By Ben Shenton
I TURNED 64 last week. When I was seven years old The Beatles released “When I’m 64” and I remember the song from my childhood. My perception of 64-year-old me was that of a grumpy old man in a cardigan, doing little.
The reality is that, during those 64 years, I have gathered a wealth of knowledge and experience and I am still learning. As I have an inquisitive mind I use this knowledge to try to look at the world as it really is, rather than as society wishes us to see it. I’ll give you two very recent examples.
Judy Bloomer worked as a psychotherapist for 30 years. For more than 20 years Ms Bloomer was also a trustee and long-time supporter of gynaecological cancer research charity the Eve Appeal. The appeal said she was a “champion for women’s health, medical research and all that the Eve Appeal stands for”. She was educated at Homerton College, Cambridge, where she studied English language and literature, and started her career as a teacher. She later worked as a psychotherapist specialising in anxiety and stress. She was a former director of property developer Change Real Estate.
Neda Morvillo, who traded as Neda Nassiri, was a luxury jewellery designer in New York City. She had been designing and handcrafting fine jewellery for over 20 years, according to her website. She trained with master goldsmith Cecelia Bauer and used classical goldsmithing techniques to create pieces mostly in 22k gold or pure silver.
Sadly both died on Mike Lynch’s superyacht when it sank in a storm. This is an extract from a BBC report of their deaths, albeit many other media outlets reported in a similar manner.
“The bodies of Jonathan Bloomer, a Morgan Stanley International bank chairman, his wife Judy Bloomer, Clifford Chance lawyer Chris Morvillo, and his wife Neda Morvillo, were also recovered from the wreckage some 50m (164ft) down, after days of deep dive searches with little visibility.”
Even in death there is sex discrimination. The sad thing is that I would not have noticed the above had it not been bought to my attention (by a woman). Many readers, especially men, either won’t see the problem or won’t consider it a problem at all.
The second example of how society programmes our ways of thinking also concerns the suppression of women to second-class citizens. I wake up to Radio 4 and the lead story last week concerned Afghanistan and a ruling that women cannot speak in public. I should think that, without exception, every listener was enraged that, due to religious beliefs, women’s rights were being suppressed – they cannot vote for their leader nor hold the top positions in government. But there is a jurisdiction in Europe where women do not have a vote (college of cardinals), and women are banned from holding the top jobs. We support this because it stems from religious beliefs. In a nod to reform last year, women were allowed to participate in the country’s general assembly, albeit by law no more than 15% of participants may be women. We support this and many of us have even given them money to continue their good work, either directly or by visiting the jurisdiction as tourists. (The Vatican City State is a sovereign country).
So, at 64 years old, am I a wise old man, a sage, using my knowledge and experience to allow people to look at issues differently, or just a grumpy old man? I don’t mind which you choose, as your choice will say far more about you as an individual than it will say about me. It seems to me that in terms of equal rights for women, and ageism, we still have a very long road to travel.
