The One Day Strike.
A lot of people in the Uk are on strike today. they say that their jobs and pensions are under threat, but many private sector workers feel that Public Sector workers are being feather bedded.
So, let me ask - what does it take to ensure success and happiness in today's world? Who does the system actually favour? Those who get up early and work long hours, prudently saving hard to provide for their old age? Actually no, lets take a look at the figures - lets sort out the haves from the have nots, and see who are the winners and losers in life in purely economic terms.
OK, ten percent of the world's income is earned by women, and this group also owns a mere 1 percent of its available property. You might be well become a wealthy woman, and being male will not totally safeguard you from extreme poverty - however, being born male does dramatically reduce the odds on failing to hit the jackpot, so if you want to get on in life, make sure you are a bloke.
The next biggest thing you can do to ensure success is to learn to speak English. if you speak English, you will automatically find that you can speak American, Canadian and Australian , as well as make yourself understood in places like New Zealand and South Africa. Ok, you can also amass a fortune if you speak French or German, but being an English speaker certainly does your chances no harm. Neither does being white, incidentally, so put that on your list.
"Well", you may say," I happen to be a white, male English speaker, and it didn't get me very far". And I can empathise, for it didn't do me much good either. So, where did we go wrong ?
First thing to get sorted if you want to go far is not enrolling for evening classes or a correspondence course - first of all, sort out you parents. Make sure that both of them are graduates that have each managed to land a good career apiece and both come from large and wealthy families.
The best way to get into university is being born to parents who went there themselves. Such people not only see the value of an education, but they can help you through the process of getting one for yourself. Ideally , your dad should have an MBA and work in the private sector at management level and your mother should be in education as a teacher or lecturer, but other combinations have been known to work.
When it comes to your own career, though, there is only one option - entertainment. It is here that the figures speak most clearly. Daniel Radcliffe is only 21, and already has over 50 million in the bank. How many other young men in his position can say that? A banker on Wall Street or the LSE will still be looking to retire at thirty at that age, whereas Daniel can still do work he enjoys with no danger of burn out, and indeed, is able to pick and choose his next assignment.
Of course, getting into acting is tough, and you need to be conventionally attractive, possess sufficient raw talent and have the right connections that will get you into stage school, RADA and whatever as well as landing you the roles in the up and coming roles on screen that will get you noticed and bring you work. And you will have to be there on time, and deliver the results, so lets not knock Daniel Radcliffe or anyone one else who has made the big time.
But it cannot be denied that having a mum who knows people at the BBC or an Uncle who is well placed at MGM will help you immensely.
So, if you are a parent who never made uni yourself - who the hell are you to go telling your kids that it is down to them to save the family? You never even handed kids like me the IQ to do accounts, never mind the connections in show biz - and you expect people like us to make up for your shortcomings in life? Take a hike! If you don't have to get to work at 5am like me, or face the public in your job, don't knock people who do for going on strike.
The schools that most of you send your kids to are riddled with drugs and knife crime, kids are not even safe on the streets these days. What sort of people are you that you can bring kids into a world like this?
A city like London, that is so cosmopolitan that over 3,000 languages are spoken by its residents, is about to stage the Olympic games this year, and yet it has been plagued by riots and it's Public Sector workers are staging a one day strike today in protest at the way pensions and jobs are under threat of cuts and closures. In such a world as this, I am glad I never had any children.
Congratulations if you managed to become well off without appearing on stage or screen, BTW.
Well done to those of you who had the talent to pass the exams to become a barrister or an accountant, because you still had to work hard to land those posts.Well done if you are female and still made it in a man's world. Those of you like me who work as blue collar workers also deserve recognition for getting up and being at work by 5 am or working late into the night to drive the buses, bake the daily bread and generally keep the world turning, and it would be nice if we got the money too. But the system that we built together can only afford to keep so many in a decent lifestyle - but lets be honest; as a society we have failed to deliver to those who don't work on stage, or on screen, or in the media.
We all have to haggle and negotiate our contracts , one way or another. We hustle for the extra percentage here and there. And that is why public sector workers are striking today in Britain. The average teacher, town hall clerk, or tube train driver is never going to be up there with Daniel Radcliffe - but they are better of than the average shop worker, and would very much like to stay that way, thank you.
The system is not built on equality, but on opportunity. A job in the public Sector is a lot of people's lucky break. They have every right to ensure it stays that way for themselves and for others. For many working class kids, born to inadequate and abusive parents like mine or even parents a lot better, a Public Sector job is the next best thing to going on stage. It's a lucky break in life and is a lot better than a career in crime and a life in prison, or even a job flipping burgers or running a checkout in Tesco. Let's keep it that way.
