Cancelled

This is easily one of the cutest photos on my roll… One little puppy all snuggled in and holding my hand!  He’s ready for his mid-morning snuggle and tummy massage 😊. He spent almost the whole morning cuddled against me, hugging my hand and just being the most affectionate that I’ve ever seen him.  He’s adorable.  Don is feeling a little better today, and looks more alert than he did the last few days, which is excellent.  I’m happy about that; I never like it when he’s not feeling good, or when he’s pale and tired a lot.  I also like it when his appetite is healthy, so that’s another good thing.  The puppy is adorable, isn’t he?

I was listening to someone complain about “cancel culture” and how it’s being abused by snowflakes, whiners and all those useless types.  Let’s get one thing out of the way quickly.  Sometimes people do abuse the system and do all kinds of things to squeeze money out of people.  I have ZERO respect for people who opt to game the system and I’ll leave that there, as I’ll get all annoyed if I spend much more time on that!  But I do, very strongly, support the wide variety of diversity that exists in our world.    I remember someone saying that in their opinion, men and women should consider themselves “included” if they were to accept their diversity if we simply “levelled the field” and referred to everyone as “Mr.” and had everyone dress is jumpsuits, because it would be simple.  I pointed out that that simply made men the default, as referring to everyone as “Mr.” would eliminate all forms of gender diversity.  But, they argued, that would eliminate the need for personal pronouns, everyone would be “Mr.” (or, in a grand concession, “Ms.”) and jumpsuits eliminated the need for styles, so *boom* equality. I pointed out that it’s not an equalizer for women, who would need to undress to use the washroom, and there were other issues related to feminine hygiene.   I was told that I’m too interested in women’s issuers.  Thought I’d check in with you to see if I’m totally unbalanced?

In theory, I have few objections to uniformity of dress codes, but I’d still like the option to change my look (and shoes!!) regularly. I’d be remarkably tired of unitards after a week!  That being said, I do have to believe that everyone would want to change their style quickly!  But would this really address the question of “cancellation”?  Would people really avoid complaints if they were required to dress uniformly?  I’m going with a firm, “No.”.   Would the complainers of the world stop if they knew that everyone would also be dressed the same?  Or would they find reasons to object to something?  I mean, I’ve skimmed several “Karen” videos online and I’m persuaded that the people who undertake to complain would still find reasons to object to the existence of the people they complain so loudly about.    Those people need to find some of what my doctor calls “a flash  of humanity”

So I’m led to the “cancellations” that go on.  People who don’t want to do things that are kind will often find themselves the object of ridicule, and deservedly will be ostracized from human society.  I know that I’ll be disagreed with violently, but I’m of the opinion that being kind is a good thing, no matter what the circumstances. So if you opt to call the police because kids are handing out water in a park, you deserve a slap on the wrist (literal, not figurative.). Sorry for the violence!  Similarly, if you start screaming at people for speaking a language that isn’t yours; you need the “application of the ancient element called the bullpistle!”  Sorry again!  But you really need the correction.  Finally, if you’re annoyed at the baby who won’t shut up, remember that you were probably a worse brat growing up, and you should offer to help her out.

Does that cover my views on “cancel culture”?  Twats who casually toss out racist comments deserve to be reeducated, and if they are defiant and refuse to apologise or learn might have to face termination, especially if they have public-facing jobs.  Doesn’t really matter how popular they are — in fact, it’s worse if they’re popular, as they have a bigger platform to spread their hatred.  And my sister will be upset with me, but I maintain that sometimes children’s books, movies or TV shows sometimes need updating.  I object in principle to changing the names of characters because they “might confuse children” — children are smarter than you give them credit!  And they’re not likely to confuse a woman with a body part because her name is “Fanny.”  I agree with updating terms that are no longer current (My favourite is replacing charabanc with bus.) And I am completely behind changing some story lines for having strong sexist/racist tones.  Like having female characters being told, “No, you stay here, that’s a job just for boys.”  If the story is solid, the small tweaks (and in most cases, they are small!!) will not negatively impact it.  But there are some stories that no longer hold up well to modern sensitivities. 

Anything with black face for instance, no longer is acceptable.  Another item I’ll leave alone for a while.  I’m going to wish you a good night, free of prejudice, hatred and cynicism, and may your tomorrows be full of diversity (especially if it makes you uncomfortable!!); inclusion; vision; and love of your fellows.  Remember, diversity isn’t a pie.  More for someone else doesn’t mean less for you!  Just embrace it and be filled with the lovely prismatic colours that will shine from your face like sunbeams.

Dream big!  I