Ironic Comment

07-10-2010

These days if you read the comments section of most newspapers in Ireland they are filled with the same thing: complaints.

Complaining about the state of the country.

Complaining about the state of public transport.

Complaining about the lack of money that people have.

Complaining about people that complained to the newspaper about one of the three above topics.

Complaining about the people that complained about the people that...you get the point.

Basically if you missed an episode of Eastenders and are feeling a little bit too happy, read the letters page of a newspaper and it will make you feel down in no time.

Since starting the new job I've begun the tradition of reading the Metro each morning in the office with a cup of tea. It's a small paper, I don't hold it's content in high regard. But as Denzel said in Training Day "It's ninety percent bullshit, but it entertains me."

Now, as previously mentioned, myself and the lady friend went over to London for a weekend break. While there we got a train from the airport into the city proper. On the train I found a copy of the Metro, London edition. It's thicker and has more articles. It also has a huge amount of similar articles to the Dublin one and a lot of London only articles (I think it was the Friday copy we found on the train) so it was a quick read.

The letters page, however, was something else entirely. It was a mix, fifty/fifty, of people complaining and nice letters. Some letters saying thank you to a random stranger who held a tube door for a lady or gave up their seat on the bus. One text was from a girlfriend to her boyfriend on his birthday. It made for a refreshing change.

When we got back to work on Monday I thought it might be nice if I did something like this for the lady friend. Nothing major, in fact it's quiet cheap, but it would be a token gesture. A little text to the letters page of the Metro, which I know she reads, saying how much fun the trip had been.

So I did it. Yes it's cheesy, cheap, sappy. But to girls it's a nice thing to have happen. They love that crap .

The next day I checked the letters page before getting onto the dart. No text.

Same the day after.

And today.

Three days on the trot I've searched for the text and three days in a row I've been greeted by letters and texts that are all complaining about something.

It's almost like the Dublin Editor doesn't want to print a text/letter that might, just might, put a smile on a reader's face. Maybe half a dozen readers as some people think the text was a nice idea. It would appear for a person to get a text or letter printed in the Metro you have to be complaining about something or complaining about somebody complaining. Happy comments are not allowed.

Now, I am fully aware of how ironic this rant is. I am complaining about somebody not printing my text. But come on, I'm a master of irony .

I wonder if I had of sent a text in that said the weekend sucked and I am out of pocket a wad of cash as a result would it have been printed. Food for thought Metro AM Editor, you can print the odd non-complaining letter/text as well. It doesn't all have to be doom and gloom.

Blue_jester

<--end of instaGram Feed-->