greater awareness and real, tangible progress!
Blessings,
Dylan
Oh, I agree. I struggle so much with the Vicar of Dibley. So much of it is just gross - the whole obsession with sex and trying to get the vicar 'a good seeing to' or whatever the expression was. And then you get that moment you describe which was so moving. The trouble is, I fear the jump between the two may be so extreme, that it just doesn't work for anything but a tiny constituency. But I pray it will.
Hope you had a good rest at the New Year!
Dagnabbit, I really wish I'd tuned in for that show now.
Dave Rattigan
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