The problem is, we are living in The Age of Suspicion. An Age that has been almost deliberately, imo, conjured up by those in charge, that is those *behind* the politicians, to create chaos and insecurity.

Everyone is being encouraged to spill the beans on their neighbours or workmates, with regard to tax dodges, invalidy benefits, any benefits, etc...

Everyone is 'watching' everyone else, and wondering...

"Hey, is my neighbour a paedeophile?"
"Can he *really* not walk?"
"Should he *really* even be in my country?!"


Add to that The Corporate Bastards who lay down the laws for their workforce...Why, even in The National Trust I was told to NOT help people up or down the steps to our shop, because if they should fall over or injure themselves whilst I'm helping, the Trust could get sued.....I stared in astonishment at the member of staff who told me this, and then went to help the elderly lady up the steps, regardless...

Lawyers and the Legal System have done a great deal to foster this age of total lunacy, where even a builder whistling to a pretty girl can get sued for being sexist...

It's all such total crap.

What worries me is that so many people I talk to are *afraid* of 'going against the rules*....They're afraid of keeping their kids off school, being branded a parent who doesn't care about their child's education, or *afraid* of sending them back too soon after an illness, fearing being branded an uncaring parent..

Or they work their butts off to try to meet unrealistic 'targets', or change shop layouts completely around within hours, according to head office desires...

Well, fuck 'em all. This Corporate Bullying has gone way too far. I turned the women I worked with in my last place of employment into rebels...Once they began to realise that the Top Notch Bastards didn't give a shite about any of them, they began to slow down, to relax, and say "Sorry, but we can't do that in that time slot..."

Everyone feels spied upon, watched, monitored.....'Nineteen Eighty Four' really is here, I'm afraid...

Love turned to Sex
Hate turned to Acceptable
Bitchiness turned to Highly Fashionable
Competitiveness turned to A Way Of Life
Bullying turned to 'This is what your job is about!' (fook that!)
Loyalty turned to Lowest Wages Possible whilst demanding a 24/7 workforce on an 8 hour contract..
Self-Respect turned to 'I don't give a shit about myself, I'll just do whatever everyone else does!'.
Respect for others turned to 'Hey, buddy, I don't even respect myself, so WHY the fuck should I respect YOU!'


The other day I was 'told' in my new place of employment, that come Christmas week ALL staff, regardless of contract hours or anything else, MUST be in work all week long without any days off, FULL TIME. There was to be no discussion about it, everyone had to do it, no matter what. Not a 'please' was heard, not a 'we'd be so very grateful' uttered from the lips of 'those in charge'

Up went my hand...

"Sorry, but I'm *not* doing that."

The room froze...

"Why not?" said the young Ice Queen Corporate Basatardess In Training

"Because I've an elderly (ex) mother-in-law to care for and I have my dog, Tigger...and no way can either of them be left alone all day long, five days on the trot...People have lives and committments outside of work, you know.."

She still hasn't quite recovered... ;0)

Once, I used to stay overnight at my place of work, during train strikes, because the folks I worked for valued me, were loyal to me, and I returned their trust in me a hundred fold......

No more.

You pay me minimum wages, you get minimum work back, it's that simple.

I also won't be wearing the 'red devil horns' they have planned for Halloween, nor the Sari they have planned for their Bollywood special day, expecting the staff to buy their own sari ???????

I have my own devil horns of course, ones that I was born with, but they only come out of my head during combat with Corporate Bastards who look upon me as nowt more than a 'human resource'.

When the Ice Queen came out with the compulosry devil horns, I said "Where are we going with this, I mean..as a species?"...and she grew a little frostier, right in front of my eyes...I could see the absolute puzzlement and incomprehension in her eyes...

If someone needs help, I help them. If someone doesn't help someone who needs help, I step in, then rage at the bastard who stands by watching...

Brains have been turned off. Dumbing Down has been achieved, en masse.

Donuel's story of the man who calmly watched his neighbour desperately searching for his son was just plain awful, as was the one about the girl needing her inhaler.....

Donuel, that was a wonderful piece of writing, so moving and filled with many of the same emotions that I feel about this crazy, inside out, upside down world, that has become so devoid of love, compassion, empathy and Trust!

We have so very many things to change.