Are the Irish coming or going? Consensus on this issue was not found by the members of Vox Populi on this particular November Wednesday. The answer, it would seem, is both. The Scattering 2012 vs local efforts to encourage the diaspora to return home and drown or pick the shamrock produced laughs and opposing views, vigorously argued.
First timers toastmaster Jenny and topicsmaster Jane presided over a spirited topics session dominated by aspects of Irish identity. A place was found however for the suggestion that a beard comprises ‘more serious’ facial hair than a moustache (even in Movember), along with the opinion that Celebrities in the Jungle is a more watchable reality show than X Factor. The jury remains out to my mind as to which of them is the lesser evil, luckily I don’t have to watch either and remain happily ignorant of their goings on.
Phones, on the other hand, now there’s progress represented by technology and lovely gadgets! It could be argued of course, and was, that they interfere with life and provide too much availability. Meanwhile Rosie turned around the question of whether music downloading is stealing to argue that the cost of music and ticket prices can be outright theft, while Australia was (obviously, in grey November) the place one Voxer would most like to live if it wasn’t Ireland. Yes it’s sunny, but they don’t show the size of the spiders on the adverts! It’s time somebody mentioned the spiders.
Tonight was significant for the first cupla focal I’ve heard in a Vox meeting, kudos to Frank for going with the Gaelic. The debate on whether the Irish language is flourishing or on the way out was directed towards the Welsh example, with differing points of view expressed in a healthy debate.
Another first for me tonight was poetry incorporated in an ice breaker speech. The ice breaker introduces the speaker to the group, it can take any form or direction. Jacinta gave us the beautiful Sunlight by Seamus Heaney, ..’And here is love/ Like a tinsmith’s scoop‘.. along with the image of a smooth patch on the family kitchen table from rolling bread. John Lennon’s lyric ‘Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans’ formed part of her theme of finding life in ordinary things.
Eilish had us brainwashed within 20 seconds of starting her speech on Milgrim’s Experiment, how obediently we raised our arms when she asked us, later leading us to doubt whether we would have resisted harming others had we been included in the original experiment.
Nora, a marketer, then stood up to tell us that all marketers are liars. Only to follow that by stating that this wasn’t in fact true. What to believe? She soothed the confusion by assuring us that Vox Populi is a brand, and a good one, so we gave ourselves a mental pat on the back. Horray for Vox! If the audience must believe in the brand then we have all become marketeers, cycling 360 degrees from innovation to consuming as we tell the outside world about our club and attend meetings to laugh and learn.
Merrilyn Campbell, VPPR