As a boy, my teachers weren’t sure what to make of me. One told my mother I would either “rob a bank or run one.” I can see how if I hadn’t been lucky, my life could have taken a different turn. But I was very lucky, often, and I’m grateful for that. As a journalist I enjoyed scrutinizing law enforcement. I developed a good sense of what drove people to make bad choices. Most people commit crimes because they are desperate or threatened, somehow. Even those who do so wearing uniforms. I don’t see anyone as born bad. As a character on a television show I’ve been watching puts it: “No one’s a crook until they are.”
The show is about the Brink’s Mat gold robbery in London, in the 1980s. It’s called The Gold. I remember the robbery on the television news, growing up in Southeast London. It was a nice part of the world, most of the time. But one was often aware of a grittier side of things, lurking around the edges. Some of our dads were policemen. One of them died in mysterious circumstances when I was about eight. They never got to the bottom of it. There were strong, rough accents. Class resentment came up for people. I was lucky to be born into a middle-class home, but we were always a bit anxious about how secure our status was. My parents taught me that I would do well if I worked hard, and working hard wasn’t up for negotiation. So, I did. They were right. They were good parents. They set me up for success.
The Gold probes these currents in British life, through the lens of a major robbery. It does so without slathering it on, most of the time. The most engaging characters are a dodgy attorney who’s faked his way up, and a policewoman. The dodgy attorney explains, “I’m from fear, and everything I’ve done has been to free myself from that.” The cop is from a working-class criminal family, but she joined the police force because of the impact on her mum. The show is clever because it delves deep into people’s motivations. In the end, the greedier side of a person is quite simple. Criminality is an easy choice. So, the criminals in the show are less interesting than the ones who try to do something harder. They try, even in unfair circumstances, to be good.
Going back to what that teacher said about me to my mum, I’m reminded of the Keats poem about the “road less traveled.” I could have robbed a bank or run one. She was right. In the end I became a journalist. Then I worked for nonprofits. Then I started my own business, and it’s been very successful. But for sure, it wasn’t the expected outcome. I wake up most days surprised. I’m less fearful than I used to be, but it’s a daily struggle. I extend my deepest empathy to people who are fearful more often. I do my best to encourage them to act from a different place when they feel strong enough to do so. But I understand them. I’m not one to judge.
The Gold is well acted and worth a look. Particularly right now, where it’s nice to spend some time in a different place and a different time, for a bit. I hope you’re well and taking the time and space you need to recuperate during the Middle East crisis. I’m hopeful we can see a peaceful next phase. There is too much fear driving too many decisions and it is a hard time to believe in better alternatives. But they do exist. Even if right now they’re best portrayed in works of fiction.
