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Worzels World - Whatever happened to Joe Bloggs?

 

Whatever happened to Joe Bloggs?

It seems like only yesterday that Joe Bloggs (and indeed the whole Bloggs family) with wife and 2.4 children were the darlings of the media. Joe was often quoted and frequently held up as the quintessential Kiwi ideal. Unlike John Doe, his international equivalent, Joe was distinctly Kiwi and we were proud of him.

We all knew Joe and his missus. They were either the family next door or the one down the street and we identified with them. They weren’t much different from ourselves, but over recent years they have been out of the news and largely fallen from public awareness. Like their contemporaries they are not rich or famous, they do not appear on any celebrity list either A or B, their views and attitudes, their social standing and financial status are now less newsworthy than levels of business confidence or stock market indicators.

So what happened to the Joe Bloggs of yesteryear? The story is sadly similar to many of those basically average Kiwis that find brief fame in the public spotlight. It has been a bumpy road of changing fortunes since Joe lived a sunny suburban existence. Joe had always been content in his employment. The family were not rich but Joe’s wages were sufficient to allow Mrs Bloggs the option of being a stay at home Mum.

“I always thought it was nice to be there when the kids got home from school,” she says. “Often I would have a fresh batch of Anzac biscuits or peanut brownies ready when they got home, and of course I had to make sure there was a good dinner ready for Joe.”

Since then though Joe was made redundant due to restructuring. He eventually found other employment but at lower pay. With the increase in taxation and the decrease in state assistance Joe’s wife must work to help service the family‘s increased debt levels. Along with other average Kiwi’s, the Bloggs family now spends $115 dollars for every 100 dollars earned.

The eldest of their 2.4 children is also deep in debt having amassed a substantial student loan in the course of obtaining an arts degree. This has not proved helpful in gaining employment. Currently working shifts at McDonalds, Joe’s eldest despairs of ever being able to pay back the loan. Joe’s youngest is currently in CYF care after a child smacking incident.

However there is some good news in that the Bloggs’ 0.4 of a child has diminished considerably in 20 years to only a 0.2 of a child and shows every indication of disappearing completely in the future if current trends continue. Today’s Joe Bloggs is three times more likely than his forebear to be on medication of some sort or another. 'Market forces' have undermined Joe's middle class status and he struggles to make a decent living in this land of plenty.

In general it seems the Joe Bloggs of 2016 is a more stressed out and put upon fellow than his namesake of yesteryear. He is more likely to have an immediate family member with serious mental health issues. He is more likely than ever before to suffer from obesity or diabetes. Indeed it is shocking to observe, in the course of a single lifetime, such rapid decline in a mythical character. It is no wonder Joe has avoided the media spotlight. He and his family, unlike the proud but self effacing Joe Bloggs of old, has less to offer the world and little to be proud of these days.

The Bloggs family though are quintessential Kiwis and old enough to remember better days. Joe and his missus, and at least one of his now reduced family of 2.2 children, are born battlers. It is my bet they will not stop fighting the coercive powers that seek to undermine their long held middle class status and reduce them to bond slaves in a corporate empire. There is in every true blue Bloggs a vague genetic memory and a heritage not altogether mythical that subscribes to the principle that no matter how difficult the problem, or how great the challenge, with a ready supply of number 8 wire if you ‘get stuck in’ and ‘keep at it’ then ‘she’ll be right’ and there’ll be no worries mate’.

Will they succeed? Can Joe regain his pride? Can he ‘produce the goods’ and win back a nation to freedom and prosperity again? Whew! It's a pretty big ask for your average Kiwi bloke. He has my best wishes and any help I can render.

n prof_worzel@hotmail.com

Today’s Joe Bloggs is three times more likely than his forebear to be on medication of some sort or another. Indeed it is shocking to observe, in the course of a single lifetime, such rapid decline in a mythical character…
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