celebrating english eccentrics

British prime-time TV broadcast a dramatisation of a rather unpleasant moment in British media life - when an innocent man was accused of murdering his neighbour simply because he was “weird”, “posh”, “lewd” and “creepy”:
The fate of Christopher Jefferies shows that it can still be dangerous to be different - Comment - Voices - The Independent
Episode 1 | The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies - ITV Player

These on-line reports are from the time - three year ago;

If in doubt arrest the local 'nutter'

by Scottybottybanana » Mon Jan 03, 2011 5:32 pm

I noted over the weekend that the first person they arrested in the search for the murderer of Joanna Yeates was in fact the local eccentric 'Chris Jefferies' 

A man described by the media as having "Wild hair', 'Dead Eyes', 'liking poetry', being a 'liberal democrat supporter', 'posting washing to his mum' and having no interest in cars (Even though the police took away two and it is reported that he helped Greg Reardon start his car before his ill-timed journey to his family) 

He was slandered in the media and had his liftestyle as a 'bachelor' torn apart all because he was a 'bit different' therefore an easy target. Surprise surprise when he was released with no charge. 

If in doubt arrest the local 'nutter' - www.ClinPsy.org.uk

Posh loner who liked poetry but not sport “obviously did it”, say media

Mark WallacePosted on December 12, 2010

Chris Jefferies may have committed the murder of Joanna Yeates – but as one of the fundamental principles of our legal system reminds us, he is innocent until proven guilty. It’s become a tradition in these cases for the media to indulge in heavy handed, nudge-nudge wink-wink implication when reporting the arrest of someone even before any charges have been brought.

Recall the case of the Ipswich Ripper, who murdered five women in 2006. The case is still notorious, but most of us have forgotten about Tom Stephens, the innocent but extremely odd man arrested wrongly for the crime spree. As soon as his name was revealed, numerous outlets started heaping increasingly peculiar implications on him – normally using anonymous comments from neighbours an acquaintances.

The most bizarre of these, which I remember made me laugh out loud at the time, was that he had been “digging in his garden with a small trowel“.

The smear was that if he was digging, he must have been burying something (or someone). In reality, of course, if digging ones garden with a small trowel was a crime then millions would be detained every Sunday afternoon and the panellists of Gardeners’ Question Time are veritable Moriartys.

The same is happening to Chris Jefferies. I am not attempting to go on some crusade to clear his name – for all I know, he may well be guilty. The police may know more that persuades them of this. What is certain is that the media do not, but are engaging in trial-by-tittle-tattle all the same.

Here are a choice selection of some of the reports about Jefferies so far, including some recognisable classics of the genre and some really weird ones:

“Oddball” – Almost all newspapers

“He showed no interest in cars or sport” – The Mirror

“The way he pronounced words and said his sentences was also weird”…”The things he taught us were really odd, he loved old English poetry.” – Small World News Service [NB it’s not that odd to like old poetry…when you’re an English teacher]

“Campaigned for gun range and prayer books” – Daily Mail

“A loner” – Almost all newspapers

“very posh, a solitary figure and very cultured” – The Sun

“An only child who has never married” – Daily Mail

“an active member of the local Liberal Democrats and knew the leader of Bristol city council, Barbara Janke” – The Guardian

“his students remembered him for his love of the poetry of the Pre-Raphaelite poet Christina Rossetti and idiosyncratic pronunciation of place names” – The Independent

If you spot any other corkers, put them in the comments and we can build up a full innuendo collection.

Posh loner who liked poetry but not sport “obviously did it”, say media « Crash Bang Wallace

On the other hand, we could celebrate eccentricity:

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Published on Oct 14, 2014

An eclectic globe-trotting adventure, A Different Drummer: Celebrating Eccentrics, introduces us to several living and historical eccentric characters who flaunt their extraordinariness through their innovation, curiosity and non-conformity. Directed by Academy Award winning director John Zaritsky, the film explores the findings of Dr. David Weeks, a Scotland-based psychotherapist who claims that eccentrics live longer and are happier and healthier that those of us who cling to conformity.

A Different Drummer: Celebrating Eccentrics [Trailer] - YouTube
A Different Drummer - Celebrating Eccentrics – According to a ten-year study by Dr. David Weeks, eccentrics are healthier, happier and tend to live longer.

Why not do the quiz and see how eccentric you are?
Quiz – A Different Drummer - Celebrating Eccentrics
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