Is Antisocial Neoliberalism on the Wane?

Neoliberalism, a type of antisocial corporatism, is the economic model used by Western countries for the past 40 years or so. The system affirms the primacy of un-regulated or under-regulated markets, to the detriment of ordinary folk. The system is ultimately destructive to community and social democracy, as almost all populations struggle with the cost-of-living crises (that have emerged and will continue to ensue) and their respective governments have fully given up on ensuring fairness and equity in respect to the redistribution of wealth, and most especially extreme wealth.

Housemate & I recently discussed Richard Murphy’s article “Young people are alienated by neoliberalism”, and reflected that a couple of weeks ago we were hearing about 50+ folk being edged out of jobs (experience costs too much presumably, e.g. teachers). Now we see that 20-24 year olds cannot access employment.

Does that mean most employers now only employ 25-50 year olds? And if so, that must have implications? Apart from the limiting of work-cultures to exclude experience and perhaps seeing the job through younger eyes, that would also seem to exclude more folk from buying their home if mortgages last 25 years.

I was fortunate enough to be given a 100% mortgage back in 1986 aged 21, in part because I demonstrated that my monthly rent & savings exceeded the mortgage payment. Now almost no single person could do so. In Inverness, rents far exceed mortgage costs, but the ban on 100% mortgages means folk are not given the opportunity I was given. In Inverness, it is not just youngsters who are brassed off.

I am fortunate to reside on a mixed (ethnically, culturally & socio-economically) housing-estate in a leafy Manchester suburb, but even middle-class neighbours are feeling the pinch and are fed up of job-insecurity (businesses in constant cost-cutting mode). Neighbours have been let go several times and this appears to be normalising, for management rôles at least.

One neighbour in a senior rôle, let go due to a merger along with all experienced staff, found out that because they were made redundant prior to the new bosses determining what employees actually did and no documentation to refer to, the business now does not have sufficient folk to do all that is needed. The minimal managers remaining were given double the number of folk to manage for no more pay.

I reälise this is a long-winded way of saying it, but it seems that almost everyone whether never-worked, in-work or out-of-work is unhappy with the system. My father, a bus-driver, advised me in the 1970’s, that the ‘pan-internationals’ would creäte ever more ‘monopolies’ and control us whilst destroying our communities. Thatcherism may have expedited same, but all subsequent UK governments have continued to control the populace. Dismay, despair & apathy abound. Almost no-one trusts our politicos. Newspapers & news-channels on the whole are not trusted.

The UK and the Globe need a new vision and hope. Perhaps we have the seeds of change. The new mayor of New York; the new president of Ireland; the new leader of a revitalised and seemingly more competent Green Party - are all examples of folk getting their ideas across to electorates and winning. I sincerely hope change is a-coming, sooner rather than later, for young folk, for older folk, and for those in the middle.

Memoir & Poem on an Affinity

 

The following is a frank commentary on one of my affinities from a few years back. It discusses intimate issues, so, if such will or may offend, read no further! Probably #NSFW.

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It’s not the easiest meeting folk from one’s bed. I met F. on Grindr. Turned out he lived fairly close, in the next borough of Greater Manchester.

I only knew him for two months: the first five weeks we messaged one another; we dated for four weeks. I got used to multiple daily contact with someone again. Even my hairdresser said I was perkier than usual. I did feel an inner lift in my spirit and outlook.

I’m trying not to over-sentimentalise our affinity: I had my doubts.

Every time we met, he would whinge and whine about his housemates and even his best friend. Was he doing the same to others, only I was the target of his tongue? Does it matter now? It is difficult for me to be around so much negativity. It stresses me. I end up feeling sorry for both the speaker and the folk spoken about.

In the end, looking back, I found out next to nothing about him.

He does not like any of the diminutives of his given name, preferring to be called F.

I have no idea what if any hobbies or pastimes he has. Yes, he is a church-warden and a regular church-goer. He was Roman Catholic but converted to Anglicanism. Other than that, he does not read much. He listens to the ‘news’ from his home-country each morning via his smartphone. And he watches lots of television. He seems to have many friends: at least he went to several parties during our affinity, was invited to another which he was meant to have taken me to the weekend following our break-up. At these parties he ended up smoking - even though he sported patches and was supposed to be giving up. He drank quite a lot. Now, it is difficult to recall occasions when either he or both of us had not been drinking.

He works part-time in nursing ancillary positions two to three days per week; but surely that cannot pay sufficient? He was studying to be a support-worker for children on the autism spectrum. He does seem to have a caring nature, despite the bitching about others.

