The unacceptable condition

Seems to be old, white and male.

One of the descriptions I heard of the Trump vs Biden debate this morning was of 3 old white men incoherently and bitterly wrangling.

I wonder if, in the present run to make Black Lives Matter and to positively discriminate so that women can lead and put society right, that we've lost site of the fact that everyone has value. 

 Sure these guys are vying to become POTUS so their value isn't in question - or is it? The manner in which this 'debate' has been presented looks *to me* like their value IS in question. The present encumbent has arguably worked to reduce the value of that position, but should that mean everyone then gets tarred using the brush he dumped all over?

Or perhaps I'm becoming defensive BECAUSE I'm an old, white, privileged male?

I understand the *slogan* All Lives Matter has been adopted as a white supremacist retort to BLM, yet the inherent truth in that statement cannot be ignored. We need all lives to matter because otherwise not only will we replace one oppressive group with another (is it their turn to be on top - should anyone be on top?) but society will never be at peace with itself. As soon as the debate changes from doing what is right for everyone to individuals and groups claiming their rights then the struggle has been lost and at least some part of society will be poorer for it.

I am very much reminded of this cartoon and earlier post.

And so the final day is nearly over of the holiday that nearly didn't happen.

It's genuinely been a good trip, better than expected, everything running smoothly & hassle free from the cab waiting at the airport for us to the amazing friendliness & welcome of the Greek people. Not everything has been *perfect* but it's all been pretty darn good. We also had the bizarre experience of bumping into people we know from 30 years ago (on an Oak Hall trip) at our second hotel here in Nea Makri on the Attica coast. I did wonder about trying to blog this trip, but frankly was just so tired before we went that there was no energy for writing at first.

High points?

Seeing the Acropolis (or Acropolipse as it's been nicknamed) without crowds, watching some great sunsets together, finding the (almost) perfect beach. And most of the people we've dealt with have been great.

Low points?

Having to re-organise the main section of the trip just 4 days before leaving, driving into the mountains above Athens without a clear plan of where to go and then running out of energy for the difficult roads on the way back down.

It's also been good to refresh my reading of Greek letters, and to be able to recognise some of the words locals spoke to each other from the (very little) language I've been learning. 

I have a couple of memory cards full of pictures in the camera, though not as many as sometimes, that I'm looking forwards to working through. Hopefully the house is still all OK, with dehumidifier running while we've been away. We also have a nasty suspicion that we forgot to empty the fridge and bin in the kitchen.  8^O

So the challenge that remains is to find somewhere for dinner tonight, get the suitcases packed OK and then get the car back to the rental people at Athens airport tomorrow. Personal locator forms have been completed, ditto check in, so it should be a breeze. ;-)

Arriving today: MAXTOP Bumbag Waist Fanny... and 1 more item

Sometimes you have to love the truncation of email titles. I could just imagine a bunch of small children saying those words over and over to feel like they're being REALLY rude. It's the kind of thing we'd have done at school.

This is probably much less funny if you're from North America, and fanny doesn't mean pudenda.

Today my calendar tells me that at 1pm I have a 'Talent Review'.

Which for all the world sounds like judging a bunch of guys playing the spoons or a ukelele orchestra as they perform.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Lets just say that one of the reasons people around my age take early retirement is that we can't face trying to learn a new set of systems & phrases devised by someone a little disconnected from reality to do something we've always done. I'm speaking obliquely because personal blogs are no longer considered purely personal by the organisation for whom I now work, and any anything written may be analysed for a negative impact on the business. 

A bit like my good friend Randall - a man who has done plenty of coding and page creation for blogs - finding that the 'new' blogger back end no longer works well for him. There comes a point where the system refreshes are simply detractive and ultimately destructive. Everyone smiles, tells you how wonderful it is and how it will make your life better, but inside you can feel yourself wanting to curl into a ball. I quite get that my mum doesn't want to use computers and feels technophobic, but I'd hoped that new technology wouldn't lock me out because of my background. In the end I don't think the tech will, but the changes in society and the impact they have on interfaces are very likely to do that.

 

*edit*

Survived. But it's extraordinarily difficult not to be cynical.