Rat-like behaviour just riles me up these days. Maybe it’s age, or maybe I’m just more aware of it, but it feels like it’s everywhere. The entitled, the arrogant, the ones who think rules are for everyone else. And look, I’m fully aware that each week I write these little reflections and there are probably people out there saying, “Shut the hell up, Gaz. You were the Rat King.”  And they’re not wrong. Because here’s the truth, I’ve let plenty of rats take advantage of me over the years. I...

I was doomscrolling on Instagram the other day when I came across someone I used to compete with in CrossFit. He’s living in Dubai now and is in insane shape. But one of his posts stopped me cold; he claimed that any man without a six-pack is weak and mediocre , that you’re dishonouring yourself and those around you. I couldn’t believe it. Now, I’m all for people striving to move better, train harder, and become healthier versions of themselves. But a six-pack doesn’t define you, and not...

I once got told off for drinking a can of Diet Coke. “There are so many preservatives in that! Rats probably crawl on the can.” The same person also used to scold me for eating too much beef. “The poor cows! Do you know what they’re fed?” Now, they weren’t wrong. Diet Coke isn’t exactly kale juice. And yes, cows probably deserve a better life. But this was also the same person who was doing lines of coke off a toilet seat in a nightclub. If you're snorting carcinogens, rat piss and too many...