He told me he went to San Francisco when he was still young. He has also resided in Munich and learned to speak German (so I called him Schatz - treasure - which he accepted). He had lived in Manchester for some eight years or so.

He was the victim of a vicious gay-bashing abroad. The felon is serving an extremely long sentence (twenty-eight years, I think) for a whole series of attacks on men and even one woman. Poor F. now walks with a distinct limp and finds it difficult to use his left arm, and even the left hand shakes in sporadic, violent spasms.

He did not like my music tastes, other than the classical. On the other hand, he did not open up about what his actual tastes were. He did appear to enjoy attending the Saint Nicholas Concert with me in Heaton Norris. I certainly enjoyed our holding hands throughout the performances.

[Image description: the rose that bloomed the month we dated.]

We seemed to be compatible in bed. Well, at least once he had got me there. The first time he came over to mine for the evening, we decided upon watching a film together. We snuggled up to each other on the sofa. All the while the film was playing, I was feeling really turned on. But F.’s gaze did not move from the screen for more than the sporadic few seconds he took to check on me. Part-way through our viewing, he grabbed my hand and flung it between the open folds of his shirt. He has a fabulous chest, firm and hirsute. I twirled my fingers through the long chest-hairs and made swirling motions over his hot skin, all too aware of the muscles and chest-bones underneath my finger-tips. I turned and nuzzled into his arm-pit and my left-hand playing with his right-breast. The movie played on. We went to bed, both tired sleepy-heads. We spooned together and dropped off to sleep. In the darkness, a few hours later, he woke me, and we began to play…

I find it difficult to relax and turn off my internal voice the first time I am with someone new. All the doubting voices in my head militate against relaxing and going with the flow. F. was different: we obviously both turned each other on sexually, but alas only sexually. Generally, the first time I have sex with someone, I don’t cum. F. is the same. However, our first time there was cum spewing from both of us. I am sad that sex was the only level at which we really connected. Until nor since F., no-one had ever masturbated me as well as myself. He was actually better! I never anticipated that someone else even could do a better job. It was a huge surprise. I also can cum multiple times during a play-session, so I liked one to be from his hand.

I miss one or two things about him; but we obviously were not compatible for anything long-term. I wish he would have remained a friend or better yet a ‘friend with benefits’ nonetheless.

He didn’t even have the courtesy to tell me in person, when he dumped me. He texted. Made me feel a tad sad. Afterwards I realised he’d cleared out all his toiletries from my bathroom. He must have known. Still slept with me though. Heigh-ho!

What is upsetting is that he told me he has stayed in contact with all his exes bar one and now me. I don’t know what - if anything - I did wrong. Maybe nothing. He’s bipolar so it could just be he has entered his depressive period. He had compared me to a deceased ex-boyfriend and how much I reminded him of his late friend. Perhaps the similarities became too much for F. Or perhaps it is the way he deals with his emotions.

*

My knight let me down

His metal dulled

He could no longer stay

Lance dropped

Shield tossed aside

He walked away

A trail of armour

Traces the route

Where love died

*

Manchester Lockdown Farce!

Well, as many Mancunians know, if one has passed a pub over the past few days there has been NO social-distancing, NO masks being worn whatsoever in many venues (excepting staff), and I very much suspect zero hand-washing (excepting staff).

As I understand the governmental guidelines the responsibility falls upon the proprietor to ensure the health measures are adhered to. But as we know, that is contrary to their pecuniary self-interest (for which some blame falls on the UK Government for insufficient financial support to many businesses).

Furthermore, if the Authorities, in this instance the Greater Manchester Police and the Greater Manchester Local Authorities fail to oversee pubs and eateries, then inebriated folk are going to skip safety-measures. Public alcohol-consumption during a pandemic is risky at best and downright negligent at worst. 

[Image description: person drinking a very generous G&T.]

If the Authorities are unable or incapable of adequately and appropriately supervising establishments where alcohol is being served, then all licences should be temporarily suspended during lock-down periods.

My experience on Saturday evening (1st August) was the vast majority of drinkers were at the younger end of the age spectrum, i.e. under forty. However, one person’s observations cannot be generalised. Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see whether there is a rise in infections amongst younger folk.

I sincerely hope that the Mayor of Manchester is able to get a firm grip on the situation; but currently I somehow doubt very much he will do so.

