Who do you mean, "We"

What did "we" do to get Greta Thunbertso pissed off! 

Nobody feels themselves to be part of that "we"

 

One over-used word, appearing in all the speeches at COP26 is "we".

There is no "we".

No "we" stepped up to defeat the pandemic. No "we" has ever volunteered to to make real sacrifices for any cause at all.  "We" send our young men to war. "We" make sure "we" all get vaccinated before 99% of the word.

One thing that's unique about "we" is how it dissolves when you get closer and closer. Who is the "we" speaking in the corporate statement of values? Surely not the employes or the shareholders. Can any world leader claim, on behalf of his fellow citizens, what "we" want? It is rare for such leaders to enjoy the support of even the majority of their own party, let alone the general public. And who is the "we" who needs to do something about climate change, as in the endless mantra, "We" have only so much time?

In my youth, I was constantly brain washed to take pride in what "we" accomplished, such as "our" hockey team winning a game or us white folks taming a continent. Now "we" are supposed to feel guilty about what "we" did to Native children 100 years ago. "We" need to do something about it (another way of saying "nothing will be done").

"We" have discovered so much in centuries of scientific endeavour. Who is "we"? Certainly not the anti-science block of Americans that is always within shouting distance of a majority in the US. Even so, the same folks will brag about how many gold medals "we" won at the Olympics - lots more than "them".

We-talk at conferences like COP26 is like fingernails on the blackboard to me. Paradoxically, it really seems to mean "everyone but me".