TV

I watched a very interesting show this evening. Unfortunately I must use the word "show" as it was on FreeToAir (Yes, that is the required name, the advertising doesn't seem to include a budget for spaces). Fortunately it was on the ABC (government funded and all that jazz) so I'm trying to think it's somewhere in the warm zone between the frying pan and the fire.

Anyway, it was presented by a favourite actor/comedian/all 'round nice guy - Stephen Fry. It was nicely titled "Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive". Nice it was, informative it certainly was, educated as only Stephen Fry can be. Yet I was still waiting for it to go that little bit too far. I was preparing to cringe whenever a school yard was walked through. Whenever a lab with white coats floating around was filmed I almost grabbed a cushion to hide behind.

But I'm glad to say, I didn't cringe nor hide. This being a UK / IWC Media production, there was just enough information to bring thought into the subject but not over the top that one had to turn off for not wanting to cringe right out of the room.

The subject matter was good for me, it opened my eyes a little to something that very few people want to discuss and those that are able to discuss it never seem to be able to express what is going on. Mr Fry's frankness about this side of his being let me view the subject matter without too much emotion but employ some empathy to allow me to understand his point of view. Then to extrapolate this into other situations and people around me, including a few people I went to school with and thought there was something beyond punishment that they needed. I doubt many of them are getting much more than that to this day.

It also made me question, once again, what we consider normal. It's just an odd thing that I detest using it to describe myself. While I might not be "special" and perhaps I am "the all singing, all dancing, crap of the world" I still think there are parts of me that are certainly not normal when looked at seperately. One must realise that at times it is the destination, it is the whole that matters, not just the little pieces or the next corner that is used to describe everything there is to be.