This article was written in response to the following article (q.v.) from the Independent:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/coronavirus-manchester-major-incident-lockdown-a9650661.html?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=INDNEWS%2303082020&utm_term=IND_Headlines_Masterlist_CDP

Coronavirus versus Terrorism

[Image description: two panel cartoon strip; panel1, an elderly chap sitting in front of a television-set watches a scared-looking news-reporter shout, “WHAT CAN WE DO TO LESSEN THE GRIP OF FEAR FROM TERRORISM?”; panel 2, the viewer breaks the fourth wall, looks at us with a sly smile having “CLICK”-ed his remote-controller and turned off the TV. The image is by and © Bruce Beattie and was published in the Daytona Beach News-Journal.]

I shared the above cartoon on my facebook account in 2013. Since then the news media have reported endless stories of terrorism. As a resident all my life of England, I grew up with the constant threat of terrorism from the IRA. There were bomb-threats when I worked in the city of Manchester in the 1980s. I thankfully missed the Manchester bombing back in 1996 due to fortuitous circumstances. I and many others became inured to the threats because we lived with them daily. The peace-process ended with a stand-down of the opposing forces starting in 1998. Not long afterwards so-called “Islamic” terrorism (which has nothing to do with this peaceful religion) became the main focus of news media. Despite much of the hysteria around terrorism, statistically one is more likely to die from an injury in the home or a vehicle crash.

I question whether folk have now become jaded to the almost incessant news of fresh “terrorist“ attacks, and hence the current media compulsion to use scare-tactics regarding a virus? The death-rates as currently published, are lower than for ordinary influenza (‘flu). The media are fanning an hysteria. Why? Scared citizens can be controlled much easier than rational, thinking individuals. It is also a convenient cover for powers-that-be to quietly, or otherwise, remove rights and curtail freedoms.

Perhaps terrorism and coronavirus are intrinsically the same, means by which to cower and control populations who otherwise might become aware of other matters which élites wish to hide.

Panicking is totally unhelpful. Pause to think and ponder. Evaluate risk calmly. Postulate what the powerful are actually up to.

[Image description: graph indicating death rates for age deciles gradually increasing from 10 (0.2%) to 80+ (14.8%)]

Absence

[Image description: writer sitting in a Viennese garden-restaurant]

Readers, I am so sorry for my long absence. This year has been very difficult for me health-wise. I was even too ill to take my usual extended winter-break in Andalusia.

I have just returned from a week-long sojourn in Vienna, my most favourite city on the planet. The day-time temperature exceeded thirty degrees Celsius (eighty-six Fahrenheit) every day and did not drop below twenty-six (seventy-nine Fahrenheit) during the sultry nights. Whilst the heat was not conducive to slumber, it was a boon to my arthritic bones. Mostly I only suffered pain in various parts of my spine. The rest of my regular pains simply dissipated. Whilst I was forced to use my wheelchair on some days, I was able to do extended walking on others - don’t tell my specialist as I am not supposed to exceed one hundred metres (one hundred and ten yards) per day!

Now I am back in Manchester, where it has rained every day for the past three weeks or so. The dampness immediately percolated into my bones. As I type I am on my maximum dosages of pain-killers. The pain is excruciating. My muscles are permanently spasming and my limbs will not cease shaking. I am typing so as to attempt to take my mind off matters.

Whilst in the Austrian capital, I visited several good eateries, the Kunsthistorisches Museum and also Belvedere, a thermal-spa and of course the high-light, the EUROPRIDE parade. All of these I hope to blog about, if I can hold onto my clear-headedness.

My Sexual Health Review

No wonder folk do NOT go to STI/GUM clinics: I have had to make three separate visits because my local clinic (the sole clinic in Trafford), serving some 230,000 adults, do not make appointments and it’s first-come-first-served, mornings only, Monday-Friday. No afternoons. No evenings. No weekends.

[image description; banana & two kiwis]

Finally I managed to have the Hepatitis B jab and the test for Hepatitis C, which my G.P. wanted. Also I was advised to have a Hepatitis A jab as well. Apparently it can be passed via sex and not just from contaminated water or foodstuffs, such as seafood. My G.P. didn’t know that! However, Manchester is currently in the grips of a Hep. A “epidemic” (their word not mine). You may wish to consider getting your own jab!

G.P. practices are now expected to run early morning, evening and weekend appointments to fit around patients’ needs. Folk are having sex round the clock, so the clinics ought to have much more extended hours. This could also reduce the need for folk to use A&E departments. Oh, that’s right, our area doesn’t even have one of those now!

