No Honey, You're Not Special

I'm getting old.

My brothers and sisters are popping out children at an alarming rate and a subject that is near and dear to my heart is once again driving me barny.

You see in schools today, and indeed when I was a child myself, kids are told "you're special, you can do anything, you can be prime minister, you can be a doctor or an astronaut!"

That message is drilled into kids all throughout their childhood, when the simple fact of it is that its not true, and unlike the other white lies we tell children, such as the stork brings babies and Santa, its harmful.

That message has lead to the current problems in society, there aren't enough people willing to work "lower class" or "trade" jobs, everyone wants to be the star, but the problem with that is, not everyone is capable of being the star, I know this, I'm never going to be a doctor or a writer of great renown, I'm happy with being a rung in the ladder. After all without the rungs, there is no place for the guy at the top to stand.

The problem is, people feel they have "failed" if they don't get a high paying skilled job working in a posh office doing "important" things, never mind cleaning the hallway out after everyone else has gone home is just as important as the guy researching cancer in the lab during the day.

Society needs everyone, not just the bright stars, the people who drive taxies and sell groceries are just as important as the guy working out a way to cure AIDs, after all without them, how is the researcher going to eat or get to work?

So next time you hear some dozy twat of a teacher tell some kid he or she is special and might end up being a doctor, do us all a favour and smack them upside the head.