I p-p-picked up a Penguin earlier (note to Americans: this is a chocolate biscuit, not an actual penguin nor a low-cost paperback reprint of a classic novel) and was dismayed to see a word on the wrapper that seems to be becoming more and more common on the foodstuffs of my childhood: “Original”.
To me, the word “Original” written on something implies “Hey! You used to like this. But very soon, we’re going to do something that utterly destroys your memories of it, like adding fifteen new flavours completely unnecessarily!” The word “Original” implies that there are soon to be “non-Original” varieties. While I certainly wouldn’t be averse to the idea of a chocolate mint or chocolate orange Penguin bar, it does seem somewhat unnecessary given that a number of other chocolate biscuit maufacturers have the whole “flavoured chocolate biscuit” thing pretty well stitched up. Similarly, Penguin have had the whole “chocolate-coated chocolate biscuit with chocolate cream filling” thing working for them for many years now. So why the change?
The ultimate sacrilege of this type I’ve seen is Rice Krispies. Rice Krispies are Rice Krispies. You can customise them with milk and sugar and those interminably homosexual mascots they have, but they’re still Rice Krispies.
Not any more! They’re “Rice Krispies: Original”, which again implies that there are soon to be “non-Original” Rice Krispies invading our cereal cupboards. The thing is, non-Original Rice Krispies already exist. They’re called Ricicles (sugary Rice Krispies) and Coco Pops (chocolatey Rice Krispies). So are we going to lose these established, recognisable and, to some (who really enjoy cereal, like, a bit too much), beloved brands? Perhaps.
Why does this happen, though? Perhaps it’s part of the growing culture we have where Choice is Good. Yes, Choice is Good. But there are some things where we don’t really need quite so much of it. Breakfast cereals and chocolate biscuits being two such examples. Mobile phone packages and varieties of bottled water are two more. Electricity tariffs. Types of coffee. Whether I want chillisaucesalad on my kebab. Too much pressure!
The upshot of all this is that people begin expecting choice in everything they do, even when it’s completely inappropriate to do so. Look at education; both the Government and parents seem to expect teachers to be able to deliver a personalised, customised experience for every child. There’s even an official “programme” for it: Every Child Matters. And yes, they do. But there are 30 children in an average classroom. And one teacher. Perhaps one or two assistants. Have you ever tried to get thirty different people, some of whom already have attention-deficit disorders, to do a selection of different things? It’s immensely difficult and nigh on impossible. But it’s expected. Because Choice is Good. Personalisation is Good. People should be able to have the experiences they want, when they want them.
So, with that in mind, balls to non-Original Penguins. They’re destroying our education system.
Possibly.
Discover more from I'm Not Doctor Who
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
