{"id":1475,"date":"2011-12-18T18:43:24","date_gmt":"2011-12-18T18:43:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.monkeyshines.co.uk\/blog\/?p=1475"},"modified":"2011-12-18T18:51:45","modified_gmt":"2011-12-18T18:51:45","slug":"i-can-only-get-away-with-sentimentality-like-this-at-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/monkeyshines.co.uk\/blog\/i-can-only-get-away-with-sentimentality-like-this-at-christmas\/","title":{"rendered":"I can only get away with sentimentality like this at Christmas"},"content":{"rendered":"

\nI don’t know if it’s a side effect of fatherhood or just age, but I seem rather more prone to sentimental, watery-eyed moments since the Little Monkey came along. I’ve lately been watching Secret Millionaire<\/i><\/a> and getting choked up at the denouements. Earlier in the year I was moved by an article about children who live in dreadful poverty that has no reason to exist in 21st century Britain; I missed the accompanying documentary<\/a>, but no doubt it would’ve had me blubbing.<\/p>\n

\nSo I got suitably sentimental about a YouTube video that’s doing the rounds, of Charlie Chaplin’s speech from The Great Dictator<\/i><\/a>, with appropriately stirring video clips and images. I’ve never seen the film, but the speech is quite brilliant, and the images are calculated, but are emotive nonetheless. Here’s hoping that my boy gets to grow up in “a kind new world where men will rise above their hate and brutality”.\n<\/p>\n

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