Death of Common Sense comes as welcome news

With sadness we note the death of a friend to many, especially those in public office and those who have made a career out of disputing science and research.

The sudden death by data of Common Sense will come as no surprise to some. After many years of supporting hundreds of specious arguments and enjoying having the last word on nearly everything, the reliance on being able to refer to Common Sense has taken its toll.

Born in the year dot, Common Sense took its first faltering steps with the flat earth idea and notions that the universe revolved round the Earth.

Over the centuries, Common Sense has created havoc. Colonising countries relied on the motivation of cultural superiority as an edict of Common Sense to assert their power around the globe.

In World War I, it was the notion that the old ways of fighting - to charge the enemy on foot when the advent of the machine gun had made this a deadly practice - was deemed to be an act of Common Sense beyond question. The consequent deaths of thousands of young men on the battlefields of France did cause many to ponder the value of Common Sense.

These days, attempting to co-opt Common Sense to assist with an argument has lost much of its power. Its name has been mentioned when discussing gender equality: "Of course a woman can't do some jobs that men do - it's Common Sense." Like-wise with same sex marriage: "Common Sense says it has to be a man and woman."

One of the more alarming incidences has been the enlistment of Common Sense into the War on Terror.

It has led to large scale undermining of the rights of ordinary citizens all over the world on the pretext that the bogey of terrorism could be lurking everywhere making this is a matter where Common Sense must prevail.

This approach has created fear and encouraged xenophobia with diminished human rights lost in the rhetoric.

A related situation is the use of Common Sense as a reason for spying on everyone, including your international friends and your own citizens on the flimsy notion that your friends may be only pretending to like you when in fact they might be conspiring against you and you would never know unless you tap their phones and emails - while harrumphing loudly about the woeful lack of trust in government.

Despite its recent death by data, Common Sense still gets a mention when building more roads is proposed as the answer to traffic jams.

The liquor industry still sticks with its mantra that greater availability of alcohol and having bars open all night is some sort of public service with Common Sense being the person who never gets drunk, attacks others in the street or crashes their car into innocent victims.

Now that Common Sense has died under a deluge of data and solid analysis, we should not mourn its loss but instead we should be pleased that sound, research-based ideas have replaced it.

Hopefully politicians, local and parliamentary, will not take this loss too badly and in its memory act in the Common Good.

Terry Sarten is a writer, musician, social worker and card carrying member of the Satirista. Feedback: tgs@inspire.net.nz or www.telsarten.com/