Well…whaddya know??? There was actually an “International Men’s Day” commemorated last Saturday. Your Eyewitness is a bit surprised that in this day and age any sentence with the word “men” doesn’t include some choice expletives. We were informed that there were actually THREE themes that could be followed to observe the day this year – “helping men and boys, celebrating “mate ship”, and celebrating men leading by example”.
“Helping men and boys”, your Eyewitness can see. As the saying goes , “maan a daag” – and dogs need all the help they can get!! Let us count the ways. Right off the top there’s this compulsion for men to excuse whatever transgression they commit to explode, “well, abee a maan”!! And that’s supposed to explain everything!! Knocking your wife around – or worse – when you crawl home from a drinking spree with the “boys” and the food served isn’t EXACTLY what you want?? Invading neighbouring countries because they don’t jump for joy when you break off chunks of their country? And so on and so forth?? Well, “me a maan”!!
The point, dear reader, is what men see as “maan’s” roles in society!! And since the dawn of civilization – after we crawled out of those caves – men were supposed to be the protector and provider in a dog eat dog world!! His size gave him an advantage over women when he merely clubbed and dragged them “home”- if they resisted. And imagine after thousands of years of societal “evolution” were still haven’t progressed much beyond that in our dear mudland.
But to be honest, even while relations between the sexes were improving in ole Mother England during the colonial days, we in the colonies had our development retarded in that department – to say the least. We were enslaved and indentured and the masters could ‘do wha’ de waan wid we women”!! And upon “freedom”, the men simply imitated their “betters”!! So that’s another thing we gotta blame those sanctimonious so-and-so’s for!!
The second one of “celebrating mate ship”?? Isn’t that part of the problem?? That men should get together as “mates” in the bars, or playing fields or wherever and reinforce their toxic masculinity?? Your Eyewitness thinks we should encourage men seeing women ALSO as “mates” – and listen to their perspectives on all the subjects they like to pontificate upon!! With no “mansplaining” permitted! And lastly, “men leading by example”.
This aint gonna happen until men accept the advice of the bard: “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings. Might you become master of your fate through choice—no matter what the stars say.”
Men gotta man-up and take responsibility for their actions!!
…crypto-currency
For decades, the complaint in the financial world was that a few currencies like the US$ and the British dominated the world’s economy. Imagine these countries could just print pieces of paper and the rest of the world would give them ‘real” goods like bananas and tractors etc!! Before 1970, currencies had to be backed by gold but that was nixed by the USt!! But gold still has “value” to get goods, no?
So isn’t that arbitrary? Well just after the financial crash of 2008, a digital currency called “bitcoin” was introduced by some anonymous computer geeks. It was supposed to eventually replace the centralized currencies of the major economies and let money be “mined” (like gold!!) by ANYONE through a computer technique called “blockchain” that was hack free. The trick was to have folks use it as money”!!
Well, the idea was accepted by some banks and even some countries. Until – like with regular money – it was just gamed by a few insiders – college kids basically!! And the market crashed!!
Back to minting money!!
…new parties?
The AFC isn’t the only party seeking a makeover. ANUG – which was supposed to be the post-race alternative – just has an executive election. But two founders have disappeared. What gives?
