***Sleep-deprived waffle warning***
One way of semi-rationalising the way carers are treated -- both employed and unpaid -- is that our form of government is not really about helping people directly. It's about stopping civilisation falling apart in order that people can help themselves, largely unhindered by war, crime and -- where practical in an infinitely expanding area of intervention possibilities -- ill health.
Despite appearances, humans are animals like lions or chimpanzees or mice... we just had a bit of luck with the opposing thumb and maybe a bit of a brain boost from LSD/mushroom consumption way back when we were experimenting with not hanging about in trees most of the time. Our incredibly complex and
completely artificial modern environment shields us from this fact, thanks largely to the way we've been able to ruthlessly exploit global resources to build this 'civilisation'. As long as we find cheap energy to grow; as long as things improve for humans; as long as there's a background of stability, the illusion of wellbeing continues... even though we, all 8 billion or so of us, are rushing headlong towards the buffers of what this planet's capable of supporting.
But that's tomorrow's problem, eh? In the mean time, governments have to work out how to make sure we reach teatime.
The Romans had bread and circuses to take their mind off the strains on their complicated and increasingly unstable world. We have Eastenders, benefits and emergency measures. Civilisation is only three meals deep, and the petrol "crisis" proves just how much we rely on calm, predictable behaviour to keep our world stable. One sniff of a loo roll "shortage" and a relatively small change in behaviour leads to problems which our version of society is ill-equipped to deal with for long.
The Chinese can impose order with a very efficient authoritarian jackboot. We... well, we appeal to folks' better sensibilities, paint a Police car with a snazzy colour scheme, offer everyone affected a place on a counselling scheme to help them realise there's no need to stockpile or glue themselves to motorways, and we cross our fingers. And toes. And the ballot paper for the same old same old.
Or something like that. You'll have to excuse me, these days I very easily slip into some kind of grumpy old man idea that the world's gone soft, stupid and short-sighted. I blame it on not being allowed to watch The Sweeney. And being allowed to watch H.R.Pufnstuf, which was far worse for developing minds and definitely an LSD/mushroom thing.
Where was I? Oh, yes... the point. The point is that those inclined to be in the caring professions, and especially those who give up their lives, work and prospects to look after family members (the kind of natural but outdated concept humanity used to take for granted) are the very,
very,
very last people governments need to worry about in any kind of crisis. Our temperaments mean that we are less likely to be the go-getting, push-the-boundaries, risk-taking, GDP-boosting types that drive the world 'forward' in good times, and therefore much less likely to have a violently unpredictable nervous breakdown when things start to fall apart.
Our world fell apart already. We're used to it. And we don't have the energy to riot when we can't find sundried tomatoes or vodka in the supermarket.
