The Diminution of Common Sense

As a child, I was always encouraged to use my nous, practical intelligence, common sense, call it what you will. And so I despair when I see 'political correctness' take priority over common sense.

Close by our home is a lovely river walkway frequented by walkers and cyclists of all ages. Recently the local council extended the walkway by around 25 metres further down the road to provide a safer entrance/ exit as it was felt the old entrance/exit might be a hazard given it is on a bend and driver visibility is restricted. The old entrance (a gate) is still functional. People use it all the time.

Last week, I bumped into a local councillor on the walkway as we both walked our dogs early one morning. As we approached the old exit, I opened the gate, walked through it and held it open for her to follow me. ?To my astonishment, she declined, saying 'I’m a councillor, I need to be seen to be doing the right thing’. Seriously? Access through the gate is not prohibited; nor was there any danger whatsoever from vehicles as there weren’t any in the vicinity; nor were there any people hiding in the nearby bushes waiting to photograph this momentous event!

Surely ‘the right thing’ was for her to have used some common sense?

#commonsense