Getting Priorities Right

VOCABULARY

In my opinion, the world has become a very serious place indeed. Was it always as bad as this or is it that bad news travels much faster than it used to, enabling us to have a war, terrorist attacks or the beheading of an innocent aid worker, right in our own living room? The world’s most powerful man seems to be upsetting everyone from the Mexicans to the Russians and Brexit doesn’t seem to be working out well at all. Serves them right, I hear you say and I couldn’t agree more.

Thousands of children are dying of starvation whereas people in wealthier countries are dying of illnesses connected to obesity! Terror attacks are becoming part of our everyday lives and, especially in Britain, it is not a question of if, but when the next terrorist attack will take place. I can only hope and keep my fingers crossed that it is not this week, as I am in England now.

Yes, the news is very grim at the moment, which makes it difficult for me to comprehend why some people make so much out of things that are not as important as those mentioned – things that we could easily live with and, of course, I have some examples: The first example is happening in England and I really do not want to offend vegetarians or vegans, but I find it rather ridiculous. The Royal Mint came up with the bright idea of making a new, indestructible five-pound note. We have probably all experienced that sinking feeling when you take your jeans out of the washing machine only to find that you have forgotten some money in the pocket and it is often ruined afterwards. So the new note seemed like a good idea.

Now thousands of people are outraged because the new five-pound note contains tallow, a substance made from animal fat which is also used in candles and soap and is unacceptable to millions of vegetarians and vegans. A huge row broke out and, of course, the inevitable petition was started up and collected 135,000 signatures. It said that the use of animal fat was unacceptable to vegans, vegetarians, Hindus, Sikhs and others in the UK. The banks considered destroying the notes, but decided that it would be too costly and had already printed 300 million plastic-covered ten-pound notes. The battle goes on.

Again in England, students are always protesting about something or other. At Oxford University, they protested for months to have the statue of Cecil Rhodes removed from the building and now students at Pembroke University, Cambridge, are protesting to have Jamaican stew, Chinese chicken and Tunisian tagine with rice removed from the menu on the grounds that the names are cultural misrepresentations and do not exist in their supposed native countries.In other words, the catering staff is not making the dishes as they should be.

Soon they will ban Earl Grey tea because it celebrates an aristocratic member of the feudal class or drink it because it was named after the prime minister who abolished slavery in the British Empire.

Right here on our doorstep, in Salzburg, Team Stronach is trying to force people to change their car registration plate from SL (Salzburg Land) to SU (Salzburg Umgebung). What on earth for? Is it just that Team Stronach has been a bit quiet just lately and wants to remind us all that they are still here? This is something that affects me personally as I have recently moved from Salzburg to (5 minutes away) Salzburg Land and it cost me a fortune to have the number plate changed.

Taking into consideration the terrible things that are happening all over the world, shouldn’t we get our priorities right, and not always make a mountain out of a molehill? indeed – tatsächlich to enable – befähigen beheading – Enthauptung innocent aid worker – unschuldiger Entwicklungshelfer to upset sbd. – jmd. verärgern serves them right – geschieht ihnen recht I couldn’t agree more – das sehe ich auch so starvation – Hunger obesity – Fettleibigkeit to take place – stattfinden to keep one’s fingers crossed – die Daumen halten grim – düster to comprehend – begreifen examples – Beispiele to offend – beleidigen rather ridiculous – ziemlich lächerlich Royal Mint – königliche Münzanstalt indestructible – unzerstörbar sinking feeling – banges Gefühl outraged – aufgebracht tallow – Talg huge row – riesiger Streit inevitable – unvermeidlich signatures – Unterschriften to consider – überlegen to destroy – zerstören to remove – entfernen misrepresentation – falsche Darstellung supposed – vermeintlich dishes – Gerichte to abolish – abschaffen registration plate – Nummernschild to affect sbd. – jmd. betreffen to take into consideration – berücksichtigen to make a mountain out of a molehill – aus einer Mücke einen Elefanten machen