Diversity and Podcasts
This week I've been reflecting on the growing diversity of the place I have lived most of my life, the seeming lack of diversity in the podcasts I am drawn to (but still really enjoy) and on what these observations mean about me (with a soupçon of judging others). Let's have an unreasonable discussion!
THINKING BACK to when I was in high school (senior school, secondary, whatever you might call it), which is where my youngest is currently reaching escape velocity to sling-shot into the wider world, there was not a heck of a lot of diversity in my year. There was a small group of Chinese kids (who were all categorised based on the restaurants their parents ran), there was a Mormon who rapidly sped through the gamut of excitement at being a curiosity, getting bored with it, being teased based on their increasing narkiness before settling into the comfortable status of harmless curiosity. There was one kid with an Arab surname throughout my school career who was Scottish and an immature wide boy like so many others. I didn't see any black children on a day-to-day basis till the year I left the school system (1993). It's mad to reflect that I went through thirteen years of education with such a shallow puddle of diverse experiences. My childhood was overwhelmingly pale, with flashes of lobster pink and a reasonably high percentage of ginger. Yep, Perth was not exactly a cultural melting pot beyond its persistent Polish connections born of World War 2.
Fast-forward to 2005 and my own kids have gone through the exact same schools (often with some of the same equipment and furniture - not kidding), with a much wider horizon of experiences. In conversation with my youngest today, they talked about their 'American Grandma' from Arkansas, a friend who shares a similar passion for Supernatural who has arrived in Scotland from South Africa. They have had friends from India, the Philippines and more middle-eastern countries than I can list. Curiously, the lack of black children persists. Though it is more common to see black Scots in our locale, it's curious that in twenty years the population of black people has not increased as much as other groups. My eldest is in his third year at University and had a similarly broad range in his friend group, currently sharing a flat with an American and a Scot. As an aside, though expensive (even without having to pay fees in Scotland) a University experience is a valuable cultural development, in my opinion.
Let's make no bones about it - though the countryside being within easy reach is superb, when it comes to job opportunities, it's not exactly a hotspot here. Only half an hour from Dundee and about an hour from Edinburgh/Glasgow, its best hope is probably as a commuter hub. That's a dangerous future to pursue as commuters, by definition, are probably more likely to move where the money is and to be honest, if you're not into haircuts, eating or getting your nails done, the cultural pot in Perth is sloshing about at a quarter full, with the odd broken vape and squashed wine screw-top lid clattering about in it.
This is my 'big picture' image of this wee city, that infamously had over 450 suggestions for the new museum to host the Stone of Destiny and plumped for 'Perth Museum'. Such imagination! In reality, there is some fantastic creativity going on under the hood, if you know where to look, but the tendency for residents of these parts to be a bit reserved, dare I say stuffy, and statistically on the OAP side of the lifetime scale (with the proportion of over 65's being the only demographic to increase to above the Scottish average) does seem to dampen grass-roots, exciting art developments. This could also be a consequence of the current strangulation of arts funding in the UK, as belts are tightened to the level of causing internal injury, but I think it's beholden on those of Generation X to be more active in the arts. Let's hope our generation don't become a passive, tired-out, slack-jawed consumer of cookie-cutter entertainment. Considering we are the generation seemingly being squeezed to work longer in life with less retirement prospects than our parents, will our spirits be collectively crushed or light a fire under a bit of mature rebelliousness? Time will tell. It's also a challenge when all arts investment is drawn to Dundee or Edinburgh/Glasgow - but if you want to build a Christian centre, boy, are we popular!
MY PODCAST HABIT IS SHOCKINGLY POSH is a terrible realisation I have come to. I am currently listening to 'How to Fail with Elizabeth Day' and began to notice a lot of the guests were alumni of Oxford or Cambridge, or were talking of their rejection by Oxford or Cambridge. To be fair to Elizabeth Day, she graduated from Cambridge University and so interviewing those that you went through education with makes a certain sense but Mishal Husain commenting on Cambridge 'looking good on the CV' was a deflating reminder of how obsessed the United Kindgom is, generally speaking, with class and the stratification of our society. For context - I greatly respect Mishal Husain and only mention her comment to illustrate a wider point. Back off trolls - no ammunition to be found here!! Again, have we really moved on much during my lifetime from the satirical observations of The Young Ones?
I need to reflect that the obsession with class could be down to my upbringing - I've always felt a little dislocated, not being born in Scotland and sounding different. Being raised in a feminist household with a more diverse parental background than a lot of my friends. I might be over-reaching and in no way think I am unique but studying history teaches you to always question your own assumptions and what lense you interpret the world through. Nobody else I grew up alongside had (as far as I know!) had parents who were from opposite sides of a religious divide, different countries and direct exposure to the consequences of violence and conflict. My parents worked damn hard and undoubtedly dragged my sister and I up the social ladder with them - I'm forever thankful that they wheeched us out of the Midlands of England - but I do wonder how their social discomfort was passed on to me and my children. Scotland advertises itself as a welcoming destination but I get the sense that the lived experience, particularly of my mother, in the 70's and 80's didn't quite match the poster campaigns. It's an itch I feel I need to explore further and check my assumptions on.
The whole podcast universe is an odd one, but the more I think about it, my experience with it says more about me. I've become obsessed with the lives of others and their experiences, particularly good journalists and artists. Podcasts about art, like the subject matter, can be very subjective and range from 'in danger of disappearing up their own arseholes' to pleasantly inoffensive to fall asleep to. It's given me a hankering to return to Twitch and interview people, not to become the next Mishal or Parkison, but to reveal the lives people follow and show others that the mistakes and choices we make don't necessarily stand in isolation. My upbringing was relatively sheltered and, although I turned out ok, being able to learn from others as we create our own little universe is priceless. The art of recovering from failure was not a lesson that I learned particularly well and affected my resilience. After so many years of bobbing along, finally having a good manager and a work culture that suits me has boosted my confidence. Oh, how I wish I had sought that out earlier. Now, if I can just keep hold of it till the mortgage is paid....
It would also give me an excuse to stream again, which I have enjoyed in the past and miss.
Well, that's the end of my wittering for this week. Time to catch up with family. What podcasts do you listen to? I am always looking for interesting suggestions to deepen my own cultural pool. What kind of interviews would you like to see on Twitch or listen to on Spotify? Do you have the same obsession with biographical/autobiographical work, and if so, when did it start for you?
Have a solid week, ghosties. Whatever your universe involves.
