Staggeringly ignorant, can be applied to all walks of life these days, in every area of life, but only when it benefits the individual concerned.
Have some examples… (of those I’ve come across)
“Shop local!” – this is a regular occurrence, especially with the social media click brigade.
“Everyone should shop local,” and “Help your local traders!” or “Shop local, use them or lose them!” (and various other platitudes)
Normally read/seen, when the person concerned has some vested interest or is attempting to set up a little sideline business (so serious that it’s not declared to HMRC at the time)
Some take notice, with a like click, yet stop for a second and spare a thought or two.
- Where do they go out for meals?
- Are they using the local town shops every weekend, buying in their family food?
- Do they take short breaks / holidays in their immediate area?
- Do they do their Seasonal (Easter / Christmas) or birthdays shopping in their closest little town?
Do they hellers like!
They hit the nearest city, over 20 miles away for meals / family gatherings out.
They order in and have delivered their big shops from the supermarkets.
They don’t take breaks in their local area, any weekenders involve travelling out of the area.
Most of their present buying is done in the nearest city or online.
They are staggeringly ignorant when it comes to their own shopping habits.
Which brings me on to another example…
The blue light discount.
This is where discounts are given as part of a scheme, to the current blue light services workers.
This has been extended to include retired blue light workers, St Johns ambulance staff (retired and current), NHS admins and a whole range of other semi-related blue light workers and former workers.
Those eligible number well over one million, I would guess at approaching two million.
You may remember them, when we were all in lockdown, where those that qualified were given 10% off their supermarket shopping, discounted short breaks, discounted foreign holidays, discount tickets to festivals and concerts, etc. The list is endless.
Many of these same discount claimers, continue to protest at the, “Cost of living crisis!”
Now who do you suppose pays for all those discounts?
They cannot simply believe that the businesses/corporates/supermarkets take a profit hit on their bottom lines, doing it for the good of the people?
Of course not.
But here’s the issue, they are staggeringly ignorant to it, as long as it’s they who are getting the discount.
The supermarkets give them 10% off their big shops, by slapping an extra 10% on their prices for everybody else.
Cost of living crisis and needing a pay rise? Are they joining the dots yet?
Do any of them think maybe the prices will rise to accommodate their discounts, but when the discount stops the prices will remain high?
Perhaps it’s dawned on them that the prices have been increased so that they will pay the normal price, even with their discount applied? Increasing the prices for everyone else even more?
Not a chance. They simply do not care.
Booking a foreign holiday… the discount grabbers get a 10 day break in Spain, for four of them, for around £900.
The same holiday, for the same number of people but not eligible for the discount, costs around £1600.
Exactly the same business model again!
One final example of the staggeringly ignorant (no doubt there’ll be many more to come in future) is the personal data scam.
I cannot wait to see 15 years down the line, youngsters now, attempting to protect their online data!
We, as responsible parents, protect details of all our family and friends.
Personal data protection and online safety is even a subject in school from an early age.
Yet this goes completely out of the window when it comes to the social media click!
It’s little Johnny’s birthday…
Parents post a picture of his presents, then a picture of little Johnny opening his presents.
Not content with this AI reveal of little Johnny’s picture (facial recognition), now connected to his date of birth, his relatives are identified, which then opens up the whole family to the invasive world of “social” media.
Aunts and Uncles join in the congratulations with “loves” and “likes” – the social circle of the family, neighbours, friends and members of the public now know little Johnny’s date of birth, area lived in, etc.
How do these people think that “social” media corporates make their money?
Would they give little Johnny’s personal information to a stranger in the street?
Would they hand over his personal details to someone who phones up out of the blue?
Of course not.
So why do they hand it over so freely on “social” media?
Saved the best bit for last… little Johnny doesn’t have a “social” media account and won’t even get to view all the “likes” from all those wishing him a happy birthday. Priceless!
Simply outstanding ignorance, of the highest order.