East Enders and .....
I was watching a programme about Vera Lynn last night on tele. The number of times references were made to her just being a girl from the East End eventually pissed me of.
I am from the East End, it is no big deal, there are lots of us who were brought up in the east end of London so why is it something to remark about. Perhaps it is the bias of the media and "posh" people who think that those not born to the middle classes are thick and isn't it amazing that some of us do well. Though I do get fed up with those from poorer backgrounds who want us to be forgiving of them for this, Michael Caine goes on about it, but he is from south of the river. There is also that stupid columnist from Bristol who goes on about it and how terrible people who went to university are. Like there are none of us from poor (and I mean financially) backgrounds who went to university. Certain;y for me going to university has enable me to spend my life doimg what I like best so I think when people knock it they should be careful. The press don't help much, I have never seen a headline "University educated person does well" but plenty of the type "I left school at 16 and now I am a bad write for newspapers" type of thing. I enjoyed university and I have enjoyed my career since so don't be put of ny those witha chip on their shoulders about not going, but also if you don't want to go don't.
What it really shows is perhaps how easy it is is for the thick children who get sent to posh private schools to do well. They get protected by the family and their schoolmates who already have power and influence and so get on. Reecently ther ahd been crtiticism of the behaviour of the Foreign Office people in the wake of the tsunami. My only experience of such officials was in Paris over 40 years ago and I would guess nothing has changed. The sort of chinless wonders with terribler accents who have no idea about 90% of the population and probably feel that these oiks ought not to be abroad at all. Probably nothing much has changed, a few token women and people who didn't go to public schools but only on sufference.
It is much the same in the Army, just listen to the accents of the officer class and the real soldiers to hear who is in charge, I recall an interview with an officer who didn't sound loke he went to a public school but it turen out he was an engineer and so was allowed, after all the upper classes aren't allowed to do anything useful.
From this you maight think I am biased and perhaps you are right but I have met some quite able people who have been to publich school but in nothing like the numbers one should expect given the high percentage in top jobs. Remember that only 10% go to private schools. What they seem to train their students in is confidence, irrespective of ability. And to make sure they look after each other and usually they are quite loyal. Interseting how Mark Thatcher let down his Harrow & Eton mates but he is his mother's son.
I am from the East End, it is no big deal, there are lots of us who were brought up in the east end of London so why is it something to remark about. Perhaps it is the bias of the media and "posh" people who think that those not born to the middle classes are thick and isn't it amazing that some of us do well. Though I do get fed up with those from poorer backgrounds who want us to be forgiving of them for this, Michael Caine goes on about it, but he is from south of the river. There is also that stupid columnist from Bristol who goes on about it and how terrible people who went to university are. Like there are none of us from poor (and I mean financially) backgrounds who went to university. Certain;y for me going to university has enable me to spend my life doimg what I like best so I think when people knock it they should be careful. The press don't help much, I have never seen a headline "University educated person does well" but plenty of the type "I left school at 16 and now I am a bad write for newspapers" type of thing. I enjoyed university and I have enjoyed my career since so don't be put of ny those witha chip on their shoulders about not going, but also if you don't want to go don't.
What it really shows is perhaps how easy it is is for the thick children who get sent to posh private schools to do well. They get protected by the family and their schoolmates who already have power and influence and so get on. Reecently ther ahd been crtiticism of the behaviour of the Foreign Office people in the wake of the tsunami. My only experience of such officials was in Paris over 40 years ago and I would guess nothing has changed. The sort of chinless wonders with terribler accents who have no idea about 90% of the population and probably feel that these oiks ought not to be abroad at all. Probably nothing much has changed, a few token women and people who didn't go to public schools but only on sufference.
It is much the same in the Army, just listen to the accents of the officer class and the real soldiers to hear who is in charge, I recall an interview with an officer who didn't sound loke he went to a public school but it turen out he was an engineer and so was allowed, after all the upper classes aren't allowed to do anything useful.
From this you maight think I am biased and perhaps you are right but I have met some quite able people who have been to publich school but in nothing like the numbers one should expect given the high percentage in top jobs. Remember that only 10% go to private schools. What they seem to train their students in is confidence, irrespective of ability. And to make sure they look after each other and usually they are quite loyal. Interseting how Mark Thatcher let down his Harrow & Eton mates but he is his mother's son.
posted by Unknown at
9:32 PM
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