In her latest
BOSS Endnote, the always interesting Amanda Sinclair. currently
occupying a visiting position at the Judge
Institute of Management at Cambridge Univeristy, points to a profound
social phenomenom currently taking place in Britain.
The machine is being replaced at the heart of traditional masculine
identity by … wait for it … cooking.
With barely a murmur, the once unthinkable has recently taken place
— the last vestige of the British car manufacturing industry has
disappeared with the demise of MG Rover. Observing the pride with which
British men regard their cars Sinclair opines
Machines have clearly been at the heart of the construction
of traditional Enlgish masculinity
Not to fall into absolut despair however, Sinclair notes that parallel with the decline of England as a manufacturing power, new
roles have emerged for men. It appears that English chefs now lead "their
rivals in France and Italy as pioneer of fantastic English eating"
while "Organic farming and and premium foods are also enjoying
huge popularity for some English men."
chriscurnow.com is not a great fan of the "poor lost men"
philosophy of the modern men’s movement, but this loss of identity has
huge ramifications for the evolution of English society. Perhaps it
is a hugely Good Thing.
It makes interesting reading with the juxtoposition of Sinclair’s observation
of morphing of male identity with the highly criticised actions of the
‘Pheonix Four’ (senior executives of MG Rover) who left the company
with tens of millions while workers redundancies were left unpaid.
Perhaps having a generation of executives who have a profound connection
with the land, primary produce and how to make great food from it might
just result in building great British enterprises.