So, let me ask - what does it take to ensure success and happiness in today's world? Who does the system actually favour? Those who get up early and work long hours, prudently saving hard to provide for their old age? Actually no, lets take a look at the figures - lets sort out the haves from the have nots, and see who are the winners and losers in life in purely economic terms.
OK, ten percent of the world's income is earned by women, and this group also owns a mere 1 percent of its available property. You might be well become a wealthy woman, and being male will not totally safeguard you from extreme poverty - however, being born male does dramatically reduce the odds on failing to hit the jackpot, so if you want to get on in life, make sure you are a bloke.
The next biggest thing you can do to ensure success is to learn to speak English. if you speak English, you will automatically find that you can speak American, Canadian and Australian , as well as make yourself understood in places like New Zealand and South Africa. Ok, you can also amass a fortune if you speak French or German, but being an English speaker certainly does your chances no harm. Neither does being white, incidentally, so put that on your list.
"Well", you may say," I happen to be a white, male English speaker, and it didn't get me very far". And I can empathise, for it didn't do me much good either. So, where did we go wrong ?
First thing to get sorted if you want to go far is not enrolling for evening classes or a correspondence course - first of all, sort out you parents. Make sure that both of them are graduates that have each managed to land a good career apiece and both come from large and wealthy families.
The best way to get into university is being born to parents who went there themselves. Such people not only see the value of an education, but they can help you through the process of getting one for yourself. Ideally , your dad should have an MBA and work in the private sector at management level and your mother should be in education as a teacher or lecturer, but other combinations have been known to work.
When it comes to your own career, though, there is only one option - entertainment. It is here that the figures speak most clearly. Daniel Radcliffe is only 21, and already has over 50 million in the bank. How many other young men in his position can say that? A banker on Wall Street or the LSE will still be looking to retire at thirty at that age, whereas Daniel can still do work he enjoys with no danger of burn out, and indeed, is able to pick and choose his next assignment.
Of course, getting into acting is tough, and you need to be conventionally attractive, possess sufficient raw talent and have the right connections that will get you into stage school, RADA and whatever as well as landing you the roles in the up and coming roles on screen that will get you noticed and bring you work. And you will have to be there on time, and deliver the results, so lets not knock Daniel Radcliffe or anyone one else who has made the big time.
But it cannot be denied that having a mum who knows people at the BBC or an Uncle who is well placed at MGM will help you immensely.
So, if you are a parent who never made uni yourself - who the hell are you to go telling your kids that it is down to them to save the family? You never even handed kids like me the IQ to do accounts, never mind the connections in show biz - and you expect people like us to make up for your shortcomings in life? Take a hike! If you don't have to get to work at 5am like me, or face the public in your job, don't knock people who do for going on strike.
The schools that most of you send your kids to are riddled with drugs and knife crime, kids are not even safe on the streets these days. What sort of people are you that you can bring kids into a world like this?
A city like London, that is so cosmopolitan that over 3,000 languages are spoken by its residents, is about to stage the Olympic games this year, and yet it has been plagued by riots and it's Public Sector workers are staging a one day strike today in protest at the way pensions and jobs are under threat of cuts and closures. In such a world as this, I am glad I never had any children.
Congratulations if you managed to become well off without appearing on stage or screen, BTW.
Well done to those of you who had the talent to pass the exams to become a barrister or an accountant, because you still had to work hard to land those posts.Well done if you are female and still made it in a man's world. Those of you like me who work as blue collar workers also deserve recognition for getting up and being at work by 5 am or working late into the night to drive the buses, bake the daily bread and generally keep the world turning, and it would be nice if we got the money too. But the system that we built together can only afford to keep so many in a decent lifestyle - but lets be honest; as a society we have failed to deliver to those who don't work on stage, or on screen, or in the media.
We all have to haggle and negotiate our contracts , one way or another. We hustle for the extra percentage here and there. And that is why public sector workers are striking today in Britain. The average teacher, town hall clerk, or tube train driver is never going to be up there with Daniel Radcliffe - but they are better of than the average shop worker, and would very much like to stay that way, thank you.
The system is not built on equality, but on opportunity. A job in the public Sector is a lot of people's lucky break. They have every right to ensure it stays that way for themselves and for others. For many working class kids, born to inadequate and abusive parents like mine or even parents a lot better, a Public Sector job is the next best thing to going on stage. It's a lucky break in life and is a lot better than a career in crime and a life in prison, or even a job flipping burgers or running a checkout in Tesco. Let's keep it that way.