Winter doesn't seem to end does it? Although saying that it seems like it took forever to arrive in the first place! The next logical step would be for me to break into a 300 word rant about the effect of industry on global warming and the erratic reaction to this by Mother Nature. But that would just be predictable now wouldn't it?
Instead, the first thing that jumped into my possibly clinically damaged brain was the plight of the average joe throughout the never-ending academic discussion on climate change. Endless lectures, broadsheet articles and television dissections have been devoted to the subject and how we can 'make a difference' but no-one seems to have thought about the effect that it is having on regular folk. Folk like the humble milkman for instance...
Every morning they wake up while its still dark in order to keep our bones growing big and strong. For as long as I could remember a smiling bloke with a huge ginger beard and a rosy smile (think full-time Father Christmas) would leave 2 glistening bottles of semi-skimmed milk on the doorstep of my house. Postmen are undeniably more visible, and it is taken for granted that Train Drivers are more useful in the commuter driven world but come on! Strikes that occurs every other week, causing havoc to our daily rituals and the capitalist workings of society? How dare they refuse to work! Do you ever see a Milkman strike? Correct that, do you ever see a Milkman?!
Milkmen are the cornerstone of British society, the silent worker and the loyal soldier, forever fighting for the strengthening of teeth and the lengthening of bones. Now I am as bad as the next lazy student when my alarm goes off at 8am, but how do you think one of these bastions of social tradition feels when they have already been up for 5 hours? Traveling from house to house, delivering milk to the masses? They sleep irregular hours, they wake up when it is dark, they go to sleep when it is dark. The poor bastards!
They are, in my humble opinion, some of the hardest working and least acknowledged members of the service industry. So the next time that you are complaining about an early morning lecture or some strike or other that is effecting your life stop for a minute. Think about the millions of individuals who work for no media glory, dedicating their life to holding up the ideals of British society: hard work and little reward or recognition.
Saying that enjoy this fortnights issue of The Orbital. I want to take this opportunity to thank all of the guys behind that scenes that made this issue and all issues possible - if you think that you can help in any way with this magazine then get in touch with me using orbital@su.rhul.ac.uk.
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