***

Just received the results from my sexual-health check:

Chlamydia - negative

Gonorrhœa - negative

Hepatitis A - negative

Hepatitis B - negative

Hepatitis C - negative

HIV - negative

Syphilis - negative

Big sigh of relief!

I always practise safer sex/safe sex, but there is also invariably a theoretical risk even using condoms.

Please use a condom every time! And get yourself checked! %)

Gay Bars versus Apps

I randomly came across this video (click on link above to hear the discussion from Rise and Fall of “Men of the Den” on YouTube). You make good points.

As a disabled and queer person, I do not see gay bars in quite such a rosy light. I live in the suburbs of Manchester, England, which has its own gay Village. For me the vast majority of the venues and in some cases the actual streets are inaccessible to me.

When I have visited, prices are high - too high! And the area is inundated with groups of young wimmin, supposedly seeking safer spaces. Many LGBTI folk have deserted the Village and prefer to mix with straights in the less expensive, boho Northern Quarter. From my perspective, this area is far more disabled-accessible and thus disabled-friendly.

Living in the suburbs, there is a dearth of gay bars. However, I am fortunate to reside in an affluent and tolerant community. Nonetheless, it is very often difficult to know who is queer or straight these days for various reasons. So, for myself and others, using apps helps us make friends and acquaintances, folk with whom we chat online about art, politics and so forth. In my case, my housemate & I also have been introduced to queer neighbours and arranged a meet-up in our local pub. I have also used apps to make friends with folk in foreign lands prior to visiting on holidays.

Apps usually do not discriminate against disabled queers; bars often do discriminate due to lack of accessibility. For me there is no real-world gay community; there is however a very real online one.

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The Whitworth (Art-Gallery), City of Manchester

Introduction

Firstly, May I introduce myself. My name is Colin-Roy. I have been disabled for more than twenty years. My conditions fluctuate dramatically. Sometimes I can walk with one or two walking-sticks; sometimes I use a manual wheelchair. Mostly I am trapped abed and unable to leave my room. So my rare outings are full of excitement for me, even if it is to the G.P., dentist or hospital!

On Saturday, 22nd September 2018 my principal carer took me to The Whitworth, a long-established public art-gallery in central Manchester.

Planning

Prior to setting off, we looked for accessibility information. This is not located in the top menu. One has to scroll right to the very bottom of the museum’s home page and then read across the bottom menu. Alas, this only includes a statement of intent. Hence why it is hidden at the bottom of the page.

We returned to the home page and decided to click on “Visit”. Six items down is “Access”. We were directed to potential disabled parking-bays. These are listed quite comprehensively, but with no map. There is a link to a map, but it is not marked with the bays’ locations. A map on the same page as the explanations as to the whereabouts of the disabled parking-bays would be useful and reduce the amount of pages which one is required to negotiate. This important to many different impairments.

Recommendation 1: a map clearly marked with disabled parking.

Access into the Building

The southern access to Manchester is extremely difficult to negotiate and it is very easy to slip onto a ‘bus-only route. Staff at The Whitworth advised that several disabled folk have incurred fines for straying onto the restricted routes. Therefore, I should suggest that one’s route be planned prior to setting off on one’s journey. Do not rely on a sat-nav!

We decided to aim for Denmark Street. My carer used to work in the area; but the frequent changes  to one-way systems, etc. meant we lost our way once. On reaching the road, we immediately espied the disabled parking-bays and took a spot.

The above photograph was taken from the bonnet of our car in the nearest bay. An entrance can be seen just right of the lamp-post. There are six steps without a grip to what becomes a very gentle incline. If one were in a wheelchair, one would have to go to the end of the railings and turn right.

If one were manually wheeling one’s chair, it is a very long distance to the main entrance, although the gradient is very gentle. One has to take a very elongated U-shaped route to the entrance. It is difficult to comprehend why an access-route from the Oxford Road entrance (anyone coming by ‘bus would use this entrance - in the centre of the photograph on the left) was not constructed to the base of the ramp into the main entrance (which can be seen in the bottom of the photograph on the right), rather than sending the wheelchair-user on a circuitous route.

After our visit to the art-gallery, we were leaving in our car when I noticed a sign (photograph below) that indicates the level-access into the venue. If only a prominent notice had been placed either near the disabled parking-bays or at the base of the steps! This route takes one through one of The Whitworth’s own gardens and into the building, whereupon one needs to take a lift up  to the galleries themselves, the café, the two shops and the information desk (situated at the main entrance).

Recommendation 2: review access-routes into the gallery and improve access-route signage.

