The Anti Arty Farty Party …thoughts of an Ageing Hippy Highlander

Happy Birthday, you old fart!

…and I hope you die soon.

The ink on the new (pointless but it’s another law, isn’t it?) anti-​ageism law is barely dry and the first nutters have appeared driven by “legal advice”

A company has banned it’s employees from having a whip-​round to get a card for a colleague’s birthday in case the birthday boy/​girl is offended by the card and decides to sue the company using the new legislation. They claim to have done this following legal advice — who the fuck is their lawyer? and are they seriously paying for this kind of advice?

God, I despair sometimes — is everyone a potential victim of some kind of offence or other?

Come on people, GROW UP! Half the fun of having to be a wage slave is the opportunity to take the piss out of each other whenever possible. Why are the NannyNazis trying to take all the fun out of life? What happened to giving as good as you get?

So, I think it should be compulsory to get as offensive a card as you can for every work-​place related event. Where I work there seems to be an epidemic of marriage as the “stump up for Johnny & Jenny’s gift” sheets seem to come round every bloody day. Who the fuck are Johnny & Jenny anyway!

Anyway, I’m an old sod and I don’t consider my age something to get offended about — I can’t stop getting older!

What I do object to is discrimination in the workplace that stops older people getting a job and then keeping it as long as they like. At 52 I might as well be 92 as far as some employers are concerned — not that I’d stop a 92 year old having a job if they want one and can still perform!. My current employer, by the way, does not behave like this and peoples’ experience is valued — unusual I admit, but I think this attitude will remain unusual despite this pointless law.