Reflections 7th December.

Time to change the story

The end of a year is a natural time for reflection.

Short days, the Winter Solstice as the world turns, accompanied by celebrations, pagan and faith-based, and the stories that accompany them. And of course, here in the UK, the tradition of pantomime, originating in ancient Greece and Rome as a form of expressive mimicry, which then resurfaced through Italian commedia dell’arte before evolving into the British Christmas tradition we know today. It has become a communal ritual that blends satire, archetypes, and audience participation, which is why we now use “pantomime” as shorthand for any public drama that feels more performative than serious.

It now seems destined to be privatised by FIFA and other pedlars of spectacular but otherwise meaningless gladiatorial entertainment.

My friend Ed Brenegar introduced me to Baudrillard and his “Spectacle of the Real”, where the world feels increasingly shaped by images of itself. When we spend more time with representations than with the things they are m…