In the previous instalment of this two-part series, we examined attempts to groom British schoolchildren into becoming eco-spies and pro-refugee activists under the guise of teachers promoting a confected holiday called ‘World Kindness Day’ to them during lessons.
Some parents out there might object to such schemes; however, those behind the agenda had an excellent excuse prepared, ready and waiting, to put any sceptical adults’ minds at rest: to claim that what the Lefties wanted to do to your kids’ souls wasn’t just a one-sided, debatable ideological pet project of theirs, oh no. Instead, they pleaded, it represents The Science™.
SoK It to ‘Em!
World Kindness Day was invented in 1998, prior to which the concept of people being nice towards one another had been completely unknown. Here in the UK, it is promoted by several domestic “Kindness NGOs” with names like ‘School of Kindness’ (SoK).
We should note the School of Kindness is an offshoot of the genuine charity 52 Lives, which does perform useful and commendable acts like helping the disabled, or victims of sexual abuse, both inside and outside of schools. Great, well done, no problem with any of that. Some of the organisation’s specific work inside our classrooms, however, seems fundamentally different, little more than a terminally naïve exercise in training up our children to
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Not often I disagree with the Sceptic, but to be quite honest I thought this article was a bit churlish. My wife is a Brownie leader and a Conservative voter all her life. But the very things being decried are the very things she encourages with her young charges. And we have quite a few painted pebbles as momentous dotted around the house. Left leaning, the Sceptic’s favourite insult applied to ‘kindness’ is stretching it to say the least. Come on, lighten up and get your sense of fun back.
With all this ‘ be kind’ nonsense, how come people are more rude and unkind than in previous years?
Surely, it’s just good manners to greet people or thank them for opening doors etc?
Nauseating. I am waiting for my Soma to take away all my negative feelings so that I can be kind every minute of the day …
Brilliant summary of the whole situation, in a single Steven Tucker sentence:
“…training up our children to become future Eloi in the land of the Morlocks…”
Shouldn’t these people be promoting kindness in Sudan, Myanmar, and Ukraine. And in the Kremlin.
“Be kind” = “I’m weak; please don’t hurt me.”
We (me and my wife and kids) have always thanked bus drivers. I used to thank the train driver too as I walked past his cab on the way out of the station, until they got new trains where the driver had cameras rather than looking out of the side window. We’re pioneers! Do I get a sticker?
I second the statement about rubbish: Ultimately, this is people without any problems trying to conquer their own boredom by exercises in positive thinking targettet at other people without any problems. Nothing of this helps anyone or could ever help anyone who actually needed help.
If the world needs anything, it’d rather be fairness than kindness.
There is good scientific backing for the idea that you are influenced by your friends and also by their friends who you might not know. A very readable summary can be found in “Connected: The Amazing Power of Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives”
by Nicholas Christakis and James Fowler”.
Note that a social network might be connections of smokers, or drinkers, or other more widely unapproved behaviours (grooming gangs?). There is no guarantee of ‘niceness’.
Some people might pursue ‘kindness’ – not for itself but as a means of employment in a social sphere. Using trite aphorisms and pastel colours for their own benefit.
“Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket.”
― Eric Hoffer, The Temper of Our Time
Nevertheless I recommend being pleasant to others, smiling (not like a loony), and driving carefully in the hope that my kindness might ripple outwards, and be returned. No aphorisms or pastel colours required.
I hate people who drive carefully as this usually means drive exceeedingly slowly
which means I have to wait for an inordinate amount of time until their cars have crawled past me whenever I need to cross a street. I try to avoid crossing streets in front of a cars whenever possible because you can never tell who’ll be the next to think that Make the pedestrian jump! would be a great game and also, because my confidence that careful drivers will actually remain in control of their cars is very low. I prefer people who drive confidently.
Driving too slowly is, as told to me by my ex-police driving instructor, causing a moving problem to all behind and in front of you. Drive TO the speed limit and drive carefully, considerate of others and alert to that which is going on around you.
That also p’s me off as a pedestrian, but dawdlers are probably my number one pet peeve when I’m in the car and get stuck behind them. If I’m feeling particularly charitable ( or ‘kind’ ) I’ll think they’re maybe lost but it’s when you’re on the highway and they move into the overtaking lane to overtake another car and they’re terrified of putting their foot down, presumably because it would involve going over the speed limit, so a tailback of cars starts to build up whilst they’re driving like Mr Bean doing granny speeds. Seriously irritating. Don’t they look in their rear view mirrors, FFS? Just move into the slow lane with the trucks if speed scares you, some of us have places to be! I have to vent as this happened yet again today.
I can deal with peeps cutting me up, as long as they signal first, it’s the damn dawdlers that do me in.
While I still had a driving license (I didn’t lose it for speeding), my idea of sensible overland travel (on German motorways) was always: Accelerate until you’ve reached about 105mph and try to maintain this speed. It’s nice for travelling as it’s neither very fast nor very slow.
🙂
Not at all.
Oh, the white folks hate the black folks
And the black folks hate the white folks
To hate all but the right folks
Is an old established rule
Oh, the poor folks, hate the rich folks
And the rich folks hate the poor folks
All of my folks hate all of your folks
It’s American as apple pie
Oh the Protestants hate the Catholics
And the Catholics hate the Protestants
And the Hindus hate the Muslims
And everybody hates the Jews
[chorus]
But during
National Brotherhood Week, National Brotherhood Week
It’s National Everyone-Smile-At-One-Another-hood Week
Be nice to people who are inferior to you
It’s only for a week so have no fear
Be grateful that it doesn’t last all year
(Tom Lehrer, abbreviated)
Brilliant
Who exactly is paying for this tripe…?
You….and me….
I feel ill.