As readers of my blogs will by now have come to realise, the blogs are my way of venting my opinion. No person or place pays me to express my opinion. I don’t advertise anything and I’ll never encourage anyone to spend time, effort or money in anything, be it a leisure activity, any kind of work-related activity, at home, outside or abroad.
In previous blogs, subjects for discussion have included the monetising of society, the value of good manners, the differences between the generations and what we all understand truth and honesty.
What the whole amounts to is a baffling phenomenon (to those of us who are of more mature, to put it politely). Those of us waving our ‘middle years’ goodbye appear in the main completely puzzled by the younger generations’ preoccupation with gender.
The reason is simple; in our day, we were comprised of boys and girls. As far as I know, as yet, it’s still scientifically impossible to give birth to any other sex of baby other than a boy or a girl. Everyone was (or is) one or the other. We had no prejudice towards those who preferred relationships with others of the same sex as themselves. We considered ourselves forward thinking, tolerant in fact of each others’ sexual preferences.
We were also tolerant of those who wanted to become the other gender, and also of those who preferred to wear garments or accessories ordinarily associated with the opposite gender to their own. As mentioned above, we were broadly speaking tolerant of each other.
While my peers and I, the population of the area where we lived were broadly accepting, it wasn’t the same everywhere, as highlighted at the start of the AIDS epidemic in the late 70s and 80s. You’d think (at least I did) attitudes would have softened by the 90s and I for one was truly shocked when a particular hero of mine died from this awful disease.
Something else that needed to change, in my humble opinion, was the corporate culture of concentrating on whatever is best for the company. It’s not that I mind the company making money. What bothered me was the complete disregard for the people who made it profitable.
So, in the 21st century, these two things in tandem seem to have created a set of circumstances where people are free to choose to identify as a tree if they so wish and business has to adopt, respect or recognise mental health days, incorporate rest or breakout areas, and any amount of personal freedoms. What happened to the reason for starting the business? Is it to make money, to make the business owner a profitable living and pay the employees a salary?
I’m not saying the employees are not important; remember I was concerned about the former blinkered focus on profit margins. What worries me is the pendulum may have swung too far back. Surely, there needs to be a balance between the two?
I was recently pondering the rights and wrongs of all the foregoing and it prompted me to express my frustrations in verse:
WAKEY, WAKEY WOKEY EWE
Wakey, wakey to you – generation ‘Wokey Ewe’!
Time’s the only difference between the likes of me and you:
Your time to shine – which ‘platform’ are Ewe ‘trending’ –
Regale us with what pretty parroting chirp Ewe are sending?
Wokey Ewe generation is loudly proudly ‘Green’;
Your plastic water bottle aloft – the better to be ‘seen’.
Plastic is your ‘thing’ – we reused bottles made of glass;
We never rode gas guzzlers – we walked to school in our past!
What’s today’s flavour – is it a fashionable meme?
Explain why work’s second place to a dancing flashing theme?
Do I dare say or should I duck-tape mouth and ears –
In case – ‘major crime’ my words offend Ewe younger peers?
Back when – ‘my day’, brows raise, mouths pucker;
Seen Gen Ewe snigger condensing, giving me a ‘poor you’ looker!
Gender-fluid (term unheard) – the S-Word (mega-freak) – taboo!
People were just humans – one or other, as choice of loo.
For the ‘different’, we were taught ‘make allowances’;
Be kind, help out – don’t stare – ignore ‘funny fragrances’
We had school schemes – showed us our privilege and place.
We did our bit ‘for community’ – earned our social space.
Comedy was for making fun – lightening what was dark.
It gave us merriment when everything remained stark.
We toiled workplace, strikes, fuel, the food and energy crisis – the lot.
Ewe moan! ‘It’s hard’ in tech-rich now -it’s nowt to what we got!
So – wakey, wakey Snowflake Gen – Ewe smell the decaf coffee!
Ewe patronise the older end – but they’re not workhorse lackies,
Geriatric, arthritic maybe but worth more than fetch and carry
Today maybe for Ewe – but one day the boot will shift – no worry!
Do you think there is a ‘Woke’ Society? Has the pendulum of public opinion swung too far the other way?
Take care everyone, and – be kind!
BP
Monday, 16th February 2023