The Joseph Rowntree Foundation want us to help them with their purpose:
We all have our views about what’s wrong with the UK today and the problems that blight modern society.
So what do you think are today’s social evils – those problems that cause the most damage to UK society or the most misery to its people? We want to hear your views.
Here’s Julia Unwin introducing the reason why they’re doing the project:
Evil is as evil does. Do you feel uncomfortable with the word ‘evil’? So be it. This is not meant to be a comfortable exercise. Even if the word has connotations that are perplexing, uncertain and unsettling, in its full strength it says what we mean. For Joseph Rowntree, poverty was an unqualified evil of his time. We need to know what the modern evils are.
I’ve told them I do think “evil” is a bit over the top given the wider context beyond our shores, but perhaps you have thoughts you’d like to contribute. If so you have until the end of the weekend.
Though I don’t use the word on my blog, “evil” is an entirely appropriate word.
Maybe it’s relative. What we see going on in Burma or Iraq make all the things I could think of adding to a list of UK evils pale into comparison.
Ignorance and selfishness are mine. Hold on, I should be telling them…