On Sharing.

It seems the cyber buzz word these days is ‘share.’ Only it isn’t the traditional form of ‘share’ which runs something like ‘I have two apples and you don’t have any, so I’ll give you one of mine.’ The modern version is more along the lines of ‘I like this and I have impeccable taste, so I’m going to throw it in your path whether you want it there or not.’ Hence the tired and meaningless phrase ‘have a nice day’ has been usurped by the fast-tiring and equally vapid expression ‘thanks for sharing.’ And everywhere you look, pages are littered with buttons that say ‘share with Facebook,’ ‘share with Twitter,’ ‘share with Google+’ etc, etc. The word that used to represent selflessness has come to be indelibly associated with presumption, and cyberspace is clogged with the dingy detritus of flaccid trivia.

Meanwhile, I have another bottle of Guinness Foreign Extra, which is going down nicely, and there’s yet another one in the fridge waiting for its chance to brighten some future post-midnight hour. I wish I could share it with somebody, but there’s nobody here to share it with. Have a nice night anyway.