Awards

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I am getting increasingly fed up with the political and self serving element of many awards. Largely I think I mean 'prestigeous' awards, like MBEs, OBEs.

It just seems a lot of awards are given to people because of who they know rather than what they know. Or because they blow their own trumpet enough, or because it's a good media tool.

Like Meghan markle's endless awards for random things like fighting feminism or racism (I mean, there are people who have worked tirelessly day in and day out on such causes who will never win an 'award', but a rich celeb turns up and hey presto)! Or Kate's recent photography award (I'm sure she's ok at taking snaps, but she's hardly a pro!! Anyone with enough money for a decent camera and time to spare to read a bit about how to take good photos, could do as good a job!).

And then there are all the MBE and OBE winners. I personally know someone just awarded one of these. They are the world's biggest snob, they got the award for their 'charity work' which they only do to make them look kind and martyr like. It's all self serving. This person fancies themself as some kind of mother Theresa crossed with royalty. Winning the award has made them even more insufferable. Think Mrs Bucket in speed.

I suppose the real hero's who actually work tirelessly for good causes day in and day out wouldn't want an award or to even ever be considered for one. They r too humble and just get on with it. But the unfairness of these awards drives me nuts!

I'm all for an Olympian sports person winning a gold medal, or a scientist winning a prize for excellence in the field. These awards can only be given to those who deserve it and have put in the work! But all these random awards people get for basically just being rich/self serving/well connected drive me nuts.

Just me!! An irrational rant then!! :) Off to bed! ;)

The lady who did the catering at our wedding got an MBE.

Not for the catering. Though it was actually a lovely buffet. Nice selection of meats and prawn vol au vents.

No, her MBE was for services to the community. All sorts of things, not just wedding catering. In fact, if she had not been doing the buffet she would have been playing the organ. We had to go with the first reserve for organ who was frankly a bit iffy.

But actually she did loads of other stuff. It was a small village. I think it's kind of nice people like that are recognised now. My Dad did practically everything in that village before then, but that was before ordinary people could be nominated.

It never seems 'right' to me that people get National Awards for just doing their job - whether that is a Civil Servant, a leader in industry, or indeed actors, sports stars etc.
All of those people have already been rewarded for their work - through being paid (handsomely in many cases) and many industries have their own ways of rewarding the outstanding (Oscars / BAFTAs / Sports Personality Awards / Industry specific awards).
Our local lollipop lady got one, because she had been a lollipop lady for 35 years. Yup, being paid to do a relatively simple job for an hour, twice a day, term time only. I mean, surely most of us turn up to work every day usually for a lot more hours and a lot more weeks for 40+ years ?

For me, it should be for the people who give their time freely in the Community. The Volunteers across the country who have been volunteering, and making people's lives better for decades as well as going to work.

Oh, and before we get the predictable "You should nominate someone then". A volunteer we know, with 60 years of outstanding volunteering behind him (for two things that I know about) was put forward by one of the organisations he volunteers for, and it took 9 years of so much to-ing and fro-ing to finally get him his MBE.
All the folk I know who have merely done 30 or 40 years of volunteer hours it seems can't be worth nominating.