Under the Influence

Under the Influence ©

By Michael Casey

I was wondering what would be my next piece I’d share with you, what could be my next short, I’ve decided to stop using   the word blog, I think short is better.

I was thinking and thinking then I thought what am I trying to do every time I write? I’m trying to influence you to share my opinion on the world or to get you to think for yourself. At the moment my latest tack is to persuade “Radio” that my shorts are worth broadcasting, yes I can see the Simpsons and “shorts” but I’ll carry on regardless.

As a dad, I nearly said as a “parent”, but that’s too formal and unloving, as a dad I have influence over my children. I can persuade them to fetch something, so I shout up the stairs to ask one of the girls to bring down my this, or bring down my that. As I write this sentence I can remember my mum saying “your legs are younger than mine” that memory goes back 40 years and more, I can remember the love, the raw total absolute love she had for us. She had influence and knew how to use it.

It seems to me that mums have the most influence, they care for us from the moment of conception till the moment we are separated at Death. We will all do anything for our mums, and they in turn will do anything for us. They will ask a friend of a friend to help us, so we get a paper round delivering newspapers in the early morn, as we cycle our bike around in the early morning mist. This is how love and influence is used.

At an international level statesmen will use their influence so that wars end and the starving are fed. Journalism can serve the same purpose, by shining a spotlight on disasters public opinion is made aware of bad and mad and sad things. Then people can chose what to do about it. It is when the Press is shacked that nobody knows what is happening neither at home nor abroad, then tin pot dictators can stay in their palaces abusing their power. You can chose your own dictator, sadly there still are many, even after the Berlin Wall has fallen, even after the Arab Spring, even after “fair and free elections”, and yes getting 100% of the vote proves just how good a leader the leader is, and of course even the dead vote.

Influence is better than power, if you have power you may have to use it, and with power comes pain and suffering, deep suffering. If I had influence I’d encourage everybody to read all my books, then I could take my girls to the theatre all the time, thanks to the proceeds.

Radio has influence, it introduces us to new music, like 6Music  here in UK,  or on some good radio stations elsewhere on the dial. Radio adverts encourage us to buy this or buy that, as do tv adverts. Our adverts are very funny and they are in fact an art form when done well.

Art itself informs us, such as Guernica years and years ago, photos such as the famous one of the child on fire from Napam, these influence us. These bring home the horrors of war, brave journalism from many a conflict, such as Syria at the moment, the page screams out at us.  Enough, so much blood, enough so much hatred, enough so much war, enough so much blood. Enough.

If I could have any influence I would scream Enough, please God let it end Enough.