Opinions, Opinions, Opinions

We all have our own opinions on things. Since humans were able to form thought patterns and then articulate them to other humans, we have had opinions. And that's great. The problems come when some people are convinced that others want to hear those opinions, regardless of whether those opinions are offensive, ill-informed and based on nonsense.

Before the Internet, these people had to make do with writing letters to newspapers, or Points Of View (so they could have Terry Wogan, or a random voice artist to read out their drivel). But since the proliferation of the World Wide Web, the opportunities have exploded. Web forums, Comment sections, Blogs (guilty as charged, Your Honour), and Twitter are just a few places allowing us to spew forth our feelings on whatever subject takes our fancy, whether it relates to the subject or not.

As a regular visitor of the BBC website, a web site called www.football-shirts.co.uk, and also a regular Twitter user, I come across quite alot of ridiculous comments by people hiding behind stupid user names pretending to know what they're talking about.

Being most interested in sport, and football in particular, I quite often chuckle as these people argue amongst themselves and descend to childish insults over things which, ultimately, don't matter. The other website is one where people post pictures of new and rumoured football kits, and other people then come and say whether they like it or not. You get the odd logical comment, but mostly it's people ranting about the benefits of one manufacturer against another, which then moves on to the teams, and down from there! For example...

http://www.football-shirts.co.uk/fans/nike-arsenal-yellow-away_18080

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21613783

The BBC makes the grave error of giving these people the opportunity to clog the pages with this rubbish, and there are regular posters claiming to have access to facts and what-have-you to back up their opinion, only for someone else to come along and use other 'facts' to disprove them.

And of course, there is the behemoth that is Twitter. It amazes me that even now, people still haven't realised that a small off-colour remark can cause the greatest of fall-outs and upset. The presence of famous people only serves to increase the nuisance quota. Remember the Tom Daley incident? The fools in the Fabrice Muamba furore? Even when Welsh Football Manager Gary Speed took his own life, there was a number of people who felt it wise to make tasteless, nasty comments about him and his family.

True, these people were reported to police for their vile comments, but the whole thing was made worse by Twitter. The countless re-tweets of the original comments, the trending hashtag, then the returned vitriol of the sane majority. Ultimately, it always ends in the originator making a grovelling apology, blaming various pressures (like the kid who said he only said what he did because he was disappointed that Tom Daley hadn't won a medal - pathetic or what?).

I have seen a few incidents where people have tweeted celebrities and turned to abuse when no reply was forthcoming, or as recently as this week, a chap asked Masterchef eater-extraordinaire and general-all-round-nice guy Gregg Wallace to retweet his charity fundraising event. Now, all Mr Wallace did was to correct the guy on how his name was spelt (note the extra 'G'), and then it descended to abuse from the first chap, and then, as it re-tweeted, and more people got hold of it, the whole thing snowballed into random, unrelated folks inundating Gregg with abuse and pathetic name calling. Then sanity returned, and the messages of support came flooding in. And reading Gregg's tweets, he actually made the effort to reply and thank people for their support (albeit briefly, bless him). And the one thing that people lost sight of was that he hadn't refused to promote the chap's page, just asked him to spell his name right! As a Jonathan, I've seen my name spelt so many different ways (there are so many variables!), but for Gregg, it's an added 'G' - it's not hard, especially when you just have to read his Twitter ID. Ultimately, the grovelling apology came, with the blame laid fully at the feet of Apple and their bloody annoying 'Auto-correct'.

I've tweeted numerous celebrities on various subjects, and rarely if ever have they replied. But, do you know what? I don't care. They're busy people, getting messages from every Tom, Dick and Harry asking for something or other. They can't reply to everyone can they? They'd never get anything done.

So, next time you've got an opinion on something, stop for a moment and think: Does anyone else need to hear what I've got to say? Will the world feel enriched for my wisdom? Or will the Earth stop turning if I don't let it out?!

If the answer is Yes, then you're either misguided, self-involved, or a politician.

