Fake 90

This being a kind of faking that I find particularly irritating: a letter all dolled up as if it is a person-to-person letter when actually it is a circular asking for money, albeit for a good cause to which I do give money from time to time.

So we have a handsome envelope announcing that it is from the office of the good baroness. At first glance, addressed by hand in blue ink. Inside, a letter on good quality paper complete with 'Mr Toller' at the top, 'Molly' at the bottom and a PS underneath, all in blue. The sort of thing that Ministers do to dress up letters, which have been written by officials and typed by typists, to make them look as if they meant it. To make them look as if they cared. All in reply to letters which they don't bother or haven't time to look at themselves - but which are important enough to get a reply.

At which point the brain clicks in. Not very likely that the Dignity in Dying have managed to find enough cheap clerks with higher grade handwriting to address all their letters. In any case, not a very good use of their funds. At which point the computer clicks in. And careful inspection of letters like the 'o's and the 'a's shows them all to be identical, including all the little quirks intended to add verisimilitude. All the work of a special font for the word processor and a good quality printer.

A particularly irritating version of those cuddly, personalised letters you get from utility companies. All rather dishonest to my mind: I don't mind getting a circular from a computer but I do mind getting a circular dressed up to look like a letter from a person.

Another version is the tendency to call all kinds of people by their first names when the person calling is not on what we used to call 'on first name terms' with the person called. One example being our former Prime Minister being called Tony by television journalists. Although he was probably a 'please call me Tony' sort of person, so he, at least cannot complain. While my mother, to take another example, hated in middle age being called by her first name by young nurses and care assistants in hospitals. Perhaps Frenchmen of my age get cross about inappropriate use of the second person singular (tu). I think that this might be even more of an issue for Russians, for whom the second person singular used to be reserved for family and intimates.

Reference 1: https://www.dignityindying.org.uk/. A good cause, even if there are occasional lapses on the communications front. This not being the first such lapse.