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Middle-aged men and The Man
Sep. 27th, 2006 01:58 pmI've got tonsillitis. No-one in the history of the world - that's right, the entire history of the whole world - has ever been sicker than I am right now. Even though I'm at work, and not complaining about it (because there's nothing worse than a Work Martyr). But my tonsils are, you know, quite sore.
What is it that makes men of a certain age spend so much time battling The Man? Perhaps they themselves have been The Men for so long that it's hard to give it up. My colleague Brian is one such middle-aged man, spending his days off from work engaged in a series of ongoing battles with the Forces of Bureaucracy (FoB), as represented by CASA (the civil aviation authority; I've got no idea what the S stands for*), the Post Office and assorted courier firms who wouldn't let him post a three metre propeller to Dubbo, Vet antivirus software, and Centrelink (Australia's social security body). Like Brian, my mother's partner John is also a retired gentleman who still dabbles in paid and voluntary work, and he too devotes much time and energy to battling the FoB, in his case represented by the city council, Centrelink (you'll notice a trend there) and now the Hearing Test Place.
( John and the Hearing Test Place )
* Safety (I asked Brian).
** Various supermarkets offer a four cents per litre discount on petrol for spending over a certain amount. People can get a bit silly about them, refusing to fill up without one. It sounds like quite a lot, until you go to pay and realise you've saved one whole dollar.
What is it that makes men of a certain age spend so much time battling The Man? Perhaps they themselves have been The Men for so long that it's hard to give it up. My colleague Brian is one such middle-aged man, spending his days off from work engaged in a series of ongoing battles with the Forces of Bureaucracy (FoB), as represented by CASA (the civil aviation authority; I've got no idea what the S stands for*), the Post Office and assorted courier firms who wouldn't let him post a three metre propeller to Dubbo, Vet antivirus software, and Centrelink (Australia's social security body). Like Brian, my mother's partner John is also a retired gentleman who still dabbles in paid and voluntary work, and he too devotes much time and energy to battling the FoB, in his case represented by the city council, Centrelink (you'll notice a trend there) and now the Hearing Test Place.
( John and the Hearing Test Place )
* Safety (I asked Brian).
** Various supermarkets offer a four cents per litre discount on petrol for spending over a certain amount. People can get a bit silly about them, refusing to fill up without one. It sounds like quite a lot, until you go to pay and realise you've saved one whole dollar.
