|
Reader question: Please explain “basket case”, as in “Thatcherism saved Britain from becoming a basket-case”. My comments: In other words, Thatcherism prevented the teetering British economy from total collapse. Or at least from becoming completely helpless. Thatcherism is 1980’s stuff. Today’s young have no idea what it is. It is named after Margaret Thatcher, the erstwhile British Prime Minister known as the Iron Lady for her stern looks and steely resolve. And Thatcherism is, in a nutshell, wanton capitalism. Or, to use a jargon and make it sound a bit more nicely, laissez faire. Laissez faire? That’s French for letting do. It’s synonymous with free enterprise, i.e. let businesses flourish (or perish) without government interference. Now, back to basket case, the phrase of our concern for today. Basket cases refer originally to people – specifically soldiers who have both their arms and amputated due to battle injuries. They’re so named because, without arms and legs, these soldiers have to be carried all the time by others. A cruel coinage this is, of course. I’m saddened as I type out these words. Young people risk their lives to go to war and fight for their country and all, but after they’re injured like that, they’re callously called basket cases. This alone should be enough for mothers and fathers to stop their sons and daughters from joining the army and fighting in wars, if you analyze it. If you analyze it, all wars are terrible – except those fought in self defense. | 
