Interesting political gender differences

I have heard a few things recently on news items. like there is a difficulty now with disposing responsibly worn out clothes and sheets if they contain synthetic materials, due to the polymers?

I also heard something about Farage saying he didn't want people working from home. Not sure if that is all posts or just some.

There have been floods and fire in different places. There seems to have been several in America, yet if I am correct, there are large cars and the culture of walking does not seem to exist there like it does in the UK. I know it is variable here, as although I see lots of people walking, there are some who will drive to shops 5 minutes walk away. The drivers are often younger and several who walk are older and used walking sticks. I also feel it is unnecessary to run a vehicle for several minutes, sometimes unattended as this pollutes the atmosphere. I guess what I am getting at is that small things would help.

In respect of finances, there are lots of businesses which offer cash payments avoiding paying tax which would generate more public money and the NHS uses private services which in my experience waste money.

Cloud, what would happen if you said no to the school about smart phone use, just said that you're not going to get one and that they're marginalsing people by expecting them have something they can niether afford or know how to use? I know that teachers can be pretty intimidating, we all have memories of being on the wrong side of a teacher and they use those memories to enforce thier will on parents. But if you could stay in your adult self and say no to another adult and not get dragged into superiority games, I wonder what would happen? I think more people should get together and say no to things like this, if the school has a parents whatssapp group or something post about it on there and see what others parents think and feel? If the school object then what are they going to do? Put you in detention?

Homebird, Not being able to get rid of unwanted clothes is getting to be a real problem round here, partly due to the closure of so many charity shops, but also because the ones that are left are getting so fussy about what they will and won't take and as I found rude about it too. You have to have an appointment in one charity shop, where they will go through your offerings and give half of it back to you, I was treated like a nuisance, and the woman had a go at me for wanting to drop stuff off with no appointment, I didn't know I had to have one, how was I supposed to know? I'm more inclined to take stuff to the tip now, Anglesey has an 80%+ recycling rate per month and I have more confidence that old clothes will be properly disposed of there. I use things like old vests , sheets, towels and nightshirts etc as cleaning rags.

Umm, I do agree about people getting together and saying no, but it seems I'm mainly alone with the phone/internet argument - I've had it many times through life but I'm told it's progress and to just get on with it. I have refused to buy a tablet for my daughter though so if they want her to work online they will need to provide one. I've argued that people are allowed many other choices. e.g. to be vegan or meat eater, or to choose a religion, so why can I choose for my daughter not to be on the internet? I'm told she will need to learn as she will need it for her future job, and I do agree, everything is online now. But not at primary school, let kids be kids I say, she has the rest of her life to be brainwashed by the internet, particularly social media. 

I could write an essay on why it was Billy and I think you mistunderstood part of my post, the rich white men I was refering too were the beneficieries of the so called enlightenment.

I was completely with you until you went after the white male thing again. The industrial revolution  did not just benefit rich, white men. It is the reason that we live in a society with basic amenities and living standards for everyone, with central heating, plumbing, buses, trains, cars, electricity, clothes, shoes, hospitals and everything we take for granted. The benefits are for everyone not just "rich, white men"

Schools are all about square bashing,not just kids but parents too, the removal of choice about such things is one of my big bug bears. I wonder what they'd do if there was a massive power outage like there was in Spain and Portugal last week?

I agree there's plenty of time for screens later on and even then under parental supervision. This progress arguement really annoys me, but then I guess many of those who argue for it are the same people who saw slavery, the clearances, mass industrialisation and greater constraints on women and colonialism as progress. These are ideas from the so called enlightenment that was ony really enlightened if you were white rich and male.

Cloud44 said:

I've argued that people are allowed many other choices. e.g. to be vegan or meat eater, or to choose a religion, so why can I choose for my daughter not to be on the internet? I'm told she will need to learn as she will need it for her future job, and I do agree, everything is online now.

Well said!

Cloud44 said:

I've argued that people are allowed many other choices. e.g. to be vegan or meat eater, or to choose a religion, so why can I choose for my daughter not to be on the internet? I'm told she will need to learn as she will need it for her future job, and I do agree, everything is online now.

Well said!