The War Never Ended. It Just Changed Form.
I keep thinking about 1918. We’re taught it all stopped on some Tuesday morning in November, aren't we? The lads threw their hats in the air, the blokes in suits signed a bit of paper in a railway carriage, and that was that. Peace. I think it’s a load of bollocks, truth be told. I sometimes think the whole thing just went underground. It didn't stop at all... it just changed its clothes and learned how to use a computer.
I remember reading somewhere about how they restructured the banks after the trenches cleared out. Stitched us up proper, even back then. It dawned on me when I was looking at the news on the telly last night... not that I watch it much anymore, it just winds me up. All these talking heads shouting about inflation and growth. Growth my arse. Folk are skint, knackered, and absolutely pissed off. You look at the punters walking down the high street now, and nobody looks happy. They look like they're marching somewhere they don’t want to go, carrying invisible packs. It seems to me we’re still in the middle of a massive squeeze, only instead of artillery, they’re using interest rates and algorithmic bullshit to break people's spirits.
I don't know, maybe I’m talking shite. I’ve been living out here by the coast for two years now, away from the city, and maybe the silence is doing my head in. But I can't shake the feeling that the pressure we feel every day is deliberate. It’s a different kind of frontline. Back in the day, the grandads knew who the enemy was because they wore a different uniform. Now? You can't see them. It's just a relentless barrage of noise on your phone, ads tracking what you say, gobshites on the internet telling you who to hate, and prices going up every single week. It’s psychological warfare, isn't it? Trying to keep everyone too tired and too broke to complain.
I suspect the tech wankers are the new generals. They sit in their offices building these apps that keep everyone hooked and angry. My nephew, right, he’s nineteen and he won't leave his room. Stares at a screen all day. The lad looks like a ghost. He’s completely isolated, no community around him, no proper mates to go down the boozer with for a pint and a laugh. The whole system has gone to shit because they've figured out how to split us up so we don't talk to each other. If folk are lonely and scared, they’re easier to manage. It's basic tactics, I suppose. Divide and conquer, like they did in the colonies.
Still though, you see glimpses of the old world sometimes. A couple of old boys having a proper natter over a fence, or a woman helping someone with their shopping. But it’s getting rarer. Most folk just look exhausted. I wonder if the human brain was ever meant to take this much information in. It’s a constant bombardment. Bombs used to fall from the sky... now they just pop up as notifications.
I sometimes think we lost something massive when we let everything go digital. Everything feels temporary now, fragile. Like they could just switch it all off if we step out of line. Maybe that’s the grand plan. Or maybe there isn't a plan at all and the world’s just spinning out of control because the bellends at the top are as clueless as the rest of us. That’s almost worse, isn't it? The thought that nobody’s driving the fucking bus. Either way, I'm glad I removed myself from it. I want no part in it whatsoever. I will never ever participate. Let them crack on with their invisible war. I’ll just stick to my stretch of beach and keep my head down.