McDiplomas

Let’s face it; making an effort is really a bit of an effort. This was really brought home to me after watching an episode of jersey Shore, where dysfunctional big brother type candidates are let loose on society and the resulting chaos, insults and spontaneous sexual encounters are recorded for us by an ever present film crew. Fame or rather infamy for nothing.

At the end of the day, who isn’t lazy? We live in an age where we demand perfection but without effort. We want our wars to be virtual without casualties or conflict, we want our homework without the work, public services without taxes, unity without allegiance, rights without responsibilities, fame without talent, sportswear without the sports and sex without the effort of a relationship.

This is not just limited to the realms of us mortal folk. At this moment Spain seems to have politicians without policy, employment policy without employment and job shops without jobs. As Europe unites at the European summit of employment to try to find a way to face its biggest threat ever, that of mass unemployment. The Spanish minister for home affairs, Fatima Bañez decided that it wasn’t really worth going along. A little strange when you consider that Spain is the country in Europe with the highest levels of unemployment, you’d think that it may have been of some interest to the minister. No apparently not.

This lack of interest is surely a reflection of modern market societies where our needs are met immediately and any type of discomfort is considered wholly unacceptable . It would be unfair to claim that Spain is unique in this type of general disinterest in working and finding an alternative. Recently a French university lecturer gloated about how he taught literature without ever having read one of the books he teaches about. But probably the most alarming is the fact that in Britain, McDonalds have been awarding their own diplomas in business studies. Now that is horrifying!!