2021-08-03
Any article starting with the exhortation "Imagine you're a normal person" may not be being written from a shared viewpoint, but whatever your view of current and recent circumstances, perhaps we can agree that we are not living through times that we would, two years ago (yes, that long), have considered "normal".
This megathread takes the trouble to look at recent turmoils from a historical perspective (don't worry - only five years or so) to identify the factors that may have caused our everyday presumptions to be shifted from their previous comfortable moorings.
It makes for interesting reading.
And speaking of "things that make you go Hmmm ..."
Another pops into my inbox only this morning.
There was a time when bodies constituted to look after specific issues were expected to concentrate on these more or less to the exclusion of others (although not to exclude the normal defences against evil-doing).
There was a time when advancement was considered to be best based upon merit rather than unrelated preferences.
There was a time when it was considered that the best way to bring an end to "disadvantage" and "deprivation" was to improve equality of opportunity and thus to enable the "disadvantaged" and "deprived" to improve their lot through their own effort.
Now the approved tendency within official bodies is to regulate for the desired indicator of morality, and the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) is the latest to join in.
