16 1 19 once 28 yrs ago (16) now 37 2025 1 20

Yeah, when I came here to live I wasn't so much into isms as I am today...In those far off days I was more into work...work work work as all young men 1/2 worth their salt are...

But aren't isms the things we only begin to think about when we get to be on the receiving end of one or other of these generally not so nice things in life? Things like sexism racism alcoholism and ageism must be four of the worst, though isms as in truism cubism or impressionism are not so bad..?

I think the first ism I had to deal with was probably reverse ageism which arose because age-wise I was such a late developer: being a relatively big kid pre-puberty it was noteworthy how all the other kids overtook me or simply left me way behind and shot way ahead. I now look upon this with gratitude because it was a) instrumental in my starting to use my brain to get out of trouble instead of using my fists which were no longer growing in size and strength commensurate with that of my peers...and b) because at the other end of my life I still had some catching up to do before I look or looked as old as my contemporaries...

And like it or not most of us are guilty of one ism or another, like it is very difficult not to be sexist I would guess in a very sexist society..? Coming here from Britain to Scandinavia I wasn't so conscious of the sexism carried on in my own culture as when I moved country because of course I am a male and most of the sexism practiced in the world including Britain is to the detriment of the fairer female sex...There you see even the noun "female" in English is a diminutive of the male gender, the "male" being the primary or dominant being...hahaha

Here it is refreshingly different although the gender gap is still 100 for boys as opposed to around 80 for girls in Scandinavia looking at a whole range of indicators from salary for the same job, numbers of each sex in government, the board room higher education etc. etc. etc. and quite often the sexes are indistinguishable from their dress because of unisex clothing...And at least one of the Scandinavian languages makes no distinction when referring to him or her because the same word is used for both... Role reversal then is perhaps carried on more in these parts maybe because of the colder climate and because when the chips are down the fairer sex is dominant when it comes to survival at lower temperatures..?


So there on the day I begin my 29th year here I am doing it by celebrating less sexism than elsewhere and where at last I have stopped talking as I used to about my age because like someone I wished happy birthday to the other day they proclaimed “age” is just a number and “old” an attitude! No prizes then for guessing were they older or younger than I? hahaha as I hope none of you are feeling your age!? (published a day later 16 1 20)

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