We may like to think that the 'whingeing pom' is a figment of the antipodean imagination, but we have to admit, however grudgingly, that it's true. And according to Julian Baggini, author of Complaint: From Minor Moans to Principled Protests, we should be putting this most British of skills to good use.
Baggini points out that the likes of the votes for women and the US civil rights campaigns began with what was essentially public complaint. Complaining, he says, "is the starting point to creating a better world". He adds that "Complaining can be an ice-breaker or a way to communicate, such as discussing the weather. When you complain, you're asserting your belief about the way things should be. We express our values when we complain."
If we're not the type to channel our complaints into campaigning for a better world, Baggini recommends that we keep our everyday gripes in proportion.
And it may come as a surprise that the most common complaint isn't, after all, the weather ...
Top ten complaints:
- Bad luck or fate
- Personal ill health
- Things have generally got worse
- Spouse/ friends/ partners
- Weather
- Religious leaders
- Cost of living
- Public transport
- Corrupt politicians
- TV
