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Today's column isn't about technology I'm afraid... it's more of a rant.
Many folk my age are probably a bit confused about the direction in which the world is headed these days.
Men are women, women are men and some are just somewhere inbetween.
Actually, I have absolutely no problems with that. It has always been my philosophy that people ought to be able to do whatever they want, so long as they don't harm others in the process.
You want to take drugs? Go ahead, but don't hurt people or adversely impact their quality of life when you do.
You want to change gender? Go for it -- what ever makes you happy is fine by me, so long as others don't suffer as a result of your choices.
Indeed, I have friends who are gay, a daughter who is gay and even a couple of friends who are transgender. I'm happy with whatever they decide to choose and do because it makes them happy and doesn't adversely affect anyone. "Live and let live" I say.
Unfortunately, as is the case in almost all walks of life, there are always those who really go overboard and lose the plot. This has apparently been the case within the halls of at least one government department recently here in New Zealand.
If reports are to believed, the IRD (NZ's tax collection arm of government) has taken the bold and somewhat overdue step of providing free feminine hygiene supplies for its staff.
It's a great gesture that recognises the fact that life as a woman is perhaps not as simple or convenient at certain times, as is the life of a man.
Apparently women on the IRD staff have been advocating for some time to have such supplies available in their toilets but those requests have been ignored, for a very long time. Finally, management has conceded that this would in fact be a good idea and changes have been made.
Sounds all well and good, doesn't it?
Well you know it's not -- or I wouldn't be writing today's column.
Here's some context for those not aware of the situation here in New Zealand right now...
We have a shiny new government that has come into power in the last year and seeks to cut back on unnecessary waste in the public sector. To this end they have started cutting jobs and spending in a wide range of sectors. That's good news -- nobody likes waste, especially where it's being funded by the taxpayer.
So am I complaining that free feminine hygiene supplies to a group of women in the employ of government is a bad thing?
Hell no, not at all.
What I am complaining about is that (according to reports), the IRD has placed those feminine hygiene products in both the men's and women's toilets.
Yep, you heard right -- the taxpayer is funding feminine hygiene products for its male employees.
Correction: it's funding feminine hygiene products for men and those women who choose to identify as men.
Woah... hang on... as I write this I'm actually realising that maybe the mindset I had when I started this column was wrong. Hell, I've just talked myself through a 180 degree change of opinion.
Allow me to explain...
I was about to rant about how ridiculous it was to put feminine hygen products in a men's toilet at taxpayers' expense. Sounds crazy doesn't it?
However, on reflection, I can see why this has been done.
Imagine the situation of a woman who has realised that their biologically assigned gender is not the one they are comfortable with and therefore chooses to identify as a man. In doing so, they will likely dress like a man and act like a man. For someone in this position, to use a women's toilet would be kind of absurd and disturbing for the women who also used that facility. These transgender individuals would almost certainly be using the men's toilets out of consideration for others if not for their own comfort.
However, they are still going to be women from a biological perspective and thus they will still need the kind of hygiene products we're talking about here. Therefore, placing those products in a men's toilet actually makes sense.
Well there you go... I've shot myself down in flames half-way through a rant about the woke state of the nation.
Damn!
I must be slipping! Perhaps I've become a traitor to the image of "old white boomer men" who must constantly rally against all forms of wokeism.
As I seem to say with increasing frequency in this column... we live in strange times and the world gets weirder by the day.
Carpe Diem folks!
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