Essays by Tom Jones

cartoonist unknown

"I have always promised myself, whatever I write, I would try to never use the word “woke”.

“Woke” is such an infuriatingly handy word, though: the floating signifier du jour, a groupword for groupthink. This unchallenged cliche cutting a swath through the western world denotes in a neat, four-letter package the agglomeration of progressive utopianism, urbanite consensus, virtuous grandstanding and intimidating radicalism. Never tempted by moderation, by dignity or by restraint, the movement is the perpetual censor of the morals of the people, ably performing the role of enemies, judges and executioners to those who do not offer cultural fealty, its merit loudly celebrated by the doubtful evidence of its own applause.

Then the word itself became boomer bait, used by TV presenters in a frothing rage to condemn The Latest Thing You Should Be Outraged About. They expect the accusation enough to be proof of guilt. Being used and abused like this, the definition becomes obscure, a floating signifier for uninformed raging."

Read more here.

Another essay about English pubs here.

"It’s often said that you don’t realise what you’ve got until it’s gone. As more and more pubs ring their final last orders, more and more people are realising what an integral, irreplaceable part of Britain’s cultural heritage they are. The portrait of the nation Orwell conjured in “England Your England” wouldn’t have been believable, never mind complete, without “the rattle of pin-tables in the Soho pubs”. Each one is as different as the forty-six million souls that comprised the England Orwell wrote of, a fragment — but a characteristic fragment — of the English scene. "

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