It seems like every other day that some sassy new neologism is thrown haphazardly into the mix. We began with the needless spreading of legs on trains, then the interruption of conversation at work – and now the inability to meet certain standards of domestic life, has been spun into something new, dramatic and dangerous sounding. So are you unhappy with the way your partner cleans? Are you frustrated at their poor form making the bed? Well guess what, you may be the victim of – ‘weaponised incompetence’. And I get it, I really do. There may well be a seed of truth to words that describe such behaviours. It is annoying to have someone drag their feet in a household. But to me ‘weaponised incompetence’ feels badly intended, and something easily misused to simply shame people who are happy living with different standards to you. If someone leaves the dishes until the following morning, or doesn’t mind crinkled clothing, or maybe burns the dinner – is that really a weapon? God help the women who may need more guidance whilst mowing the lawn, changing a car tyre, or helping out with DIY. Seriously, aren’t there better (dare I say, more mature) ways to discuss this same issue? Does everything have to be so dramatic, all of the time?! Why do such words, and the conversations they are part of, always have to take the form of a wedge to be driven between people? Can’t we just, you know, compromise? And I say this as someone who is extremely clean; there are no dishes in my sink, I have several cleans towels ready to go, and my bed is always made. But if someone fails to meet these standards, do I consider myself the victim of weaponised incompetence? No I don’t. Do you? ~ Images by Jason Leung, Ryan Kwok, Clarissa Clarbunco from Unsplash.

2022-09-13