Food & Drinks

We were hungry as we had passed on breakfast to ensure a parking-space at our destination. So our first stop was the café.

As can be clearly seen in the image above, there is ample space for manuœvring a wheelchair. However, we noted none of the chairs available had arms and given the flimsy appearance of the tables, one may feel unwilling to lean on same to help one rise from being seated. All the chairs are of the same height, which may cause difficulties for those requiring, for example higher seating due to not being able to bend down lower. I also suspect that the ‘horns’ on the chair-backs might prod into larger visitors.

Recommendation 3: introduce a variety of seating options, various heights, with & without arms, and stools (useful, for example, to kids who kneel & larger customers whose size militates against small chairs).

We thoroughly enjoyed the views over the gardens and the adjoining park. We watched children exploring outdoor art-projects from the comfort of our table.

The food offering was very good. It tended to be pricey - we payed £8/9 for each meal (veggie brunch, top image above, and scrambled eggs with salmon) and approximately £2.50 for a coffee. Given the quality of the produce and how full we were, we did consider the food good value-for-money.

  

Access Inside the Building

Whilst there are stairs between floors, there are also several lifts - not all go to all floors, so one needs to carefully read the signage outside each respective lift. Each lift was amply large for a wheelchair, some large enough to do a circular turn. 

There are ramps to raised areas, but be aware that one may have to exit the way one entered, whereas able folk may have choices.

Toilets

I had no need to visit the conveniences on this trip. However, my carer did so and he checked out the disabled facilities. He averred that it was large enough for my wheelchair, which has a leg-support extension, but that there is not much turning-room. He was also delighted that they were immaculately clean with no malodour.

Seating

I have already mentioned the seating in the café. Similarly all the seating we spotted in The Whitworth were low benches or banquettes; there was no high seating for those with difficulty bending down low. Additionally, none of the seating had arms, so that one could help raise oneself.

Shops

Had I been in my wheelchair, I should have been rather concerned at entering the shop with ceramics & pottery on display, in case I banged into a display. But the shops would be generally accessible to a wheelchair-user.

Noise

We turned up on a day when live singing was being performed approximately every half-an-hour. The sound levels were deafening. I have an aural acuity issue that means loud noises cause me actual pain. I am aware that many conditions, including autism have issues with loud noise. Due to all the hard surfaces within the galleries, the sound appeared to be augmented. There was no safe space to escape the sound.

Additionally, some of the William Kentridge exhibits used sound: one of which I could not enter at all, as even outside of it, I was suffering pain from the noise levels being produced. The artist is hearing-impaired and hence the sound levels were set to a high level. I understand from gallery staff that the levels are going to be reduced as they have had several complaints. Ideally, the exhibit needs to have a quiet, standard and high level sound rotating for the differing requirements of visitors.

There were no notices at any of the galleries entrances warning of high sound-levels on the day we visited. This fails many folk with a variety of conditions. This was disappointing, as the black & white prints, making up the Goya & Hogarth exhibition, would otherwise presumably be accessible to those with autism, as there is a distinct lack of colour in the relevant spaces.

Recommendation 4: ensure warning notices are prominently displayed when sound levels might be an issue and provide ear-plugs to those who might need them.

Staff

I spoke to ten members of staff whilst there: two different folk at the main-desk; three different folk in the two shops; three in the café; two folk in different galleries. Excluding the café, all staff were friendly & helpful. The staff in the café were professional but officious.

Conclusions

I realise from my criticisms that one may think that The Whitworth is not worth the trouble of visiting. Rather, over all, I spent a lovely few hours in a wonderful space admiring fabulous works of art. I intend to visit again, even if just for their brunch; but I shall park nearer the level-access entrance and take my own ear-plugs!

Millenials: the cause of all our woes?

 

Yesterday's Independent ran an article entitled: 'Psychologically scarred' millennials are killing countless industries. This in turn was based on Business Insider UK's item. While there is some truth within this article, it is basically a load of codswallop trying to apportion blame to the so-called Millenials.

 

[Image description: screen-shot of the web-page article in the Indy ©]

 

The writer points to nineteen areas in the US where Millenials are apparently to blame for the demise or destruction of one industry or another. It is gross hyperbole. I am going to take a look at fifteen of the areas from a UK perspective.

Restaurant chains: I reside in a town where the town-centre Pizza Hut and McDonald's closed down years ago, to be re-sited on a retail park on the edge of town. Whilst Altrincham does have some chain restaurants, such as the recently opened Nando's, there are far more independent eateries, especially in our revamped market-hall.

