Re: UKNM: The Big Retailers - was Toys R Us

[Sajid Mohammed]

---Steve Johnston/IMRG <

steveimrg [dot] org

> wrote:

>


> Sajid, I am not offended by your patronising manner, but I am concerned 

> that you misinterpreted me and I do not enjoy being a convenient target of 

> your self-righteousness.


Steve, if I came over as patronising or self-righteous then I humbly

apologise. Issues surrounding social exclusion are rather dear to my

heart, so I may be guilty of being over zealous at times - this

however is no excuse. I wasn't trying to engage in some cheap point

scoring though. (Racks his brain for an emoticon for sorry...)


In terms of doing something to address this issue online, I raise it

in fora like this and listen to the deafening silence. Offline, I am

involved in a voluntary project to allow young unemployed people

access to computers.


There are plenty of initiatives we can all contribute towards. For

example, companies who throw obsolete computers in skips (many do) can

donate them to charities who will clean them up and sell them on to

schools at a much lower price than they would pay for a new computer.

There's a million and one ways to contribute. If you're in Brighton,

give your support/money to Schnews who do some fabulous work in

bringing important issues to people's attention.


Let me put it this way: eight years ago, anti-roads protesters were

sneered at in polite society. Today, we can all acknowledge that mass

road building accompanied by out-of-town developments like superstores

have wrecked inner cities (by causing the affluent to move to commuter

villages), wiped out village shops and post offices (which cannot hope

to compete with superstores) as well as spawning a new generation of

burglar who bombs out of the city on a motorway into a nice little

village and makes off with his haul at great speed. Never mind the air

pollution, downgrading of public transport etc.


The wired society will have palpable effects upon society. Social

exclusion is merely one of them. This time around, it would be nice to

be able to think through the possible consequences of our collective

actions and address these concerns. I don't live in hope though, as

our fate seems to be in the hands of INSEAD alumni... ;)


Sajid Mohammed

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