Social Issues
-
Shoot him with a gun, then invite him to dinner
This was originally posted on my old blog on 3 June 2017. When our daughter was about six years old, we always joked she was so pretty we’d already have to start saving for a shotgun for when the boys started visiting. One day, she asked me seriously what we would do if a boy…
-
Let’s give more to men
This was originally posted to my old blog on 21 June 2015. I’ve been bothered for a while with how we talk about sports. It’s rugby, and women’s rugby. Cricket, and women’s cricket. The assumption is built into this way of talking that there’s the real sport, then there’s the other version. Like the priceless…
-
With “friends” like these…
This was originally posted to my old blog on 20 June 2015. You are Facebook friends with Jack. You’ve never met in the flesh, you connected because you had a mutual friend, or maybe you got talking in a group you both belonged to and discovered you had mutual interests. One day, you open Facebook…
-
France makes laws to push social responsibility, while US makes laws to screw the poor
This was originally posted to my old blog on 22 May 2015. This morning I saw an article on my Facebook newsfeed: “It is now illegal in France for supermarkets to throw away food. They can donate it all to charities, or as animal feed.” Underneath, as usual, was a list of related articles. One…
-
Control, again
This was originally posted to my old blog on 18 May 2015. Ireland is set to vote in a referendum about same-sex marriage, and some other thing almost nobody can remember. It’s all about whether we should or shouldn’t allow people of the same gender to get married. The Yes side has dubbed it a…
-
The nightmare is over
This was originally posted on my old blog on 11 January 2015. A headline on one of the newspapers on the stand shouted as I walked into the shop: “THE NIGHTMARE IS OVER”. A glance confirmed my suspicion that it was about the Charlie Hebdo shootings and subsequent manhunt. I went into the shop, got…
-
Parents are people, too
This was originally posted on my old blog on 29 November 2014 I am continually astonished at how, around me, I see people fail to identify children as fellow human beings. Teachers and parents routinely talk to and treat under-eighteens in a way they would never, in their wildest dreams, dare to treat people the…
-
Clickety-clack, crickety-creak
This was originally posted to my old blog on 6 October 2014. The sight of high heels often sends my thoughts into unexpected territories. It blows a storm of yes-buts through the tendrils of my mind. Yes, we should all be left alone to wear what we want, but why would you want to wear…
-
Bondage gear, for the office
This was originally posted on my old blog on 22 August 2014. Picture dress code for the more formal workplace, or a formal event even in an office where the dress code is quite relaxed. You’d imagine people looking more or less like this lot: Okay, now imagine all of them running a race.I’ll wait while…
-
Ireland, land of the violated child
This was originally posted to my old blog on 18 April 2014. Ireland’s sorry history of child abuse is no secret. Much has been done since to change things, to make life better for Ireland’s children. However, a fundamental problem in this country’s view on children has remained unchanged. It is, I believe, the foundation…