File this one in the “couldn’t make it up” category. Grandmother sues her company for describing her as a grandmother and wins. A judge ruled at an employment tribunal that Anne Dopson was discriminated against after a colleague wrote a car review in which she was described as “a grandmother”. She was 62 at the time.
She was working for a publishing company. She’d been there for nearly 20 years. Her company published a magazine called Fleet World, which in its May 2017 issue included an article by Dopson’s colleague Steve Moody. He reviewed the seven-seat Renault Kadjar.
According to The Times:
In the article, Moody referred to the Kadjar having been tested by several of the company’s staff over a year, including Dopson: “[It] had three spells as family transport, one as a ride for the bachelor about town and the other as comfy wheels for a grandmother.”
Dopson (pictured with family), who had three grandchildren at that stage, was outraged. She claimed that she was the butt of jokes at the office after the article had been passed around. An internal grievance procedure at the company rejected her complaint, as did an appeal hearing.
She took sick leave and eventually resigned. Amazingly, she decided to sue her former company where she had earned £50,000 a year before her resignation.
Judge Oliver Hyams ruled that the review amounted to “detrimental” and “less favourable” treatment of Dopson because it drew attention to her age. However he dismissed her claims of unfair dismissal, wrongful dismissal and age discrimination.
Narcissism reigns supreme in 2021. Dopson wasn’t referred to by name in the article. She is in fact a grandmother. The tone of the review could hardly be described as condescending or discriminatory. Yet she was outraged at a perceived slight and decided to commit career suicide. What a doughnut.
I see this narcissism everywhere. I’m well placed to see it. You should see some of the emails that come into The Richie Allen Show. For some listeners I’m the greatest thing since sliced bread until I say something that they disagree with or I criticise one of their heroes.
They perceive it to be a direct attack on them, even though I don’t know them and it’s unlikely that I will ever meet them. It’s narcissism on steroids. I received a volley of abuse on Tuesday following my discussion with former nurse Kate Shemirani.
I challenged her robustly and made it clear that I disagree with her and aspects of her conduct. Some of my listeners like her and approve of everything she says and does. That’s where narcissism kicks in. I was challenging and criticising Kate, but for some, I was criticising them personally. It’s pure undiluted narcissism. It’s anti-intellectual, self-defeating and very childish.
It’s akin to falling out with someone because they say that U2 are shit, even though you love them. But that’s the legacy of the Truther Industrial Complex, the greatest echo chamber ever devised. People are more incapable than ever, of co-existing with those who see things differently to them.
This grandmother story is a microcosm of the macrocosm. It’s a beautiful example of where humanity is right now.