I am middle-class and middle-aged: we despise many of the chains for the way they treat workers and fail to pay their fair share of taxes. Loch Fyne failed to treat their employees fairly and was punished by diners boycotting some of their restaurants. Smaller companies find it much harder to avoid paying taxes and additionally have to compete for the best staff, so wages and terms tend to be better than the zero-hour contracts pushed by the mega-chains.

(The exception here would be Starbucks and the other major coffee-chains, which seem to be an addiction for everyone, including the propensity by nigh on all users not taking in their own beakers but instead using the non-recyclable one-use cups.)

The other advantages to boutique restaurants are: range of dishes available; individualisation of dishes; seasonality; quality; and, service. Small chains such as Carluccio's and Côte Brasserie seem to survive and prosper because they behave much like independents.

Beer: Whilst the internationals & nationals may be registering drops in sales & consumption, there seems to be nary a town these days that does not have at least one micro-brewery pub. Real ales are popular because they use traditional ingredients and as few as are essential to creating a great tasting ale. Who wants mass-produced chemical concoctions, when a natural brew can be had.
Traditional pubs may be dying - partly their own fault for failing to reach out to their communities via advertising or for example not staging community events to draw in folk. The corollary are speciality bars. In Altrincham inter alia we have Riddles which specialises in cocktails in the setting of a jazz-era speak-easy and two specialist European beer bars. Young folk mix with older generations.
Many bars in my town now offer live music, which has been a godsend to the industry and this August bank holiday weekend will celebrate its annual festival attracting hundreds of extra pleasure-seekers. A diverse music scene has led to audiences across the age spectrum coming into the town-centre to enjoy the 'free' entertainment.
Another benefit to this mixing of the generations is a reduction in weekend drunken violence which for a while blighted the town, especially at weekends. Of course there is still trouble, but not to the same extent. If one might bump into one's parents, grandparents, etc., one tends to not want to be caught making a fool of oneself!

Napkins: Paper-napkins are extortionately priced for what they are, so Millenials are not the only ones spurning them for kitchen-towel. These days the latter products have become much better quality and are really good at soaking up spillages. Additionally one can purchase plain or patterned varieties, which look the part of a napkin. Whereas paper-napkins, if they become too wet, leak colour and stain. Kitchen-towel is to all intents & purposes designed for several usages, if not uses for the more expensive versions!
I have to admit that we have a drawer full of linen napkins, which get used whenever we have guests round, except when its a curry - this is one of the few occasions for which we pay for paper-napkins. After all, curry stains never come out!

Cereal: Once again, I know of several of my peers who prefer to have a breakfast bar or biscuit on the go or at work. I have one friend who gets early to work to avoid the rush-hour traffic and then fills her time prior to her official start-time by making and enjoying some toast with her fresh coffee. Porridge-pots (made with oats - which as far as I know is a cereal) have taken off as they can be quickly prepared and the paper carton disposed of without feeling too guilty. So perhaps folk are trying to avoid the gluten-rich wheat varieties?

One of the big issues with cereals is the amount of sugar added to give them a cheap flavour rather than using more expensive natural flavourings like vanilla extract or cocoa.
Another is the increased awareness of gluten-intolerance. I myself suffer terribly from IBS whenever I eat mass-produced bread and rarely from artisan sourdoughs. I have discussed this with relatives, friends and neighbours and across the board others seem similarly effected.
I have to say that the big food brands took the middle-classes for granted for far too long. My town is a mainly wealthy suburb. Our ALDI's car-park though is often filled with recent Beamers, Audis, Volvos and other expensive cars. Whilst I am not a fan of all of ALDI's products, their cereals are way cheaper than the main supermarkets and taste, in some instances, better than top-branded versions. It would be interesting to see whether it is simply the international cereal brands that are finding reduced sales & consumption or whether the small operators like ALDI and LiDL are likewise seeing such falls. Additionally, I wonder whether organic sales are up or down?
 

Golf: I am no fan of the sport, especially when areas of historical or scientific significance are destroyed to make way for the courses. The water-consumption to keep the greens up to scratch is immense and a waste of valuable resources, especially in areas where there is a need from farms, the local population or to preserve the local environment.
Furthermore, from the individual competitor's perspective, it is an extremely expensive sport to pursue: equipment; clothing; membership fees; course/ground fees; lessons; practice (practise) fees; and so on.

