People are too easily offended these days.
Barely a day goes by where there isn’t some ludicrous story in a newspaper about somebody who has gotten themselves all in a tizz about something that, in the grand scheme of things, doesn’t really matter that much.
But the main culprits of this incessant carnival of outrage are not those most often accused of it.
Young people don’t have time to sweat the small stuff. They’re too busy paying off their landlord’s mortgages and calculating how many rounds of avocado on toast they’d have to forgo to get on the property ladder.
It’s the folk who rail against “woke culture” and these “PC gone mad” times we apparently live in that seem to have the most time and energy to dedicate to performative outrage.
Last week, it was announced that DC Thomson’s beloved comic The Beano was undergoing a transformation ahead of its 85th birthday.
New Beano characters vetted by children
The changes, which include the addition of new, more diverse characters, were vetted by a digital focus group of children.
The characters formerly named ‘Fatty’ and ‘Spotty’ have been renamed Freddy and Scotty, in a bid to show that body size and appearance are not something kids should be subject to taunts for.
Mike Stirling, creative director at Beano Studios, said he wasn’t afraid of The Beano being labelled as ‘woke’ as a result of the changes.
“We have never seen that as a pejorative term” he said.
“It’s awareness and being awake to things.”
He went on to say that the comic has ensured it has done proper research ahead of including characters from different backgrounds, to ensure that they get small details like clothing and cultural celebrations right.
It’s a smart move, both socially and financially.
The Beano is involving its key demographic in decisions about its future direction.
It doesn’t matter if Dave, 58, from Nottingham can’t understand why things can’t always stay the way they were.
Young people are more cognisant of the importance of proper representation in culture and the impact of bullying in classrooms than mine or, indeed, Dave’s generation were.
UK has other things actually worth getting angry about
One tabloid newspaper responded to news of the changes in a typically hysterical fashion, with a headline announcing that (you may want to sit down for this one) a “hijab-wearing artist and wheelchair-using scientist among gaggle of girls joining the Bash Street Kids”.
“God help us all’” read one comment on the online story.
“The world has turned into a pathetic mess. I’m so glad that I am old” read another.
My favourite simply said: “The world is going mad. I want to get off.”
Perhaps a sense of perspective is needed. Take a quick glance around the raging bonfire of the UK and you’ll find plenty of things that are actually worth getting angry about.
If a few brown-skinned characters being added to a comic and some girls being drawn in cartoon form are enough to power your outrage pumps, then you’re in for a treat when you discover all the real injustices that this country has to offer.
Last year, The Trussell Trust distributed nearly three million emergency food parcels to families in need – an increase of 37% from the previous year. One million of those parcels went to households with children.
Figures from Child Poverty Action Group show that 44% of children living in lone-parent families are in poverty. 71% of children growing up in poverty live in a household where at least one person works.
And if cartoons characters are your favourite brand of outrage, then how about this one?
A few weeks ago, we learned that the Home Office decided that murals on the walls of an asylum centre for unaccompanied children must be painted over.
The designs depicted well-known characters such as Mickey Mouse and Baloo from the Jungle Book but UK Government officials demanded the artwork be removed over fears that it was “too welcoming”.
The government decided that those kids, scared and alone in a new country, separated from their parents, didn’t deserve to look at some colourful characters painted on a wall, just in case they got the impression that they were welcome here.
I’ll save my outrage for that, and I look forward to seeing The Beano’s new makeover.
Learning to drive is not plain sailing
I had two driving lessons last week. On the first, my driving instructor told me he was very pleased with my progress, and that I’d soon be ready to sit my test.
On the second, I drove on the wrong side of a busy road, prompting him to scream, “eft, left, LEFT!” at me as I swerved to avoid danger.
He’s Italian, so even when he’s shouting at me it’s still pleasant to listen to, but I really thought I was beyond such silly mistakes at this stage in my learning.
As the countdown to my test looms, I’m becoming more aware of just how much I’ve still got to master if I’ve got any hope of being ready in time.
What’s Italian for “uh oh”?
