21 September 2024

Act of Opinions, p2 - James Gangel

FIONA SLEMP

F:Could you tell me a bit about the impacts living where you have has had on you?

My mum was a shop worker and my father worked in the shipyards on the Clyde.

Looking back, you would say it was an extremely hard life. We obviously never realised at the time but we would be classed as in that extreme poverty bracket now. One room and kitchen, a toilet in the outside stairwell, that multiple families shared. My parents slept in the recess at the back of the living room /kitchen and yes, literally the 5 of us kids shared the bedroom. We looked after each other throughout our lives. Back then we fended for ourselves until our parents got home from work. But there was always a neighbour who gave you bread and jam or something. Even then, it was a quick dinner of sorts then outside until the street lights came on.

We moved to Drumchapel in June, 1977 to a 3 bedroom house with a separate living room, kitchen and an inside toilet. We felt like royalty but had simply moved up one notch on the poverty ladder. Drumchapel was a brutal place growing up. At times it was fight or die as a kid on the streets. My family are Catholic and as a 5 year old I attended a school run by nuns. And they beat me and most of my classmates badly everyday for months. I was taken out of the Catholic school and attended the local non -denominational school, which was very multicultural.

Drumchapel in 1977 was a predominantly Protestant area, I did not want to attend the Catholic school because of the beatings. But my siblings did as the Catholic school was only 2 minutes from our new home. I thought school life would be the same as in Yorkhill but attending a school as the only Catholic was not the right choice. It was daily fights and beatings. Literally fight or die. I can say my school life, 100% led to my hatred of all things religious and more so sectarianism. I made my mind up from around my teens that I was determined not to force anything like this onto my children. All of my children made their own choices on religion and more so living in Glasgow, what team they supported.

I am the father of 5 children. Four boys and one girl. Two of my sons died 1986-2008.. I lived in various homes in Drumchapel with different partners. In 2019 I moved to my current home when my illness dictated that I needed an adapted home.

F: So what do you do for work and why do you think you do this?

Currently due to my illness, I'm not able to work. I have worked many jobs over the years. After my son Michael died shortly after birth and my mother died a year later, I became very disheartened with my job and left. I mulled around for a few years doing jobs here and there: postman, petrol station attendant. I had formed my own compa- ny, as security/location consultant, where I planned the security needed for produc- tions and hired men when needed. I was also still being hired by my old employer for large gigs and productions because they appreciated my skills.

(James passing his time at home
crafting airplanes, as he frequently does.)

F:How content are you in your close community? What about contentment living in the UK?

"I try to keep to myself in the community. I do keep an eye out for the elderly or if I see anything out of place that might need a voice, then I'll speak up."
I have for a long time become extremely disillusioned with politics not only UK wide but lately here in Scotland. Society has some serious issues and not one political party seems to have any kind of solution. At times, I don't even think that I want to.

F:Do you feel safe and welcome to share your opinions and perspective with people around you? (Work, friends, family?)

"Yes I am and can be quite outspoken with current or historical issues that I feel are not right."

We can't just keep quiet when we see wrong doing.If everyone were to simply be quiet, then society would take it as the normal.

F:What are some of you're most influential inspirations?

Music and Art has always been a major factor in my life. When I lived in Yorkhill, my mother worked in the Kelvin Hall and after school, week- ends and holidays, I spent every possible minute in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery. It was a safe place to be and escape from the outside world. My father had an extremely wide taste in music and would play his albums daily. Music has always been a major influence in my life. My father was a shop steward in the shipyard and was very politically minded, he instilled this in me from a very early age. Our conversations up until he died, would be about the struggles of the working class, the injustices of being poor, the wrongs committed by the establishment. The need for common people to stick together and to fight for a better future. I joined a union as soon as I started work, I fought alongside folk like Tommy Sheridan during the poll tax fight. I travelled all over the UK to support striking workers. I have always tried to carry this belief in fighting for those who can't.

F:What're some aspirations you have at the moment?

Personally just to stay well and live the best life possible. I want my children & grandchildren to have the very best, hopefully they will reach as far as they possibly can in life. I have with all my children put every bit of energy into helping them get as far as possible in education.

Whilst I distrust many, I am not blinkered enough not to check multiple outlets on a subject. I like to see what their different opinions are on a particular topic. I have many friends across the World who I have known through my work life or family and I will take the time to speak to them if I want to know more about a particular issue in a certain part of the world.

F:Are you trusting of ANY mainstream news channels? (BBC, Dailymail, The Guardian)
- why or why not?

I have not read any UK based red top (tabloid) since 1989 after the lies about Hillsborough, then I stopped reading the broadsheets a couple years later.

F:How do you feel you spend your energy with worrying about the news?
-Do you spend you're time worrying on the problems directly impacting your close communities OR issues from far around the globe? -What is more important for you to put your efforts into?

I think even at 56, I have quite a forward outlook in life. Generally concerns in life are pretty much what folk of my generation went through as we grew up, it simply has a new label. Last few years it's been heavily national and global geopolitical issues that have concerned me. I worry about the rise in hatred around the globe and what impact it will, and is having on my children and grandchildren.

F:Do you consume your news via social media?

I get information from many sources. Unfor- tunately a lot of it is now on social media but I don't dive in and take it as 100% factual. Even if it takes time, go check the source, check out if there is additional material on the matter.

And yes, algorithms are easily manipulated. It will bombard you as soon as you've tried to attempt any kind of search.

F:Do you think social media journalism should be censored? - Any thoughts on Meta/media censorship?

That's a hard one for me. I am a great believer in freedom of speech but there needs to be an amount of it, on the amount of hatred and obvious lies that are spouted and spread rapidly on social media. To this day, I'll never understand the Meta algorithm and community standards. 24 hour ban if you call someone a rancid right-wing f***** but absolutely nothing to posts of graphic violence or calls of incitement for violence. At times I do get angry. I try my best to call out the lies and correct misinformation, but it's like chipping at a brick wall with a toothpick.

F:What sort of things in the news makes you ques- tion the integrity or transparency of it?

In the last 10-12 years, you name it. You've got to question everything. I take absolutely nothing as 100% from the minute I read or watch it.

F:How much do you trust your own judgement to recognise misinformation?

Absolutely you've got to have faith in your- self to hopefully recognise blatant bullshit but also be honest enough to say, yes that piece of information I reposted or com- mented on was actually a lie. Always beware of the narrative that is being fed you by certain channels. In 10 years of working on all aspects of the media, I have seen all sorts of tactics by media outlets.

F:Do you attempt to have conversations with people who may have opposing viewpoints to your own? -How do you approach this?

I do try to get my point over and am open to hearing both sides of any opinions on whatever issue. Sometimes it might work but sometimes folk are so far down that social media rabbit hole. Even if the truth hit them bang on the forehead, they would still say it's wrong.

F:Any hopes for our future in regards to globalised journalism?

Can't say I have any. Journalism has been dead for a long time. Social media rules global communication information. Influencers, celebrities and whatever current trend, hold the power of information that's getting to our ordinary public.