56. Rose Hacker- The Oldest Columnist at 101
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| The story behind the picture: working on a psychiatric ward while a student at a Teacher’s Training College where I spent the best hours of my life because I was doing something “important” |
“Rose Hacker - author, campaigner, sex therapist, artist and most recently, journalist...”
“But it was the publication of Rose’s sparky, elegant columns in the New Journal – the first piece ran last September – which made her an overnight sensation at the age of 100.”
Camden New Journal - by SUNITA RAPPAI
Published: 1 March 2007
Someone in my writers’ group website posted an article by Rose Hacker which intrigued me so I checked out her website http://www.thecnj.co.uk/camden/2008/010308/hacker010308.html)
and as I am a born moaner found I had a lot in common with her. She moans about life’s injustices and champions the weakest among us. But what had touched me most was the way she kept harping back on caring for other people.
Caring for others has no boundaries. It is not tied to religion, to age, to gender, to country, to race but for some reason, in the modern world it is tied to the ‘god’ efficiency. In the name of ‘god’ efficiency you have no longer a caring government, a caring state, a caring hospital, a caring society. You would never be able to take a photo as the one above these days because everything is wrapped up in sterilized wards of political correctness devoid of any human warmth. That male nurse putting his arm around my shoulder would probably end up accused of sexual harassment and I’m sure political correctness will find something abusive in my hand over the patient’s head, since everything in homes, hospitals, schools have been sterilized against the human touch.
Incidentally, even though it’s a bit lop-sided that’s a pretty good photo since it was taken by one of the patients on the psychiatric ward I was on.
Finally, I should like to extend a plea for all moaners of the world to unite because moaning for the rights of others can never be underestimated... if it wasn’t for someone like Rose Hacker, most of us would not have a conscience.
News has just reached me about another Rose, an Italian one... Rosa Bossi Berlusconi has passed away at the age of 97. She too was a grand lady and kept her wayward son (leader of the opposition) on the right track. Condolences to both her sons, Paolo and Silvio and her daughter, Maria Antonietta.
“But it was the publication of Rose’s sparky, elegant columns in the New Journal – the first piece ran last September – which made her an overnight sensation at the age of 100.”
Camden New Journal - by SUNITA RAPPAI
Published: 1 March 2007
Someone in my writers’ group website posted an article by Rose Hacker which intrigued me so I checked out her website http://www.thecnj.co.uk/camden/2008/010308/hacker010308.html)
and as I am a born moaner found I had a lot in common with her. She moans about life’s injustices and champions the weakest among us. But what had touched me most was the way she kept harping back on caring for other people.
Caring for others has no boundaries. It is not tied to religion, to age, to gender, to country, to race but for some reason, in the modern world it is tied to the ‘god’ efficiency. In the name of ‘god’ efficiency you have no longer a caring government, a caring state, a caring hospital, a caring society. You would never be able to take a photo as the one above these days because everything is wrapped up in sterilized wards of political correctness devoid of any human warmth. That male nurse putting his arm around my shoulder would probably end up accused of sexual harassment and I’m sure political correctness will find something abusive in my hand over the patient’s head, since everything in homes, hospitals, schools have been sterilized against the human touch.
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Photo: My brother and I in the early 1970s with Springfield psychiatric hospital- Manchester, in the background |
Finally, I should like to extend a plea for all moaners of the world to unite because moaning for the rights of others can never be underestimated... if it wasn’t for someone like Rose Hacker, most of us would not have a conscience.
News has just reached me about another Rose, an Italian one... Rosa Bossi Berlusconi has passed away at the age of 97. She too was a grand lady and kept her wayward son (leader of the opposition) on the right track. Condolences to both her sons, Paolo and Silvio and her daughter, Maria Antonietta.
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