why do people say ‘I’m Good’ ?

Another one this morning on the radio…on the VD phone in on BBC five live. Victoria Derbyshire welcomes a drippy, motor-mouthed female ‘social commentator’  to the phone-in: today about women who do not want children.

“How are you”

“I’m Good…”

Good at what ? I muse inwardly…for I detest this daft  answer to  a traditional everyday pleasantry. It’s so commonplace now I do not steam from the ear-holes, merely simmer. I’m good…whatever happened to ‘I’m well, thank you’ or similar responses which at least make grammatical sense. It’s pure lexical laziness…

…this little irk  was indicative of an unsatisfactory contribution. The call soon went further  downhill. When giving her febrile opinions the lass lapsed into socio-scientific mediaspeak about ‘biological essentialism’ and the like. Basically she felt women were still being pressured into having kids. Nowadays apparently 25% of childless thirty five year olds will never have children…which to me sounds as though three-quarters of women who haven’t bothered by their mid-thirties are very keen to do so before it’s too late. The human race need hardly panic….it’s a personal decision hardly worthy of debate…but there were some strange responses. 

 

One bloke rang to say he and his ‘girlfriend’ …who was 44 for goodness sake could buy anything they like. They were childless….he said if he had kids he’d not have been able to visit Zambia last year…now to me that sounds like a good enough reason to start decorating a nursery, and applying for a Mothercare credit card. Not him though…he declared forcefully he wasn’t going to share any of his ‘great wage’ with  a ‘third party’…by which he meant his child. Sounds to me  like some unborn sprog has had a lucky escape.

Personally, I think the country is overpopulated anyway…we have to keep more room available for immigrants. Soon, not only Africans will be heading our way escaping the desertification of their continent, but half of southern Europe might plump for these shores. Add the Polish plumbers and the Latvian bricklayers…however did we manage without them? These people are all very welcome for they may well be paying my old age pension. Another statistic today was ‘fifty-five year olds alive today have a one in two chance of living until they are ninety!’ 

There will soon be three times as many pensioners as there are children. What a topsy turvy nation we might become. When developing countries are becoming overwhelmed with their youthfulness, their vibrancy and energy…most of us indigenous Brits will be looking forward to  a gentle game of bowls or a nap in the communal garden….no matter the immigrants can see to  the chores of commerce and industry and we can decay into our well earned dotage safe in the knowledge that our grandchildren live in a glorious multi-cultural micro-cosm of the whole darn world….those of us that have them of course.

Sixty per cent of  U.K. adults are making no provision for their old age…no pensions no nowt. I suppose in a money grubbing country like Britain has become , when one has to run to standstill just to keep yer  head above the economics of everyday life…where houses cost a fortune and fuel has hit the roof…we should not be surprised.

Britain has now become a rock between the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean where people flock to make money….for a better life…where half of those who’ve always been here would love to escape from…most of the other half escape without going anywhere…apart from the drug dealer or the off-licence.

I know this has wandered a bit but I’m feeling out of focus…not good…which reminds me that ‘not bad’ is at least  a sensible, if vague answer to the question  ‘How are You?’  Yes, not bad is better than good.