Whilst the sport is gradually changing, it is still considered sexist, at least on this side of the Pond. As I understand it, Millenials are averse to supporting such attitudes.
Whilst I did try golf prior to becoming disabled, I much preferred to simply go off for a walk and take in my surroundings. Even better if done with chums.

Motorcycles: Back in the late 1980s, early 1990s I loved sitting behind a friend on their motorbike motoring down the empty motorways around Greater Manchester. Nowadays there is a heck of a lot more traffic on the roads and motorways. With the increase in volume has been a concurrent increase in road-rage. Everyone is tired and weary from struggling to make ends meet during this extended period of austerity. The landscape is ripe for accidents. Statistically, riding a motorcycle is the most dangerous form of transport.
Motorcycles are costly, plus all the safety clothing and crippling insurance premiums. Perhaps the blame ought to be laid at the feet of the manufacturers and insurance companies?
Whilst my disability now precludes my mounting a bike, were I able I certainly would not countenance doing so here in England. Spain, on the other hand, between cities has open and quiet motorways - I might have been tempted there.

Home-ownership: Again this issue is not just an issue for Millenials, the vast majority of folk are now priced out of owning their own home in England. Due to the lack of housing supply, house prices inexorably rise further and further out of the reach of the many, especially as salaries have stagnated or, worse, dropped.
Not being able to afford a house in the community in which one grew up is not new. In the 1980s I moved to Sale, one sibling to Salford and the other to Northwich as none of us could afford properties in our home-town of Altrincham. What is new is that this is the current situation for nigh on all folk in the vast majority of English wards. No wonder bitterness & resentment are growing.
I was in some ways fortunate when I purchased my first home in the 1980s. I was able to document and prove that what I would need to pay in monthly mortgage costs was less than what I was paying in rent plus what I was saving each month. The mortgage agent was impressed that I had accounted for my income & outgoings and demonstrated that I contractually expected my salary to increase over the forthcoming few years. I was granted a one-hundred-percent mortgage. I do not think that such are even available now, which is a shame.
In a town like Inverness, in the Highlands of Scotland, rents are now actually higher than the costs of paying a mortgage on a small home: but laws and financial rules will not permit any flexibility - like that which I was shown. This is a scandal of the financial institutions, the housing industry and the politicos making. Time they sorted out the situation to the benefit of citizens and not big business.

Yoghourt: Well, more precisely low-fat yoghurt. Well, given what we as consumers now know about the lies of the health-benefits of low-fat diëts, this can hardly be a surprise. Recall that Sweden now recommends a diet high in dairy fats but low in carbohydrates, the opposite to what we Brits have been told for the last couple of decades or so.
Add to this the fact that the big companies (just like the cereal manufacturers) added large quantities of sugar to add cheap flavour, rather than more expensive - thus less profitable - fruits or natural flavourings. No wonder sales have plummeted.
Again, though, is it only Millenials who have changed their preferences and thus diëts? I doubt it very much. I also have switched to full-fat Greek yogurts as they are tastier, creamier and more satisfying.
I am old enough to recall the Ski yogourts from the 1970s, wishy-washy and watery. In the 1980s an aubergine was considered exotic, now it is a common-place nightshade alongside tomatoes, potatoes, peppers & chillies. Tastes change. What is a loss for one part of the food industry is a gain for another sector.

Bar-soap: I have not used bars of soap since the 1980s when liquid-soaps first became widely available. For me it was because I found bar-soap left residue on my skin which exacerbated my eczema and acne. Switching to liquid-soap meant my skin calmed down and my conditions greatly ameliorated. The only time now I use bar-soap is in hotel-rooms for washing my hands after going to the lavatory. In public conveniences (wash-rooms) I will only use liquid-soap if available - I have the same aversion as the millenials to possible germs on shared bars.
Going into the homes of family, friends & neighbours, I cannot think of any that still use bar-soaps, other than in bowls/jars for display only.
This is another of those areas, like the coffee-shops' unrecyclable beakers, where environmental-consciousness takes a back-seat for supposed (?) hygiene.

Diamonds: I have to admit to being attracted to diamonds in the same way I love cut-crystal. I wonder at the reflections & refractions of light. If someone were to give me a diamond ring, I probably should not decline it.
However, to be honest, the ring I have always wanted is a prehistoric creature or piece of flora encased in amber. Magnify everyone's dreams for their ideal ring and I imagine there would be countless variations. It is better for jewellery artisans that this is so.
The diamond industry to all intents & purposes is a "quasi-cartel" per The Economist (15th July 2004). As I understand it, diamonds are plentiful from a global perspective, but the diamond-mining companies ensure supply is restricted so prices remain high.
Millenials, like everyone else will be aware of this, but the economic situation for the majority now is restricted disposable incomes and high debt, from amongst other things, tertiary education fees. In such circumstances it is only natural that folk seek out less costly alternatives.

