There was a snippy news item in Carol Midgley’s Notebook today, headed ‘stick it to the man.’ (The Times, 27/08/18) In summary, the story is that some woman’s rights people had stuck ‘phallus shaped stickers’ on the Iron Men statues on Cosby Beach with the text, “woman don’t have penises.” The usual suspects reacted, the Mayor has vowed to track the perpetrators down; it was declared ‘anti trans’ (presumably by the pro trans people) and the police are investigating. Nothing very unusual there then. The piece ends by saying that we are at a unique point in history when the police are investigating this prank with it’s “woman don’t have penises” message.
I know that it is a throwaway piece but are we really at a ‘unique point in history’ with this rather childish prank? The probability is that the Mayor was caught off-guard for a comment and pulled out the stock, ‘I will track them down’ response. I will guarantee that the police have already consigned the whole thing to the square bin marked, ‘under investigation’ and the only official who might be exercised by these antics is probably the Litter Warden, who has to gather up all the evidence before he gets it in the neck from an outraged Mother on a day out at the beach with her children. ‘A unique point in history’ more like a normal day at the office.
Reference:The Times, 27/08/18, Carol Midgley, Comment