One of my better purchases of recent months has been a Roberts idream, all singing all dancing DAB ipod radio alarm thing.. For £35 it mean I can wake up to a selection of good music, a podcast or the radio (or a buzzer but thats just mean).
So this morning I had some music for a while, then flicked over to Radio 5 Live.
The discussion was about the naming of Baby 'P's' parents. The discussion went to the idea that they may be protected when released from prison. People were phoning in to say alll kinds of stuff: then a lady makes a comment about 'people on benefits who choose to have children'. Blue touch paper lit-
1- there is an assumption there that it is somehow better to abort than to try and bring up kids
2- there is an assumption that poor people are irresponsible
3- its really easy for people to slag off these folk now. What they did was very very wrong. It was very messed up and horrible. But critics: where were you when this was happening. Its easy to snipe away from your suburban homes where you mess your kids up with all kinds of other stuff. But until you are prepared to move in to the estates and get to know poor people and make friends with them and see what goes on and then maybe step in when you are worried about children you actually know: if you are not prepared to do that, you need to butt out!
I am fuming that we think that the actions of three very messed up people mean its OK to once again deride and judge a whole group of people.
So this morning I had some music for a while, then flicked over to Radio 5 Live.
The discussion was about the naming of Baby 'P's' parents. The discussion went to the idea that they may be protected when released from prison. People were phoning in to say alll kinds of stuff: then a lady makes a comment about 'people on benefits who choose to have children'. Blue touch paper lit-
1- there is an assumption there that it is somehow better to abort than to try and bring up kids
2- there is an assumption that poor people are irresponsible
3- its really easy for people to slag off these folk now. What they did was very very wrong. It was very messed up and horrible. But critics: where were you when this was happening. Its easy to snipe away from your suburban homes where you mess your kids up with all kinds of other stuff. But until you are prepared to move in to the estates and get to know poor people and make friends with them and see what goes on and then maybe step in when you are worried about children you actually know: if you are not prepared to do that, you need to butt out!
I am fuming that we think that the actions of three very messed up people mean its OK to once again deride and judge a whole group of people.
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