Fabric-conditioners: Interesting that the article fails to point out that much clothing these days specifically advises against using fabric-conditioners (fabric-softeners). I wear a lot of Rohan clothing, which is often constructed from man-made fibres (fibers) or mixes with natural ones. Their labels are very clear about avoiding using conditioners/softeners. If one does so by accident, one is supposed to immediately rinse the clothing again in order to remove the unwanted product, otherwise the fabric might not do what it is designed to do. Natural cotton towels, which do not soak up water as well when conditioners are used, is another example. My woollen jumpers (sweaters) are finally rinsed with a teaspoon of oil; conditioners would ruin the natural water-resistance of the wool.
A further factor is that one can purchase special laundry detergents for specific fabrics or types of fabrics. Using the right detergent for any given clothing item militates against the need for a separate conditioning/softening liquid.
No doubt any company specialising in fabric conditioners is going to suffer; but more generally the detergent industry has been producing more targeted products.

Banks: This is laughable. Hardly anyone trusts the banks or bankers now. Millenials certainly cannot be blamed for the demise of high-street bank branches. That is the fault of profit-before-community attitudes within the financial industry. There is no valid reason why several banks cannot branch-share. Or the banks could jointly pay for free financial centres, where any bank customer could go to try to sort out any problems. It is true that many issues can be sorted out by simply going on-line and reading some advice. However, as anyone who has ever tried to call a foreign help-desk with a complicated issue well knows, nothing can replace face-to face meetings to sort out matters.

Department Stores: I think the day for middle-brow department stores has indeed passed. In the UK we have lost British Home Stores, Lewis', Woolworths, and this probably means chains like Marks & Spencer, Debenhams and most branches of House of Fraser are ultimately going the way of the dodo. Luxury department stores like Harvey Nicholls and Selfridges will probably find a niche vending to the top couple of deciles of the population as defined by wealth.
My housemate & I used to be regular users of John Lewis department stores, but as they have reduced their offerings to more and more own-label produce, we find less and less need to pay a visit. One of our local stores downgraded its food offering - we have not been to eat there since. In fact, we now mainly use JL for their bureau de change because it is convenient to use when our local Post Office is closed.

Designer Handbags: I suspect once again that it is the fashionable brands that are in trouble, for fashions come and they surely go. I imagine that the de luxe end will still be wanted by the very rich.
However, bag-makers and bag-retailers now have double the market they used to have in the last century, for men are now quite content to walk around with a man-bag. We need to put our wallets, mobile (cell) 'phones, cleansing-gel, tissues, etc. somewhere, and, let's face it, trousers are currently too tight to cram everything into one's tiny pockets!

Millenials only turning on designer labels - I doubt it as most folk are having to draw in the purse-strings, are making do with wardrobes bursting with hardly worn clothing. Most of us now have enough. We do not need more.

Gyms: in the last couple of years, my locality has had at least four new gyms open up and succeed. They do not charge joining fees or monthly fees, but rather use a pay-as-one-uses model. From looking in the windows one can see the gamut of ages and rather than being represented predominantly by men, many have sizeable numbers of wimmin users.
I realise this is anecdotal. It may be due to my residing in a middle-class, fairly well-to-do area. However, this may be the model of the near-future at least.
Long-term, I do not know whether gyms will survive other than for hard-core practitioners. My estate has its own community forum. There are: walking groups; a litter-collection group; a weeding group; a planting group; etc. These are activities done with one's neighbours for the benefit of oneself &/or one's community. They involve natural exercise. Folk get a gentle cardio-vascular work-out usually without causing damage to muscles, bones, etc. I suspect this is the way of future exercise.
I know some young chaps who are into parkour, where they use the local environment as their gym. This sport seems particularly popular with younger folk. Again no need for an actual please-pay-us gym.

In my opinion we have all changed our attitude to brands: they had and have no loyalty to we customers, so we now shop around for the best deals, the best products and so forth. Yields in the UK on a whole gamut of goods & services have been way above those of our Continental allies. This is slowly being corrected by consumers who now have the power of the internet to check up, to research and to educate ourselves. Millenials may naturally use this technology, but the rest of us are doing our best to catch up. We are all in this together.