Those who can't, criticise

I worry that one day I may turn into one of those dreadful people who suffer from a chronic inability to say anything positive about anything or anyone. I've met them and I know they exist - people who, with a few carefully chosen words, can suck the joy and life out whatever they've trained their attention on.

I don't want to one of those people - but then I doubt anyone does. Perhaps it's some sort of subtle infection that creeps up on you - one day you feel slightly off colour and then the next you're asking your colleague what on earth made them think that shirt would go with that tie (purely an example, you understand).

Anyway, I like to think that for the most part I make a pretty good effort to look on the bright side, occassionally to the point of being threatened with physical violence for it (but at least then you know you're headed in the right direction). Accentuating the positive and all that.

So why, I wonder to myself, why am I unable to say anything positive about the David Blaine "special" that was on tv last night?

I'd watched it in the belief that, somehow, the otherwise seemingly pointless stunt would be given some sort of meaning. Instead I was left with the distinct impression that Blaine has completely lost the plot. Whilst I wasn't tempted in the slightest to head along to Tower Bridge and pelt the man with food before, after watching his astoundingly self-induldent performance yesterday, had he still been in his box I would have loaded up with rotten tomatoes and marched straight down there.

At least in his other programmes, the pointless stunt of the day was interspersed with Blaine performing some reasonably decent trickery. What we got this time around was Blaine asking to be punched in the stomach by someone he stopped in the street (and looking quite fearful when the man looked to taking a bit of a run up). Blaine balancing on top of the London Eye. Blaine cutting his ear off in a press conference and Blaine tearing out his heart in front of another passer by. All of it self-indulgent nonsense, but not nearly as awful his ramblings on the importance of what he was trying to accomplish.

If nothing else though, it did give me cause to about Blaine's state of mind. I made a joke here a while ago about the seemingly messianic nature of what he was doing, but last night I got the distinctly uneasy feeling that I was watching a man who has bought into his own publicity. I don't know what the future will bring for Blaine, but if I had to make a prediction now, I'd suggest that this latest stunt will mark the beginning of a slow slide towards obscurity for him. That's not to say I wish ill on the man. The odd tomato, accelerated to a reasonable velocity and aimed in his direction perhaps, but no ill.

Joking aside though, I did see enough to worry me a little and I do hope I'm mistaken about him.

Anyway, that's it for negativity around here. It's nasty stuff and I don't want to have any more to do with it than I absolutely have to. I'll endeavour to display a more uplifting attitude in future.

Positively yours,
Mark