Globetrotting American comedian, author and occasional burlesque dancer Lynn Ruth Miller is very pissed-off at being forced into a total lockdown in London. She has written about her recent trips in this blog (Search for her name). And she was due to perform in Europe, Scandinavia, the Far East, Australia and North America in upcoming months, but has had to cancel. Now she is VERY annoyed. She explains why in this open-letter plea to Westminster… which she rounds-off with a 90-second song…
In 2020, there are more people over the age of 65 than there are under the age of 5 – a ratio that has never occurred before, according to Deutsche Bank (and they should know; they are German).
And now the UK government has kept all of us over 70 confined to our homes in a lockdown.
That is blatant ageism at its worst.
Why? Because the powers that control us are looking at everyone through the wrong lens.
They are evaluating each of us on the basis of their own preconceptions about age instead of accessing the quality of our immune systems.
It turns out that the older you are the more resilient you are to illness.
The current coronavirus pandemic has actually affected men aged 40-60 disproportionately along with people who have compromised immune systems.
But that isn’t me.
And I am stuck in the house.
Let’s face it. I am old…very old.
When Google tells me it will take me ten minutes to walk someplace it always takes me twenty. If I would dare to drive a car, I would never go over 20mph. In a car, I would keep the turn signal – the indicator signal – on just in case I have to make a right turn. I can’t say Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers any more. I look like an un-pressed rag and I have more hair on my chin than my foo foo.
But I am healthy, filled with energy and I have an exciting life… or I did until I was told that – just because I am old – I need to get someone else to do my shopping and I damn well better not get on a bus.
For some people over 70, this is not a hardship. They live in homes with other people. But I am alone… no partner, no children, no pet to care for… just me. The government now allows me one solitary walk a day and no-one to hug. And that is endangering my psychological well-being.
Now, I respect rules. I do not want to infect anyone and I do not want to be infected. I stand 2 meters away from people when I walk and I cover my mouth when I cough. But, when I see some 69 year-old guy in a Zimmer frame sailing off to Sainsbury’s, I can’t help but think: Why can’t I go there too?… and not at 7am when not even the birds are awake.
Psychology today says that without the boost of oxytocin that comes with physical touch, elderly individuals may end up feeling more stressed and their physical health may suffer. In fact, people who are affection-deprived are less happy, more lonely, more likely to experience depression and stress and, in general, in worse health. They have less social support and lower relationship satisfaction.
I’ll bet you legislators never thought of that when you told us to stay home, did you?
So for the sake of my well-being and my desperate need for a cuddle, I suggest everyone over 70 should be awarded a puppy and a loving visitor.
In my case I would prefer a toy boy – You know: someone in his 70s that can still think at best.
At the very least, I want him to have a couple of teeth left.
Think about that, all you legislators, while you are giving away money to small businesses and independent workers.
Money helps but, when you cannot leave the house to spend it, a hug can be worth ten visits to a psychiatrist.
You just might save even more lives that way than you are now by locking us in our living rooms.
I have written a song about it:
… CONTINUED HERE …
SO IT GOES - John Fleming's blog 