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RIP Common sense

(55 Posts)
Aveline Thu 24-Oct-24 18:43:12

I saw this in Facebook and thought it might strike a chord.
I read this recently...

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years.

No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:

Knowing when to come in out of the rain; why the early bird gets the worm; life isn't always fair; and maybe it was my fault. Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student, but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses, and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home, and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled some in her lap and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by his 4 step brothers; I Know My Rights, I Want It Now, Someone Else Is To Blame, and I'm A Victim.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing."

Sasta Sat 26-Oct-24 23:42:04

Indigo8

IMO common sense has always been a rarity throughout history and is no rarer now than it ever has been.

To give some totally random examples of past stupidity:-

Clothing for women, during the latter part of the 19th century women wore tight corsets that were so tight that they frequently fainted and their internal organs became deformed.

Homosexuality, even between consenting adults, was against the law for many years and homosexuals were victimised and blackmailed.

Whole generations of children were subjected to being graded as grammar school, technical school or secondary modern material based on some rather dubious intelligence tests and a one-off examination taken at age 10 or 11.

There are, of course, many other examples.

I hadn’t read it previously Aveline, but I thought it was amusing and clever.

However, in addition to Indigo8’s comments, I’d add the spectacularly cruel tragedy that was the treatment of Alan Turin, a man to whom we owe so much. For one.

Jannicans Sun 27-Oct-24 06:41:33

SPOT ON.

Retroladywriting Sun 27-Oct-24 08:35:47

deedeedum

Brilliant. I am going to save and post this. If only we were less tolerant and fought harder for our the principles our parent taught us.

"less tolerant"? I really don't think that's what we need right now.

Gumtree Mon 28-Oct-24 12:50:52

Here here! I used to own and run a Care Home and quickly discovered that common sense was NOT common. It had been completely taken over by rules & regulations so that nobody thought for themselves any longer. Fortunately I retired years ago and don’t have to cow-tow to them any longer. They really spoilt that wonderful relationship of trust and caring that developed between staff and clients. And the paperwork added an extra hour to a shift as so much had to be recorded, which I felt was really OTT.