If you have anything to say on this subject, feel free to keep it to yourself!!

Monday Mix-tape - 25.02.2013

Welcome back folks! Another week has shot by faster than a bullet from Oscar Pistorious' gun. (That's ok, isn't it? I mean there's been no doubt that he fired the gun, it's more a question of whether he knew who he was shooting at? Well, I'll allow you to put the 'allegedly' where ever you deem necessary.)

This week, I've gone for a number theme, so here are ten tracks containing a number, and no smart-arse comments from me again (I've worked out that I can do the whole thing a hell of a lot quicker if I leave that crap out).

1) 18 With A Bullet - Pete Wingfield

2) 303 - Kula Shaker

3) Song 2 - Blur

4) 4-Day Weekend - The Bluetones

5) 5 Piece Chicken Dinner - The Beastie Boys

6) 78 Stone Wobble - Gomez

7) One After 909 - The Beatles

8) 10th Street - Fun Lovin' Criminals

9) 1973 - James Blunt

10) 19th Nervous Breakdown

And that concludes this weeks offering. I trust you will find them enjoyable (well, most of them at least) and look forward to throwing together another ten for you next week.

Tatty Bye, as Ken Dodd would say!

Competition Time!

Ok folks, I've been looking at the blog, and decided the time is right for a good old face-lift, and that's where you come in, dear readers.

What I'm after is a photograph or picture that you think sums up the philosophy of Specs, Rugs and Sausage Rolls, or if you want to be literal, some actual Specs, Rugs and Sausage Rolls!

The winning submission will get pride of place on the blog itself, not to mention the Facebook page, and my Twitter profile. If that's not enough, the winner also gets the pleasure of writing their own post for publication on these hallowed pages.

Entries should be submitted with your post (between 300 and 1,000 words) and emailed to me at jonathanmoore1980@hotmail.co.uk by Friday 22nd March, in a bmp or jpeg format, and then the new look Specs, Rugs and Sausage Rolls will be launched on Easter Sunday (resurrection, get it?!).

Hopefully this will catch someone's imagination, but if not, I'll just pay some useless Marketing Company a king's ransom to do it for me!

That's a joke, actually, people, I wouldn't dream of spending any money on something so trivial!!

Monday Mix-tape - 18.02.2013

Another week has gone by, and here we are yet again for another helping of mix-tape fun and frolics. This week, I'm shining the Specs, Rugs and Sausage Rolls spotlight on a band from Sweden, that I'm guessing not many of you will have heard of. Oh, and no, it's not ABBA. Or Ace of Base. It's a band called Mando Diao, and they're pretty darned good.

So, here for your delectation (and without any more smart-arse subtexts), are ten of my favourite tracks from their catalogue...

1) Gloria

2) Ochrasy

3) You Don't Understand Me

4) Mean Street

5) Maybe Just Sad

6) If I Leave You

7) Kingdom & Glory

8) Mr Moon

9) Welcome Home, Luc Robitaille

10) Dance With Somebody

You can go off and listen now, and thank me later. Then why not come back next week as I struggle to find more tenuous themes to warrant linking ten tracks together.

Monday Mix-tape - 11.02.2013

Well, folks, it's almost that time of year again. When men get weighed down with the pressure of expectance and all that malarkey.

That's right: Valentine's Day. And, in celebration of it all, here's ten lovely tracks for your delectation, and no smart arse comments from me to spoil the mood...

1) It Must Be Love - Madness

2) Love - John Lennon

3) All Time Love - Will Young

4) Hallelujah I Love Her So - The Animals

5) Love Is Only A Feeling - The Darkness

6) Why Won't You Give Me Your Love - The Zutons

7) Is This Love - Bob Marley

8) Labelled With Love - Squeeze

9) My Love - Paul McCartney

10) Love Unlimited - Fun Lovin' Criminals

So, that's it. Come back next week for more mix-tape listing, even if you're a man who made a mess of Valentine's Day, or a woman let down by your man.

See you soon!