The Traitors UK - A Moral Dilemma?

I was persuaded to watch the second series by my daughter & became addicted. It is full of surprises & very entertaining. The psychology of human behaviour is fascinating. What would any human being be prepared to do for a big enough prize?

Seemingly anything. There are no holds barred. In order to win the big money prize the traitors have to be prepared to lie & deceive all the people in the group. They also have to be prepared to stab fellow traitors in the back & murder other contestants. These are people they spend up to 17 hours a day with for 3 weeks. Avarice wins the day.

In addition everyone has to work as a team to complete the missions & increase the prize pot. The missions are challenging. So a good traitor has to have a devious, split, personality - pretend to be a team player & simultaneously be prepared to shamelessly manipulate the group & individuals within it. While the faithful are woking for the good of the group selflessly, the traitors can only succeed if they are ruthless & selfish.

 

In the end, I was disappointed that the lack of morality triumphed. The telling moment for me was the final banishment when Mollie was about to vote Harry off  & whispered "it isn't you" & he replied "no". It was such a betrayal of trust.

I also agree with Claudia that there is an issue with the programme regarding the patriarchical slant. Overwhelmingly male traitors. The statistics are interesting. More female faithfuls were murdered than men 5/2. More men were banished than women 6/4.

The programme reminds me of the Roman spectacles for the entertainment of the masses. They were to distract the populace from the political and economic problems of the day. Is that what is happening here? I actually think it is. If you really think about all of the "reality shows". Most are very unedifying. 

Herd mentality plays such an important part. The psychology of the programme is an entertaining mirror on the human condition played out as a game. It's clever, but is this what we have become?

Cost, Price, Value & Incentives - Domesday Clock

Cost is the amount paid or charged for something. The Price of something can be the unpleasant results that you must accept or experience for getting or doing something. The Value is the monetary, material, or assessed worth of an asset, good, or service. An Incentive is a thing that motivates or encourages someone to do something.

Our world is based on these 4 things. We have become a world of Consumers. Continual growth is King. Companies & individuals amass huge wealth. Politics is ruled by powerful & wealthy lobbyists, by consumer focus groups. We have more Stuff than we can possibly need & we waste vast amounts of that Stuff.

Advertising is a huge industry incentivising us to buy more & more Stuff. It can be very clever & insidious, persuading us that we just can't do without whatever the product is. We are faced with an overwhelming amount of choice. Just look at the Yogurt aisle in any big supermarket. We have become indoctrinated to buy. 

My generation can remember much simpler times when nowhere near as much Stuff was imported. When choice was limited to what was in season for example. When expectation about what needed to be available to buy was not nearly so high. But we have moved on. This is our reality.

The problem is that this new world has brought a wealth of problems. Not least is waste - pollution - inequality - depletion of finite resources & species - harm to the environment .... 

Our expectations have a huge Cost & we will pay an unimaginable Price if we don't Value what we have more & ignore the Incentives to make poor choices. We are at a Tipping Point. We could even have gone over it. Survival of the World is probably not at issue, it will probably recover if the human race sends itself into oblivion. 

The Doomsday Clock is at 90 seconds to midnight. That's a precarious position to be in & it isn't just about a nuclear catatstrophe.

Israel & Gaza - Reliable Sources

I had a lengthy conversation with a friend last week about the Israel / Gaza war. It made me realise how important it is to have reliable, unbiased, accurate information so that you can decide where you stand on a particular issue. One of my trusted sources is EAPPI - a Quaker group who sends independent monitors to the area to report what is actually happening.

https://www.eyewitnessblogs.com/

Another source is BBC Verify.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-67764664

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-67760523

There are many unreliable sources. Oxford University highlights the unreliability of some. International & Local reporters on the ground are being killed in record numbers. To counter the misinformation, open source journalism is being used more & more.

https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/news/israel-gaza-war-highlights-power-and-limits-open-source-reporting

The death rate in Gaza is higher than any other major 21st century conflict according to Oxfam International.  The death toll in children & women is horrifying.

https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/daily-death-rate-gaza-higher-any-other-major-21st-century-conflict-oxfam

More than 1,400 Israelis were killed in the assault on the 7th October, and more than 240 were taken hostage.

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/11/07/middleeast/palestinian-israeli-deaths-gaza-dg/index.html 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/21/gaza-death-toll-25000-un-antonio-guterres

I haven't found statistics for the number of Israeli soldiers & citizens killed by this war.

