Category Archives: Our World

Own Goals Ladies..Please !

Our World, women, ,

I was watching two people review the papers this morning on TV, as I got ready for work, and my heart sank.

The woman, calling herself a “feminist”,  started discussing an article from one of the tabloids with a reference to sexism and, as she became more and more annoyed by the topic, she turned on the man beside her, who was actually agreeing with the sentiment of her argument. Her rants and rhetoric did absolutely nothing to advance the cause of “Equality for Women”; a very noble and just cause that a lot of people (women AND men) have worked so hard for over the years.

I appreciate this is a deeply emotive subject, but I do not find it any more acceptable to listen to a woman berate a man for all the ills of the world, as if he were personally responsible, than if the “Louboutin” were on the other foot.(Am I being sexist there??)

Please, please stop distracting from the fundamental objective of “Equality”, not tokenism, not quotas of “Female Board Members”, and certainly not blaming every man to-day for an environment that has come about over thousands of years.

I fear for the ” Women’s Movement” of yesteryear. The waters seem so muddied with a myriad of confusing messages and images for young women now; their focus and energy taken up with silly side issues and a lot of guff, while the same old injustices still go on, unchecked.

We still have a very long way to go to achieve true equality, where we are ALL judged on our ability to do the job and not on whether we have a penis or a vagina.

Just How Far Have We Come?

harrassment, Our World, Special People

I was watching a programme on TV last week where they talked to one of the first women to use the, then new, legislation to prosecute for sexual harassment in the workplace. She was a very brave woman and her life was made a living hell during the process. At the end the interviewer asked her if she thought we were in a better place to-day. Her answer did not surprise me. As far as she could see the sexism and harassment is still as prevalent, but is now harder to prove as it is not so overt; slipping under the radar of regulation.

I started to think about those other lovely “isms”; racism, sectarianism and so on. Are we any better now than, say, the 1970’s, any more enlightened? I believe we should certainly know more about each others cultures, but apparently it does not necessarily follow that this leads to more tolerance.

Coming from a country where some used to claimed a legitimacy for murder because of religion, I believe it has changed, to an extent, but it will take a lot more than signatures on pieces of paper to remove the biases and bigotry of generations. Turn on the news at any time to see the evidence of this.

There are wonderful and inspirational examples of enlightenment within working environments and communities out there, but is this because of changes in law, or because of good people doing what good people have always done?

Maybe we are looking at a “Darwin-esque” scale of evolution before we can look at each other as human beings first, sex, colour, creed coming way, way after.

I’m laughing now thinking of Star Trek, Star Wars etc. Holy shit! How long did it take them to become so comfy with planetary aliens??

Heart Vs Head..The Constant Battle

Life Stressors, Our World,

In responding to a previous comment, it highlighted something that writing this blog has brought into sharp focus; the constant inner battle between my instinct and my intellect.

I understand a lot of what makes me feel better, helps make me a better version of who I am, and the people and processes that enrich my life. I can  discuss, at length, the ideal mental attitude to help me achieve both physical and emotional harmony.( or a move in that direction anyway)

So, WHY, would someone please explain to me, does this process go into short-circuit somewhere in my body?

Can our heads and our hearts ever work in “sync” or are they mutually exclusive processes?

During a deep and meaningful conversation with a good friend we discussed protecting our “souls”, the essence of who we are, and how much we risk when we love someone or something. So, if my head were in control what would I do?  Isolate myself?  Put a ring of steel around my heart so I didn’t suffer hurt or humiliation?

My instinct yells “NO”!  With every pore of my being, and accepting of the strife and stress that comes with it, NO!

Physical and emotional harmony are wonderful ideals; something to aspire to and work towards, but love and life are worth the risks.

Good News Anyone? Please.

Our World

An item of news came up about 45 minutes ago that aroused my interest so I went onto the news website to read more about it. I don’t often view the “news” like this. I normally listen to or watch it on the TV as I do other things like get ready for work or housework etc.

Flicking through page after page was awful. When you listen to the various items on television, or read the ticker-tape type of commentary along the bottom of the screen, the huge volume of tragic events around the world does not strike you as much. (well, not me anyway).

Perhaps, as I read through the site the attached images of the victims or their grief-stricken families resonated more deeply because I had more time to take it in; time you don’t have with a TV screen before it moves on to the next catastrophe.

The number of really major new stories that seem to constantly be pushed off the “front page” by the latest “breaking” item leaves me feeling guilty for having forgotten their story so soon. We may stop talking about it, but, for the people involved, the nightmare continues.

I actually searched for “good news stories” but with dismal results. Not too many “And Finally” type topics that used to end the Nine O’Clock news when I was young to lift the mood of the viewers. No, the horror of it all is given to us without any sugar-coating. Yet I fear we are becoming so desensitized by the amount of graphic information and images we take in, day in and day out, that we will miss something; something hugely important with long-reaching consequences.

So, if that politician was right, and you bury bad news on a day where bad news is in abundance then I wonder, “What have we missed?”