Today. Today was one of those days that Blackbeard was going to take a walk down the streets, instead of racing past in his car eager to get somewhere. Today he was going to take his time and enjoy the walk.



So as he was out for a stroll on the glorious day he noticed that everyone was out and about, all the familiar and not so familiar faces all enjoying the beautiful weather. After a few minutes of talking to people he knew walking past and saying good day to people he didnt, he began to start muttering to himself about conversations and small talk in the streets. Looking round he spotted a soap box out of the corner of his eye, he grabbed it and placed it in centre of the square. He cleared his throat loudly and began..



Conversation. Con ver fucking sation. We all have to do it, sometimes when we dont necessarly want to. With people we do and don't like. Its just how the world is nowadays. Sometimes, its just not all that easy at times.



As he was speakng, a familiar friend went to Blackbeard's shoulder and leaned in to ask him what he meant when he said it's not always easy to make Conversation in the streets with people. Blackbeard smiled at his friend and gave him a welcoming pat on the back, and continued..



Well my friend, when you think about how long these streets have been standing, and the amount of people who have walked through these same streets we currently stand in, and have stopped to talk to the masses, nowadays you will find it very hard to talk about something that's not been spoken about at least once or twice before. It becomes hard to talk about new and unspoken things in these streets, it is not an easy task these days. Even what I am saying to you right now, could well have of been and probably has been spoken about before!



He had noticed a few more faces had stopped to see what the gentlemen were discussing, they looked interested, so Blackbeard continued speaking, but he did so a little louder.



So, nowadays, people need to think outside the box, think of something funny or original to speak about or discuss. It's not an easy thing to do. Sure we all know that story telling and describing a venture is a good way to go, to get people involved in the streets. But for some people, listening to stories or tales just doesnt work for them. They want to talk. They want to discuss things, or hear about what went down and why. They want to debate. They want more than to act. They want hold a genuine conversation with the masses. But like I said, apart from people explaining why certain people met their unfortunate, or fortunate end for certain reasons, there isnt a lot to talk about nowadays. I was speaking to a friend about this, before I left today about the lack of original topics to talk about in the street and we agreed on something. That while plenty of things have been spoken about, there are always new faces walking the streets. People who have not heard these stories and conversations. But at the same time, there are Libraries if you go down the road you could find all the recorded stories. But should the those records be brought back, or should new records from new speakers be written down? If not, what is there to talk about in the present day when most topics have been covered? What really is there to talk about in the streets nowadays?



Ill leave that for you to talk about and discuss. Have a good day, my friends.



Blackbeard made his way through the crowd as he said bye to everyone and continued his walk.

Lillian was walking down the crowded sidewalk, eager to get to the tea shop her best friend owned when she saw a man standing on a fruit crate.  

"Oh Christ Almighty and the Saints. Not again."  it seemed that the number of men desperate for attention these days rose as did the unemployment numbers.  The girl shook hear head and wished she was with her driver.  A few snippets of the man's speech actually reached her ears, but she wondered who she was supposed to reply to as the man wandered off into the crowd once his speech was done. 

"I wonder what he meant by thinking outside the box?  What box was he talking about?  A shoebox? A soapbox? A fruit crate?"  Lillian wondered out loud as she walked along, garnering some strange looks as she spoke.  

"You see, there are a lot of issues that face men of this day.  unemployment, homelessness, addiction to alcohol and the ruination of the family.  There are many broken men who returned from the war and haven't been able to find themselves a place in this new society.  Many of us lost friends and relatives to the terrible flu that swept through the nation, why there's that trial we all heard on the radio about Charles Darwin being taught in schools.  I suppose there are a lot of things to talk about but to whom?"  She looked up just in time to see several policemen speaking to one another and nodding and took a chance, rapidly dashing across the street and popping into a Chinese laundry.  

There's plenty we could talk about if we dare, Mr. Blackbeard. For sure there's a lot of topics that tend to be dull, because it's been discussed so often. But what if we made the same topics less abstract?

The topic of memberwhoring is such a topic. If my memory doesn't betray, the late Don Achilles once made that returning topic very practical, by the naming of people who seemed to use a frowned-upon approach in recruiting. But, in these days, it's not rare when I learn that invites into families are being sent to civilians without their intent to join that family. For me that makes the topic still a matter of importance, cause it affects the way I approach these possible associates and in turn affects the different options these recruits have. Naming parties involved in such practices would bring a bigger chance of change, then if I'd discuss the topic without a practical context.

Another approach would be to stimulate more directed discussion by proposing something, instead of just observing something. For the matter I just addressed that could mean propose a new rule that anyone who violates public rules regarding sponsorship will be demoted. Or push it further with a proposed death sentence. It feels a bit much, but by proposing such things it will get people to either speak in favor of the proposal or against it. Debating suggested change is more interesting then revisiting common observations.

Perhaps people won't agree, but maybe when a majority agrees on a suggestion, then that might inspire people to actually work for that change, whether it's bound by rules or just something society believes in and pushes for.

Robert walks past the group of people talking to each other and seeing he has notting else to do he stops and starts listening.  And he was just in time to hear Blackbeard talk and he heard him say: 

"It becomes hard to talk about new and unspoken things in these streets, it is not an easy task these days. Even what I am saying to you right now, could well have of been and probably has been spoken about before!"

But that seemed a bit strange to Robert but he kept on listening because he didn't like te be rude. Then he heard something about boxes that he didn't really think was the point blackbeard was going for, but on when you think about it. Lilian did went "out of the box" to get a discussion started he must admid it's a nice style. and afterwards he listens to Weeble but he does start to prepare for his own thing.

After Weebl was done with his talk Robert took his chance and started his speech, 

"I think the problem is that we just don't start the discussion. In my opinion, and i hope i don't offent anyone, I think that it's an ignorant idea that al the things that have been a discussion are solved. So I also think that it doesn't matter to get old topics back to get a new few view on things. Everyone has an other view on things since they started and this might be the only way to change things. For example the things Weebl points out. This might be something we all talked about before but it doesn't make the problem solved. So i think the old problems but also new ones should be adressed in the streets. "

After this he went back towards his noble steed and gives him a carrot. Waiting on other people to stand up.