The other day in a class of grade sixers, as they were doing a quite sophisticated project, a boy declared that he identified as a cat.
At first, I was stunned, then perplexed how to respond, not wanting to offend anyone. This was 2024 after all. I really wasn’t sure of the validity of his claim. Then as the banter went around the table, I realised he was taking the piss out of identity issues. The rest of the group joined in for a few minutes adding their take on the comment and I marvelled at their level of understanding, their humour and sense of the absurd.
It got me thinking. Have we taken the language and issue to an extreme such that children mock it? And is this a good thing that children question the absurdity of an issue taken to its extreme?
Which then led me to the next bit of deep (or shallow) thinking, depending on which side of the divide you fall.
Identity wars
What would I identify as? What if I identified as a young person? Would a whole cascade of events happen if I did?
Would the server behind the counter at my local bakery serve me first rather than ignore my very existence until there is no-one else in the shop?
Would the tradie who comes to give me a quote, not call me “luv” or “dear” and patronise me?
Would I be forgiven for my failings and my inabilities to do things and just be seen as inexperienced in the world of (insert whatever you feel like here)?
Would I not be overlooked in the job stakes and seen as irrelevant to today’s employment needs?
Would my family not roll their eyes at my stories and relegate me to irrelevant status?
Would I be seen as vital and alive and keen to embrace new experiences, not just needing to die quietly in a corner of a nursing home, bored to death with bingo and daytime television?
Young again
Would the workers on the construction site actually wolf whistle at me or at least would there be a range of clothes to suit my younger-in-my-head self?
Would I be asked about loans and money to be left after I am dead?
Would I be blamed for all the ills of the world and told that I had had it easy?
Now this is all fanciful thinking. It is fun to allow your thoughts to ramble, but somewhere under this is a reflection of the poor treatment of the elderly. I am not young and most of you, dear readers are not either, that is the demographic of this magazine. But we don’t deserve to be ignored or made to feel invisible, which often happens as we become aged.
Perhaps I should identify as a cat, then I could luxuriate on someone’s lap?
What do you think? Have identity politics gone to far? Why not share your opinion in the comments section below?
Also read: How can we make women safer? It starts in the classroom
LOL, my 78yo wife says that my problem is that I don’t realise that I am old. Whenever I am asked how old I am I quickly reply without thinking …. 25. Maybe I should be more realistic a say … 35! Seeing that I retired some 15 years ago, I must have retired at an early age?
It’s not really something to laugh about or mock. A factual article recently revealed that people are identifying as ”disabled” and one man cut off his legs and another person had acid poured in their eyes to blind them! Someone apparently also identified as dead and demanded someone kill him.
A recent court case declared a man who identifies as a woman is entitled to invade a safe space for women. That could result in some women being put at significant risk.
This ”identifying” rubbish needs to stop. We are what we are – male or female based on biology, young or old depending on date of birth, disabled or abled based on physical and mental health… There should be laws against claiming or pretending to be something one is not, but then, laws shouldn’t be needed. Whatever happened to plain common sense?
I’m only as old as the woman I’m feeling!
Old as? Old as what? Beats the hell out of me. I am as old as I feel whether I am 40 or 80. Oh, by the way, I am 80 years old.
Self identifying is a load of woke rubbish. It is time for the silent majority to speak up, as it doesn’t matter what you do you will offend someone. It is out of hand in Scotland with hate laws and soon to be in England as Stamer still won’t say what a woman is. Look at the Tickle vs Giggle case plus there are multitudes of others, even the alphabet community is split on self identification.