hoodie

Surreal to wake, still, in the beach house - not in London - birds chirping, (what is that same bird SAYING? I asked my husband. 'He's just being territorial, he said'. So now the song I hear over and over, in my head I translate as 'It's my TREE!! It's my TREE!!')

Haven't even had coffee yet, but reading some great tweets and articles, especially this one by Kevin Braddock in the Guardian: The Power of the Hoodie, which inspired my post. Definitely worth reading. We've long turned that garment into a political concept - just like that unfortunate yet delicious cereal, granola, has become associated with a type of person (a granola eating whatever). Or, Birkenstocks with sandals.

In defence of hoodies - the garment, not the morons out there stealing laptops - I've had my navy Gap one, worn here, for about 15 years, and I don't travel anywhere, even a weekend jaunt, without it. I just never wear the hood up, for obvious (stylistic) reasons - except in inclement weather.

But I also want to bring your attention to a BRILLIANT piece by Zoe Williams, also in the Guardian, called UK Riots: The Psychology of Looting.

"There seems to be another aspect to the impunity – that the people rioting aren't taking seriously the idea it could rebound on them. All the most dramatic shots are of young men in balaclavas or with scarves tied round their faces, because it is such a striking, threatening image. But actually, watching snatches of phone footage and even professional news footage, it was much more alarming how many people made no attempt at all to cover their faces. This could go back to the idea that.. people just don't believe they'll go to prison any more, at least not for something as petty as a pair of trainers. I feel for them; that may be true on a small scale, but when judges feel public confidence seriously to be at issue, they have it in themselves to be very harsh indeed (I'm thinking of Charlie Gilmour). But there is also a tang of surreality around it all, with the rioters calling the police "feds", as though they think they are in The Wire, and sending each other melodramatic texts saying: "So if you see a brother . . . SALUTE! If you see a fed . . . SHOOT!"



In keeping with my surreal morning, my husband - who has been actively following the events in the UK, as well - said to get off the laptop, let's go down to the beach. Thank you to Roz via Little Bird for tweeting these articles. And to the Gap, for selling me my beloved hoodie in the first place.