Evolution

It's pretty dull standing on the underground platform at Moorgate each morning half way through my daily commute. But this week has been a bit different with all that's been going on. Plenty to think about waiting for the southbound Northern line train. To relieve some of the commuters tedium, London Underground these days even provide video advertising projected onto the tube wall. 

And so, each morning this week as I have been digesting the previous evenings riotous goings on, I have been somewhat drawn in by the trailer for the new film - Rise of the Planet of the Apes. 

Now before I upset any anthropologists or become labeled a racist by any simpering Guardianista diversity mad lefties, I am fully aware that non human primates are, relatively speaking, quite intelligent and are not defined by the colour of their skin. 

However it did strike me that the behavioural traits of the sub cultural pond life that has been dragging its knuckles through the retail centres of most of our major cities this week bore a resemblance to certain aspects of non human primate social behaviour. 

It is an established fact that most non human primate communities are closed to contact with other communities, they avoid each other and are often aggressive towards outsiders. As a result, social interactions between members of different troops is very rare. Sound familiar ? Chimpanzees have been known to eat their own shit - for its nutritional value which admittedly is several evolutionary steps ahead of the KFC, McDonalds, pizza, kebabs and chips diet.

Anyway such idle thoughts helped to pass the time and as I boarded my train, opening my newspaper I was intrigued when I saw an article about the Radio 4 Arts programme 'Front Row' this week. Apparently Rise of the Planet of the Apes was the subject of discussion and the star of the film Andy Serkis and the BBC pseudo intellectual presenter Mark Lawson were mutually gratifying themselves about the films subliminal context along the lines of; 

"The film works on so many political levels. When the apes are there in their cages and being pummelled with a hose you can't help but think of Guantanamo, of torture. When we witness the breakout we are thinking of the Arab Spring"

"That's absolutely correct Mark, every time we think of apes they become a mirror back to our society"

So take your pick - the apes are either wearing orange jump suits being carted around in wheelbarrows and being waterboarded or sitting at home with a brand new 52" plasma, iPad2 and wardrobe full of JD Sports crap.

What will Newsnight Review make of it all ?