Our thanks to Nigel for this. Women’s work ethic, eh?
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Well here’s an example of a grueling job done in hot and dangerous enviroment with very “unsocial” hours. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12357213/Trendy-Notting-Hill-restaurant-boss-sparks-diversity-row-sharing-Instagram-photo-white-male-team-chefs-hes-blasted-social-media-totally-unrepresentative-line-up.html
Leaving aside the obvious that here in my multi cultural multi ethnic city, Chinese restaurants are staffed by Chinese, Bangladeshi by Bangladeshi and on and on to a Mongolian eatery. Having dealt with the race issue there is the man thing. Because whatever the race the kitchens are literally “manned”. Yet another area where it appears “white men” just fine if they keep themselves hidden “below stairs” doing the hard work, but heaven forfend they should step into the light to take a bow, without the odd token woman on show who does the lunch shift. Yet another where probably non of the critics would get their hands dirty doing the job themselves. What a crime being proud of the workers in your business.
Not exactly a fan of Brendan O’Neill. But I did enjoy this. https://www.spiked-online.com/2023/07/29/leave-men-alone/ Perhaps Caitlin Moran is an easy target but it is entertaining. It ends ” Men aren’t talking about their penises, Caitlin, because they’re busy fighting fires, digging for oil, mending roads, fixing the plumbing and safeguarding society so that people like you can sit back and write fact-life fluff about their lives. The irony is too much: it is their masculinity that sustains the social conditions in which you can moan about their masculinity. You’re welcome.” Along the way is one of those pithy Camille Paglia observations,‘The women’s movement is rooted in the belief that we don’t even need men. All it will take is one natural disaster to prove how wrong that is. Then, the only thing holding this culture together will be masculine men of the working class.’ The pictures of professional and volunteer “firefighters” in Europe rather proving the point. During the pandemic during “lockdowns” my home city transformed. An Arts Venue was built (woman architect) a massive Arena constructed, 20,000 apartments and 11 massive towers with offices, hotels and apartments transformed the skyline, a couple of bridges too as well as massive flood defenses and an expressway from the Airport. Along with unseen infrastructure and telecoms work and rebuilding miles of old Victorian sewers. All while supposedly no one was working or they were WFH. Just as with logistics and transport one need not try too hard to guess who was not WFH.
Thanks Groan, great points!
Though “the competence crisis” posted earlier is mainly about the USA it is very true of the public services in this country. Our Health Service is at the bottom of the league in terms of diagnosis and treatment, education is turning out a lower % of literate and numerate people than in previous generations, police unwilling to tackle crime unless from an office and civil service largely cosily at home doing not much. I could go on but the truth is in common conversation the fatalistic expectation that all these services will be slow and positively obstructive is taken as a norm. Given Dr. Hakim’s preference theory its pretty clear that employing more and more people who prioritise their own “work/life balance” rather than a commitment to a profession is behind these very tangible declines in effectiveness. No doubt the men in these services did spend less time than they might have at home, and worked unsocial hours, and were ambitious for themselves and their services and maybe didn’t devote enough time to “self love” or “me time”. But they did also have evening surgery, saturday surgery, home visits and provide emergency cover for instance, now all a fond memory of the past. And the few GPs still showing this sort of ethic feel “mugs” as their female co workers work school hours or part time. Just as the Social work ethic of staying till “something is sorted” has gone in favour of leaving the office early of WFH. As the “Competence Crisis” points out the focus on getting the right diversity not only lowers the competency in terms if skills but creates a culture where to put in effort and commitment brings no rewards, material or recognition, and in fact is discouraged actively (toxic males being ambitious or committed to the business) but also undermines the whole culture of a work ethic as those who do put in the extra effort etc. look around and feel they’re the “mugs” when others can coast along, and still be praised or promoted. I’d contend those public services I have worked in or with closely very much reflect the process described in Competence Crisis . I’m sure others in other industries have seen the same.