...to be fed up to the back teeth with the "new rules" for everything?

[aurynne]

In a matter of 2-3 decades we have gone from one extreme to the other... and I am absolutely fed up with patronizing know-it-alls interfering in how you live your life. Examples:

• In the 70s, pregnant women smoked, drank alcohol and ate everything they wanted. Today you will be crucified if you so much as dare to drink a sip of wine at any stage of your pregnancy. A smoke will make you an immediate candidate for the capital punishment.

• Back then parents, teachers, policemen and priests would frequently slap, and even beat up, the children in their care. My dad had his ears ripped by a particularly nasty teacher at his school when he was little. Today, in many countries, you risk going to jail if you as much as smack your child's bottom after he tries to set an elderly lady on fire.

• In yesteryears kids would go out and wouldn't turn up until dinner time. In the meanwhile, they would climb trees, throw stones at one another, get into fights, tease dangerous dogs, and take any risk under the sun. Today schools don't organize trips anymore, God forbids a child grazes their knee or gets a bruise. Children are not allowed outside of the house anymore. Some schools even report parents that allow their children to walk to school on their own.

• In those good old times, dogs and cats were possessions, not pets. Dogs would spend their whole life chained to a tiny kennel, would have no exercise, would be kicked and beaten up with no hope of an Animal Protection Law to defend them. Last week I got verbally abused by a woman for mentioning that some days I don't give my dog a walk. According to her, that is inexcusable and I should have my dog taken away, as daily exercise is crucial to a dog's development. I replied that it is also crucial to human development, and I frequently spend days at home, and so far I don't suffer from any developmental disability.

Is it me or we are going from one extreme to the opposite one in all sort of rules? Why can't we just use common sense? Political correctedness and the sense of entitlement that some people (for some reason, I find it is always other women) seem to feel about telling you what to do with your life is completely ruining some aspects of our lives.

AIBU?

"chips cooked in lard at every meal, Smash and Spam followed with a dollop of Angel Delight"

You could still eat that if you wanted to, you just couldn't hold it up as an example of a healthy lunch.

noyoucant wouldn't you have to dry the witch out first? Otherwise it would create a very smoky fire.

Oh I enjoyed the OP, and sympathise with her viewpoint.

Of course a middle gound is preferable.

I think the problem is that peoples risk assessments of different situations have become wonky, as our lives generally have become less dangerous, any risk whatsoever is deemed to be too much.

Then the emergence of compensation culture has compounded matters by making the people "in charge" extremely risk averse too, and it all feeds off itself.

And example that comes to my mind is that near our house is a large green space with trees, which I spent a lot of time climbing when I was growing up. Now all of the lower branches have been removed to prevent anyone climbing them. That is a shame IMO. And then no-one can climb trees, no-one sees anyone climbing trees, and if suddenly there is a tree which is climable and you let your children on it, other parents can get a bit panicky. I guess as it's not an "approved" activity in a designated area or something.

Getting a biy ranty now aren't I

OP YANBU