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THE "MS PEOPLE UK" FORUM - ONLINE COMMUNITY AND SUPPORT FOR PEOPLE WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS
The first time I ever recall being asked a really serious question was back in 1964.
The question, at the time felt ominous, yet seemed to me, meaningless. I knew instinctively I needed a jolly good answer, and quickly! ‘Well, come on!, are you a Mod or a Rocker’? Brian Richards was a big boy, with a somewhat menacing air. What was his question? What on earth was a ‘Mod’ or a ‘Rocker’ and was I either one of those two things? I was, of course, simply a nine year old boy, one who had just lost at playing ‘tea-cards’ against an old Norfolk, soft red brick wall, in a corner of our ancient, country primary school yard. I had no concept whatever of being a member of any distant tribe. I can’t recall my reply, whatever it was, it must have been the ‘right one’ and later after my narrow escape, I timidly asked another, more knowledgeable child about the context of those particular ‘tribal’ names.
Yesterday, while filling up a form, I was again asked a similar, and these days familiar question. It went something like this, Are you a) White British b) Afro Caribbean c) Asian d) Other (please specify), You are doubtless all familiar with this kind of thing.
Suddenly, after all those years, I understood that I no longer have any idea how to answer such a question. A question that actually feels more menacing than dear old Brian’s threat back in 1964, and these days I simply have no idea who is asking the question or why!
It’s very easy to give a quick tick to an appropriate box and feel comfortable that you just gave the ‘right answer’ Yet what is it, that you are answering? The more you think about that, the more confused you will find it all. I have in the past placed a tick in the ‘Other’ box and then specified ‘Indo European’, This seems an accurate and attractive description, taken from my own cultural roots. My language, English, being described precisely as that, with it also being my native tongue. The continent of Europe being my present geographical location.
It’s rather nice and, like fashion, immediately changes other’s preconceptions. Perhaps I should regularly change it? Keeping with the fashion idea, I could specify, “Romano Celt’ in the summer, and ‘MS Person’ in the winter. Thinking more about it I could in fact accurately tick many of the regular boxes and still rightly claim that this was, ‘what best describes you’
I could continue using the ‘other’ box and think of evermore flamboyant meaningless words. However these titles, for that is what they are, always place me fairly and squarely in one single, tiny, dreadful, ‘tick box’. I don’t like that and I simply don’t understand why any of us should put up with such a question! Certainly nobody ever asked me if I wished to be ‘specified’ as anything! Having to declare oneself in this way is precisely the same as declaring a ‘tribal alliance, such as ‘Mod’ or ‘Rocker’
From now on I shall refrain from taking this question seriously. I will, henceforth, put down ‘Homo Sapien’ and simply wait for somebody to ask the question, Why?
I wonder how long that will take?
The question, at the time felt ominous, yet seemed to me, meaningless. I knew instinctively I needed a jolly good answer, and quickly! ‘Well, come on!, are you a Mod or a Rocker’? Brian Richards was a big boy, with a somewhat menacing air. What was his question? What on earth was a ‘Mod’ or a ‘Rocker’ and was I either one of those two things? I was, of course, simply a nine year old boy, one who had just lost at playing ‘tea-cards’ against an old Norfolk, soft red brick wall, in a corner of our ancient, country primary school yard. I had no concept whatever of being a member of any distant tribe. I can’t recall my reply, whatever it was, it must have been the ‘right one’ and later after my narrow escape, I timidly asked another, more knowledgeable child about the context of those particular ‘tribal’ names.
Yesterday, while filling up a form, I was again asked a similar, and these days familiar question. It went something like this, Are you a) White British b) Afro Caribbean c) Asian d) Other (please specify), You are doubtless all familiar with this kind of thing.
Suddenly, after all those years, I understood that I no longer have any idea how to answer such a question. A question that actually feels more menacing than dear old Brian’s threat back in 1964, and these days I simply have no idea who is asking the question or why!
It’s very easy to give a quick tick to an appropriate box and feel comfortable that you just gave the ‘right answer’ Yet what is it, that you are answering? The more you think about that, the more confused you will find it all. I have in the past placed a tick in the ‘Other’ box and then specified ‘Indo European’, This seems an accurate and attractive description, taken from my own cultural roots. My language, English, being described precisely as that, with it also being my native tongue. The continent of Europe being my present geographical location.
It’s rather nice and, like fashion, immediately changes other’s preconceptions. Perhaps I should regularly change it? Keeping with the fashion idea, I could specify, “Romano Celt’ in the summer, and ‘MS Person’ in the winter. Thinking more about it I could in fact accurately tick many of the regular boxes and still rightly claim that this was, ‘what best describes you’
I could continue using the ‘other’ box and think of evermore flamboyant meaningless words. However these titles, for that is what they are, always place me fairly and squarely in one single, tiny, dreadful, ‘tick box’. I don’t like that and I simply don’t understand why any of us should put up with such a question! Certainly nobody ever asked me if I wished to be ‘specified’ as anything! Having to declare oneself in this way is precisely the same as declaring a ‘tribal alliance, such as ‘Mod’ or ‘Rocker’
From now on I shall refrain from taking this question seriously. I will, henceforth, put down ‘Homo Sapien’ and simply wait for somebody to ask the question, Why?
I wonder how long that will take?
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So good for you - I love that quiet rebelliousness - see - another contradiction in terms, but I think it's apt. Jan. xx.
http://www.banksy.co.uk/indoors/pipe.html
Nick
I object to the term 'General Public' I am not general, I am very complex and individual, and I am most certainly not public. Quiet a private person in many, many ways.
I shall certainly think very carefully in the future, when I am presented with a choice of tickboxes.
So much of our technical world requires boxes to be ticked. ( Another phrase I loathe is 'ticks all the boxes' ugh! ) When we apply for anything at all, the information gatherer is sat with a set of questions that require one words answers so they can tick a box. ATOS Springs to mind here. So many questions do not have a one word answer, in order for our society to tick boxes and come up with some sort of standardisation of us homo sapiens. But I guess the word 'homo' is not PC these days either.
Scully
x
Scully
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Cazza
Nick
I really enjoyed reading that blog post. You make some very good points too. I've always hated these tick box generic questions that seem to come attached to every form these days, even a tesco clubcard wants to know what colour you are where you came from and what your sexual preference is (okay, maybe tesco don't really want to know quite that much, but you know what I mean!)
I always put down fun things in the sexuality & religion boxes, I think at work I'm currently a agnostic transgender.
Mustard x
Tick boxes are great for computers to read, yet you wish a human being to get involved in what may be your future.
I'll go for the computer. I'm sure it's got multiple cores, rather than a human with a single brain cell!