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Hi. I am a shipping company director, transport academic, author, family man and all round nice guy. I have worked as shipbroker, shipowner, freight trader and bulk charterer, in senior positions, with some of the largest and most disrespected (joke) companies in the world. Ask my advice on all things shipping and you will receive my blunt and always honest answer. Hang around to learn more about chartering and ship broker salaries, chartering and ship broker jobs, chartering and shipbroker recruitment agencies, cheap freight, maritime education, chartering and ship broker qualifications, become a ship broker, tips on how to be a successful bulk shipping executive, philosophy, Zen and the art of shipbroking, and much more. Yours The Virtual Shipbroker Andy Jamison is the alter ego (pen name) of ex shipping guy and blog creator Nick van der Hoeven Copyright © 2020 by Virtualshipbroker Contact virtualshipbroker@yahoo.com

Sunday, June 7, 2020

6p's of 2020 (Prejudice, protests, pandemics, people, politics and protectionism)

It goes without saying there is currently a lot of pain in the world.

WTF is happening!!!!!!!!!!!

We have a real confluence of events that make the world seem like it is on the edge of something?

In no particular order we have


  • A huge stirring of emotion around the 'black lives matter' events in the USA which has spilled over to all corners of the world. This points to how badly, as human beings' we treat each other and how prejudice, in many forms is still a part of everyday existence for many. If we are honest we know the shipping industry still has issues. We know that 'bias' and 'prejudice' (many time unconscious) is open to anyone who looks. Which nationalities are more likely to do certain jobs, social status, look at the income divide around the globe....etc etc

  • We have a pandemic which has scared the &(&(&^$$##@ out of us and is still wreaking havoc. This will come with very real personal and economic consequences. Are we on the cusp of a depression? How will the next 10 years play out? Will we as nations become more insular and will protectionism increase?

  • We have an unprecedented political divide already present over the last 5 years. Never have we witnessed normal people be so divided into Liberal vs Conservative camps. There seems to be no in between. Friends have been lost, family members divided and controversial political characters make us look deep inside to try and figure out fact from fiction.

  • We have a world where most people acknowledge that we cannot trust the media (whether that be tradition or the new forms) because they too seem to be divided strongly down political lines. Attention grabbing headlines, fake news, the ability of social media to spread the word - all these things have made finding the 'truth' harder than before....

  • We have a seemingly un abating 'Technology revolution' that is infiltrating (for good and bad) all aspects of our work environment. That is quite disconcerting for many who cannot tell with any kind of certainty what the future holds. Jobs are less secure, the rise of the gig economy, robots etc etc

  • We have a physical environment that is changing and becoming more volatile - all at what appears to be at an alarming pace. Will our houses be swallowed up by rising seas? Will our rainforests disappear? Will our air be ok to breath? What will the earth look like in 100 years?

  • We have a young generation saddled with dealing with all of this crap....we call them un motivated, living only for now, un reliable, chasing experiences and not planning for the future....but maybe that is just a smart way of dealing with all of the above...

ALL THESE THINGS ARE COMING TOGETHER NOW AND WHAT WE ARE SEEING IS A REACTION TO THAT 


My thoughts go out to everyone who has lost loves ones, those who continue to face unfair prejudice, those who have lost jobs, those who are suffering confusion, stress and melancholy (or worse), those who feel misunderstood, those who are trying to find the truth amongst the noise, and those saddled with solving the worlds problems.

The skies will clear - I'm sure of that. Lets keep things simple, respect each other and look for ways to be proactive and positive. The world is still a much better place than it was 100 years ago...and I reckon better is to come (FOR EVERYONE).

VS

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