Seemingly the Israeli government is determined not only to finish Hamas, which I can understand, although I think it is unachievable. But they seem uncaring about the sheer number of people they are killing & injuring. I listened to an account today about a woman who had a leg amputated without anesthetics or proper surgical instruments. In addition the Israelis are flattening Gaza & destroying the infrastructure. Over 50% of the buildings are damaged or destroyed. It's the most destructive campaign in recent history.

https://www.axios.com/2024/01/14/gaza-building-damage-israel-war

Not only is this unacceptable, much is illegal according to internaltional law. It is also counter productive. The Palestinian people have suffered hugely since the state of Israel was created, but this will just drive them into the welcoming arms of terrorists. it will not solve anything. It will simply make matters infinitely worse,

The Will of the People

I'm reading "Why Politics Fails" by Prof Ben Ansell. He did the 2023 Reith Lectures, but I didn't hear them. So I'm reading the very interesting & well written book. I have long thought that we simply don't have a true democracy any more & like many I am completely disillusioned with our present government & many politicians. I have just finished the first section of the book on Democracy.

Democracy should mean that the people have the right to choose their leaders & replace them through  universal franchise. That supposedly gives rise to the notion of the "will of the people". Generally we are used to getting wealthier & having endless economic growth. But there is a conflict between individual self interest & collective goals. We are not all altruistic. We have to compromise, so politics is all about "trade offs". To legislate you need to win elections. To win elections you have to get people to vote for you. That is where the idea of the "will of the people" comes in.

Political parties make promises & have manifestos to persuade the electorate.The Institute of Government says " a large number of promises from recent manifestos have not been delivered"

Ansell argues that this is the "democracy trap" - there is no such thing as the "will of the people". Life isn't a series of binary answers. Life is more complex than that. People manipulate & even lie to get what they want. Parties & voters become polarised. Populism is one result. Four European countries have populist governments now.

An important concept is what we mean by Equality. My interpretation is that there should be equality of opportunity. So everyone, regardless of financial status, should have the opportunity to receive quality education & healthcare for example. In terms of the "will of the people" everyones' vote should count equally. Our voting system of "first past the post" does not allow that to happen. Denmark & Sweden for example have more inclusive electoral systems.

Another important concept is Freedom. Freedom of speech, association & conscience. All of these are being eroded during my lifetime e.g. no platforming, jailing of journalists in countries like Russia & Turkey. Is that done at the "will of the people"? No, it's at the behest of dictators who are able to coerce or indoctrinate populations in order to maintain their power & wealth.

We have seen a rise in income & wealth gaps internationally, biggest in wealthy countries. The wealthier you are the more power you have to manipulate politics & politicians. America is a prime example. They seem likely to vote Trump in as President again. A man who is worryingly unfit for high public office. The 2020 US election cost a record 14 billion $. How can elections be really democratic when money talks to that extent & gives wealthy donors tremendous political influence?

To my mind the "will of the people", if it ever existed, doesn't matter half as much as the money of the capitalists & oligarchs who can directly influence an election. Democracy is on it's last legs & the people have terminal laryngitis.

 

Job Descriptions - Parents & Teachers

I was a full time teaching head in a small primary school. I taught the juniors in the main building where the childrens loos were. The infants were out in a terrapin. One day at the beginning of the academic year I heard screaming from the girls loos. I rushed out & left my class. There was a new, first year, infant sitting on the lavatory screaming. She had never been to the toilet alone & didn't know how to wipe her bottom. Her mother had always done it. That was how she got her mothers attention.

It was my first headship & I learned a valuable lesson. From then onward I always did a talk for prospective parents, before their little angels came to school, about the sort of skills we needed children to have to be able to participate in learning. Basic things like being able to dress & undress themselves, operate a tap & wash their hands, go to the toilet, feed themselves.....Tooth brushing didn't come into it. The assumption was that parents did this in the morning & evening before & after school. Apparently children aren't able to brush their own teeth properly until they are between 6/8 - 9/10. Before 6 they don't have the dexterity. It should be done either before a meal or about 30 minutes after a meal.

So I am wondering why there is a move for schools to undertake supervised tooth brushing in school. I know there are breakfast clubs in schools with  50% or more children in IDACI (Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index) bands A-F. A being the most deprived. Children can't concentrate & learn if they are hungry, so I'm in favour. There are lots of benefits when so many families struggle to pay their bills & feed their children.

What I don't understand is how we have reached a stage where Education is expected to take on more and more of a parental or social work responsibility. The curriculum is already very wide & it's difficult to put everything educationally necessary in the hours available. The Arts & Sport timetabling has already been reduced because of the pressures of "core subjects" & the shortage of teachers confident & skilled to teach them. 

I would argue that basic personal skills should have been taught by parents before their children ever get to school. Children should also have been taught to be able to sit still & listen, to take their turn, to share with others. If you don't have these skills you cannot learn. If teachers have to teach these skills to some of their children, what are the children who are already ready for the demands of school going to do? In the case of teaching tooth brushing, do the majority of primary schools even have toilet areas where large numbers of children can brush & spit? Especially when each primary class may well have in excess of 30 children. The logistics don't stack up.

