Captain Tom

[roxfox]

To be super fed up of hearing about him?

It's not his fault but the media etc seem to be using him to distract us from more important things. He's featured on the news more times than I can count. He received over 125,000 birthday cards - he can't possibly read even a quarter of them, what a waste of money and paper. And poor Royal Mail having to get it all to him.

There's not one day we don't here about him and now he's getting a plane or something flown over his house. The 28million he's raised is stupid money too - yes great for these NHS 'charities' but goodness, they are all on full pay! What about the food banks and million other things we could've all supported.

We've gotten so used to hearing Rishi throw money around I think we've forgotten how much money that is.

Is it just me? I feel awful. I know he's a lovely old man who's served his country all his life and will probably die very happy and yes we all need some lighthearted news but ffs all he did was walk around the garden.

I'm so bored of him.

Granted a wonderful thing for him to do but it is all PR based.

A captain in the armed forces, so probably well to do. Why hasn't the 90 year old women from Scotland who was climbing the height of Ben Nevis on her stairs getting a fraction of the publicity.

See I knew you'd just argue with it anyway

Maybe you should ask yourself why.

Plane DO NOT crash simply because of age. It's really simple.

Your initial comment regarding the worry an RAF spitfire night crash was almost as ridiculous as your attempts to prove it was justified.

The only reason he got all this attention was - in addition to being old - was because he is a man.

Oh for fucks sake. Go burn your bra somewhere else.

I think it is mildly interesting that one old bloke walking up and down his garden is amazing.

Whilst a child who suggests sending him 100 or whatever birthday cards (which is also a thoughtful thing to do) has started something condemned as ridiculous BY THE SAME PEOPLE.

It’s good to have a hero we can collectively get behind particularly at such awful times as now. YABVVU. I hope he gets to £30m.

What is so depressing is the 'I'm so bored of him now posts' that were inevitable as that how media frenzy news go, but so sad it should be on the actual day of his birthday.

How many of the millions who donated will think exactly that.

He would have been so much better better appreciated for time to come by a smaller group of people that being treated like a hero and likely quickly forgotten when something will make better news.

hope he gets to £30m.

He did this morning

Raising £30M rather than £300 doesn't any more a hero. What might make him one is accomplishing his walk assuming it was indeed a significant challenge for him.

A captain in the armed forces, so probably well to do

have you seen the house??? they are not hard up (i dont think this matters, its still an amazing accomplishment)

whats the woman climbing the stairs thing? i've not heard of that?

The only reason he got all this attention was - in addition to being old - was because he is a man

such a pathetic comment!

Margaret Payne is the 90 year old woman climbing the stairs. She has fewer patriotic mascot features than Tom Moore though (no military uniform or title for a start - that's a massive populist checkbox). I do think it's true that people are more likely to express public gratitude, respect and appreciation for an older man doing something apparently ultruistic than an older woman.

The only reason he got all this attention was - in addition to being old - was because he is a man

I know MN is a bastion of misandry but I never thought anyone would come out with anything this ridiculous.

I completely agree with you OP.

He's a wonderful man and he's achieved something truly outstanding. I wish him all the best.

He didn't set out to raise this amount of money though - he just touched a nerve with the public. It is undoubtedly a good news story and shows people at their best - with this lovely, dignified man at the heart of it.

However I think we've all got that now. Its not news any more. I don't need to know its his birthday today, I don't need to see him and Michael Ball singing and I definitely don't need to see Vera Lynn!

Time to leave the old boy and his family in peace now and get back to the real news.

What happening with testing/PPE/plans for easing lockdown etc.

Good point, Pools.

I've seen other threads elsewhere about this. I don't think you're being entirely unreasonable, OP.

Would people have felt so endeared to him if he hadn’t been so middle class I wonder? Just thinking aloud now. I disagree with OPs original post and said so earlier.

Alsohuman misandry isn't a real thing, it was invented in the 70s because misogyny was finally recognised to some extent as a deep seated, systematic, dangerous problem. Misandry is the male equivalent of white people calling BAME people racist for not including them.

It's pretty misogynistic to deny the fact society is more receptive to the creation of make "heros" than female ones.

You’re entirely wrong @poolsofsunshine. It was referred to frequently by the 1970s generation of feminists but they didn’t invent it.

Misandry is formed from the Greek misos (μῖσος, "hatred") and anēr, andros (ἀνήρ, gen. ἀνδρός; "man").[4] Use of the word can be found as far back as the 19th century, including an 1871 use in The Spectator magazine.[5][6] It appeared in Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (11th ed.) in 1952. Translation of the French "misandrie" to the German "Männerhass" (Hatred of Men)[7] is recorded in 1803.[8] "Misandrous" or "misandrist" can be used as adjectival forms of the word.[9]

@scarletfever

Exactly why haven't most heard about the woman, it was the same time as captain Tom. Maybe his family had more connections, media savvy.

Ffs does it matter that his family are well to do, media savvy or he is a man , or whatever the moaners here moan about?! This man didn’t have to do this all or anything else for that matter, but he did, he got off his backside and did something simple,but effective, and raised a huge amount of money. He shows that one person can make a difference.
Good on him and all the other people in the UK who raise money for good causes all year around. I , for one, am glad to hear a positive story , instead of the endless bloody gloom and doom.

Alsohuman even if the term was invented earlier I'm not "absolutely wrong. It's a silly word invented by the privileged, dominant, "ruling" sex class as an attempt to falsely claim equal share of victimisation. The word is inevitably used exactly as you used it - to shut down the calling out of genuine systemic sexism by trying to argue that pointing out the elephant in the room is mean to men.

If you say so dear.

Alsohuman are you actually a bot programmed to be a sexist cliché?

Funny how the ones thinking this is the moist amazing thing ever to happen who are looking like mad frothers on this thread.

Ha, most!