Friday 13 February 2009

Plus One

Attention should be turned on the (usually) women who are beneficiaries of the freebies culture. There is a shamelessness in accepting hospitality, tickets, hotel stays, travel, food and drink and even specially laid on entertainment for accompanying 'wives'.

Often distinction tends to come with age and a travelling companion becomes a necessity. Those expenses must be met. But for all the rest of them, the freeloaders, if they want to go to a conference, dinner, employees' outing of any kind - earn the invitation, give a paper, hold a job that justifies inclusion at the gathering, or pay.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

So-called freebies are a most expensive form of travel and pseudo-entertainment. They are an imposition in terms of time, company, lack of choice. For a holiday, you might as well go to Butlins, or the Club Méditerranée.

Anonymous said...

My personal experience suggests that many of these ladies would much rather actually be at home (or out somewhere nice with "the girls") rather than accompanying her other half to some boring meeting/ conference/sporting event etc in which they have no interest.

Hosts regularly have to make completely seperate arrangements for wives, whose programmes usually include things like going on collective guided shopping tours, attending some charity function, popping in on the local old folks' home etc. - things they would hardly ever contemplate doing unless coerced to do so to "keep their end up".

But yes, I agree generally with your point that if the ladies are merely "decoration" then hubby (or whoever) should pay the bills if he deems their presence "essential". On the other hand, if hosts insist on the female presence, they should foot the bills.

!!! wv=harshpro - yup that's me alright