Six Saturdays before Christmas I find myself on Newcastle’s Northumberland Street. It’s heaving with people all swerving and dodging one another to avoid invading precious personal space. Everywhere I look I see stressed faces, people clutching shopping, manically scanning shop windows for their next purchase. There is a huge queue outside of the iconic Fenwick’s window as kids are shuffled along to watch the traditionally inventive festive scenes on display. This year it is themed around the Snowman.
Inside the shops, it’s even worse, throngs of people weaving impatiently through the isles under the watchful gaze of security cameras, anxiously looking at phones or speaking into them. Children follow along, tired and irritable.
I can relate, my patience is in short supply. I duck into a pub in search of sanctuary with my other half and brother. They swap work stories, setting the world of schools and hospitals to right. I listen as they offload over a gin and tonic. Behind me, a few guys are bemoaning Mike Ashley’s running of Newcastle United and the futility of the upcoming boycott of the next home match.
As much as I love beer and conversation by a fire, I resist the urge to have a drink knowing it could easily end up being one of those impromptu days (and nights) of alcoholic anesthesia that knock you for six both physically and financially. Like walking in the country, it is an escape from the nightmare of consumerism that reaches fever pitch during the festive season.
And to me this is where a lot of our problems lie. Everyone has been turned into a consumer. Parents, patients, football fans all see their relationships with their respective institutions differently in the 21st century. Consumers demand more and care less. This is making our world a more stressful and difficult place within which to function.
Parents were once banished from school premises. Teachers held all of the power. Parents would find out how their children were doing on parents nights or in school reports. If something serious occurred they’d be ‘invited’ into school to discuss the matter. Now the balance of power has swung towards the parents and to a lesser extent, the children. Parental rights mean unhappy parents can officially complain about the school. They bring their woes to the door of the school and the school must have a policy in place to deal with all manner of things that have little to do with the teaching of their children.
Of course there are some legitimate complaints and parents simply seeking the best for their children but schools have to deal with all concerns, legitimate or not and this puts huge pressure on staff and leaders. Pressure to deliver the curriculum and pressure to keep parents happy. In the meantime, the authority of teachers is undermined and behaviour management grows ever more challenging.
Health care professionals have experienced similar problems where their skills as practitioners become secondary when dealing with the illegitimate complaints of people misusing the service.
All this set amidst cuts and a target culture that leeches the pleasure out of helping people. There is something very wrong about that.
In football, despite much frustration with the Mike Ashley regime at Newcastle United, fans lay down their money for season tickets, drinks and overpriced food. They demand more money be spent to take the club forward as the price of the top players rises above the £100 million mark. Football the industry has devoured the game and the connection between the club and its fans may run deep but many fans don’t identify with it the way they used to. There has been a big shift back to grassroots football which remains undiluted by the finance of the professional game.
But we are in the festive season and a bit of perspective needs to be found. Despite all of the inhibitors I’ve mentioned, people do strive to be better teachers, doctors, police officers etc. Parents and patients do show their appreciation for the help they receive and fundraising initiatives for all manner of good causes have never been more prevalent.
We live in a more accepting society and many people who would have felt unable to be themselves can now do so free of ridicule and abuse. This is still a work in progress but we have come a long way in that regard.
Well that is it for 2018. Thank you to all who have read my blogs this year. May I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and both health and happiness in 2019.
Keiron