It seems to me that the fundamental problem is that some parents don't have adequate parenting skills. So they have expectations of what education can do for them that are unrealistic & in my view inappropriate. I would have thought that equipping parents with good parenting skills should be relatively easy & not hugely expensive. That could be school based, perhaps in the holidays, before a child starts school. It would benefit all the children in a family not just one.

I don't blame parents. Many have not been brought up by parents with good skills themselves. That doesn't mean they don't love their children. I do think that most parents would welcome help. Not just in this area, but also with setting goals & rules & enforcing them to encourage good behaviiour. 

It's hard enough being a parent of 1 or 2 children. Teaching a class of 30 plus is very rewarding, but can be an uphill struggle. 

Honours - Are they Honourable?

UK Honours are supposedly awarded for three specific things;-

• To to recognise merit in terms of achievement and service

• To recognise specific deeds

• To recognise a specific service, long or valuable service, and good conduct

The Normans started the whole thing with knighthoods & the Order of the Garter began in 1348. So there is a lot of history, which you can either think is a good, traditional, thing or an outdated, anachronistic irrelevance.

There are New Year & Birthday Honours & also Prime Ministers resignation Honours. Possible recipients are identified by public or private bodies, by government departments or members of the public. People are then selected by the Honours Committee. These are then submitted to the Prime Minister or Ministers for approval before being sent to the Sovereign for final approval. There are also Special Honours awarded by the Monarch. 

Quite a lot of people decline an honour. In 2020 it was 68 out of 2,504 offered, or 2.7%. Sometimes they are revoked, for example for conviction for crimes, breaches of military discipline, or when their conduct has been widely considered discreditable. In 2023 there were 12 revocations.

There has been ongoing dissatisfaction with the whole Honours system for years. Critics argue it is outdated and open to corrupt selections, “no more and no less than corrupt patronage”. Liz Truss’ honours list, after a singularly brief tenure as P.M. caused a furore. According to The National "she reward(ed) her local party apparatchiks, bag-carriers and assorted toadies, some of whom will retire to the House of Lords to live, like the reptilian Baron Foulkes of Cumnock, a life of pampered slothfulness at the taxpayers’ expense". Similarly Nadine Dorries had a public hissy fit at not getting an honour. The last reform of the system was 31 years ago in 1993. The root of the honours in the British Empire also seems anachronistic in the 21st century. 

As this link shows a government in power can & do  "load the dice" in the Lords. How democratic is that?

https://members.parliament.uk/parties/lords

If we are going to have a second chamber, which I think we should, then to my mind it should be democratically selected on the basis of the skills & experience individuals bring to the work of the house, the legislative process & the good of the country. There should also be minimum standards & expectations of attendance & real contribution to the work of the house. There should be a fixed number of Lords - currently there are far too many - 785. They must cost the country a fortune. The attendance figures are very low. Apparently 13% of peers rarely or never attend. In 2019 ;-

• Eighty-eight peers – about one in nine - never spoke, held a government post or participated in a committee at all.

• Forty-six peers did not register a single vote, including on Brexit, sit on a committee or hold a post. One peer claimed £25,000 without voting, while another claimed £41,000 but only voted once.

• More than 270 peers claimed more than £40,000 in allowances, with two claiming more than £70,000.

  Average Attendance by Sitting days Session Number of sitting days Average length of sitting hours:minutes Average attendance 2022-23 220 6:32 397 2021-22 156 7:45 367 2019-21 222 7:20 352

Personally I think there should be root & branch reform to reflect the work of a modern parliament. The present system isn't just "past it's sell by date", it's a costly laughing stock, which is a shame because there are Lords who do a really good job & have real expertise. 

Actually I would go further. While we are at it we should sell off the Palace of Westminster & build a modern parliament like Scotland & Wales have done, situated in the Midlands. Somewhere more representative of the UK than the South East. It could then have less adversarial chambers, either circular or semicircular. The unedifying yah booing might then cease. The present building needs constant expensive maintenance & isn't fit for purpose. 

I doubt any of that will happen in my lifetime, but I do think it might go a long way to restoring public perceptions of politics & politicians. 

      

                                                                                                                                                                 

A Recipe for 2024

Ingredients

An ability to Listen to other viewpoints

An ability to Argue your opinion quietly, without shouting 

Acceptance that Difference is acceptable

A belief in the essential Goodness of all peoples

Respect for others, however much we disagree with them

Willingness to Change ones viewpoint

Willingness to Help others

A belief in Fairness

A Love of Freedom

A desire to solve Problems

Method

Assemble all ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Let stand so that ingredients amalgamate. 

Serve with Love.