The world has gone crazy. All I wanted today for morning tea was a cup of Earl Grey tea. What did I find? - packet after packet of green tea and berry tea. When I asked why we did not have ordinary tea apparently we don’t drink ordinary tea anymore because “we all drink green tea or berry tea.”
Well I don’t!
Humanslaughter is not a word
My son told me last week that he was admonished at school for referring to something as “man-made” and told that if he went to University and used such terms he would be marked down. Querying this with an Associate Professor at Otago University, I was indeed told that the term was sexist although she was unaware of whether some Departments in the University would mark down a student based on the use of “sexist language” and it may depend on the aims of the assessment, the extent of use of sexist language and persistence of its use.
This enrages me. Has the world gone crazy? Do people really think that sexism will be cured by making people say “humankind” or “human-made” or god forbid “humanslaughter”. Do people really think that sexism is based in the use of words like Chairman and will be fixed if we say Chairperson? No it is not and it will not. But again nobody wants to listen because it is so much easier to blame sexism and racism on slogans. By all means teachers and universities ban ‘sexist terms’ like man-made but can I assure you the impact upon inherent sexism that is part of our culture will not be affected to the better one bit. In fact this whole incident is turning me into a misogynist.
No ‘alternative facts’ thank you
I am sick of the New Zealand media reporting everything President Trump does through the bias of CNN. I am not saying Fox is any better but I would like Political reporting to be factual so we can make up our own minds.
Rugby players take note
I am a dinosaur. I find the term ‘express yourself’ used by rugby backs and coaches in this country irritating. I do not want you to express yourself, I want you to tackle and score tries.
I want my front row to play in the tight (unless of course you as good as Dane Coles) and I do not want them to have long hair unless they are French. The only long haired rugby players should be French.
Beauty is not a talent
I am tired of Facebook posts that refer to daughters as “my beautiful daughter“ and never “my clever daughter” or “my sporty daughter” or “my irritatingly confident opinionated daughter”.
Yes, ma’am
I want children to address adults as Mr or Mrs or Aunty and Uncle until they are told they can use first names. I don’t think teachers should even have first names.
Don’t text angry
I am an angry woman (as opposed “nasty” one). A recent Stuff article showed what can happen when angry people let loose in the work place. In this case an agriculture worker threatened to break into a workshop with bolt cutters. Apparently he got angry after an argument involving profanity–laden text messages following damage to a wooden gate. This case was another example of employers and employees trading abusive texts leading to people acting out of anger and everything essentially going to custard.
Earl Grey and chill
So rather than launch a tirade about why I can’t find one tea bag not filled with green tea I am going home now. I am going to lie on my bed for a while and listen to Eminem. I am going to get over my anger and then I am going to come back to work bringing a box of Earl Grey tea.
