Salting the fields in springtime

140 characters is never enough, so here is a quick reply to Beverley's Twitter response to my first post:

I'm really pleased I managed to paint a bigger picture, but I'm pretty certain that picture would be better painted by people who have a bigger audience. Indeed, I think people with a national audience and the ear of policy makers have a responsibility to paint (or at least sketch) the bigger picture. Splashing paint around in one corner distracts those with short attention spans from the whole scene.

The OED has two definitions of ideology. Sadly, the use of the word in modern politics and journalism has push the word towards negative connotations. Often you can/should substitute dogma.

That said, I'm going to accept that my post contains some 'ideology stuff' (based on the archaic definition in OED) and take it as a compliment because I think that's how it was meant. However, my words (and thoughts) are, for better or worse, based on logic rather than ideology. I just happens to be the way my brain is wired and has not always been helpful...

Onto the subject of brains on bonnets. Up to the 90's, car manufacturers spent millions in R&D to make their vehicles (bonnets in particular) more pedestrian friendly. Then the marketing people came along and sold the all gullible people a pup in the shape of a Vanity4x4 (but that maybe another post). The ride height of these vehicles means people get dragged beneath, where their bodies are crushed and mangled - the very problem manufactures spent millions trying to avoid. Progress eh?

And finally (most importantly?), mandatory helmets for children. We all know how fickle teenagers are. How as a parent would you enforce this? Would you rely on the police and criminalise your children? Would you accept a criminal record for yourself because your child 'forgot' or removed their helmet?

People should not require protective equipment just to move from A to B under their own power.

Most likely, the result will simply be to scatter salt on the beautiful meadow that our children represent. A few hardy plants will flourish despite the unfavourable soil but for the majority, these conditions will set the tone for the remainder of their lives. They will physically wither.