No, nothing to do with the Spice Girls or Emmeline Pankhurst.

I’ve observed this a lot over the last year, but really felt moved to write about it after a couple of experiences today. It’s about how the addition of something to one’s person radically alters the perceptions and bahaviour of others.

Consider the baseball cap. William Hague tried to change his image by wearing one, and it just served to encourage people to ridicule him. Not his style at all. Once he took it off and shaved his head, the reverse Samson effect ™ occurred, a witty and razor-sharp Hague sonning Blair from pillar to post in their weekly debates.

In the name of image-creation, Prime Minister Harold Wilson rarely allowed himself to be captured by photographers without having a pipe in his hand. President Harry S Truman did something similar, inventing a middle initial.

So what appendage have I been sporting that seems to radically alter people’s attitudes towards me?

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We tend to think that those that can do so pass the buck onto the next person in line, such that the “little people” cop the flak on someone else’s behalf.  On the flipside, those at the top of the totem pole are thought to reap the credit of those lower on it.

I can’t help but think that this is not always the case though, and that all of us will quite happily apply blame to the very highest echelons rather than accept that we’ve been at fault ourselves.

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Meddysong’s gone live today. It seemed the right time.

Today is my girlfriend’s 24th birthday. This all links together, have no fear.

Before we met, she had a blog. And no computer. She still doesn’t, actually. I’ve never seen anyone as dextrous with a mobile phone as is Radio. Anyway, this was a Blogger thing. (more…)