Things to Depress You...

here, here, and here.

Comments

[mighty mike]

What's depressing about the second item? I think it is actually a good idea. About six months ago I found myself sitting next to a young German on a long flight and she told me about their 'social service'. She described it thus: school leavers are encouraged to spend a period of time in another country (preferably one with foreign language) performing some sort of service function (her boyfriend was teaching German to children in South America). The purpose is to get young people to experience another culture (and I infer to appreciate humans worldwide are just the same). I saw it as being win-win.

The concept of national service is absurd, I agree, but some form of hoziron-broadening wouldn't be a bad thing.

[AJE]

It's the arrogance that I hate: just because something (if it occurs voluntarily) is a good thing, shouldn't make it compulsory.

The main reason I vomitted over that story was the fact that David Cameron has come in and demonstrated just what a spiritless, boring, outdated politician he is. It's hilarious that the Tories think the'yre being contemporary by electing a leader who deliberately models himself on the opposition circa 1994.

Just as there's a section of Labour that I love, there's a section of the Tories too - and so when one of the main parties makes a change I hope that it's moved in a "good" direction. Alas, (as I expected), they're all as bad as each other.

For what it's worth, I think I agree with you. I'm all for encouraging school leavers to do some kind of social service, but the article says it'll be compulsory (in other words national service) which is something else entirely.

Encouragement to do good: fantastic
Compulsion to do good: bad