For the benefit of those who did not go to public school; I did, I didn’t really like it, but I’d like to try and destroy a few myths.
1 The old school tie will get you privilege and power and money and endear you to the upper classes
- no it won’t. Although you might have some worthwhile contacts left over from school days, if you’re an indolent, incapable halfwit then people will not employ you. That’s because the upper classes own businesses and want their businesses to be profitable. Businesses that choose nice-but-dim idiots over capable people with a state school background will go bust and leave their owners penniless. If you didn't go to public school and you want good business contacts then join an industry society and attend the events.
2 People at public school say ‘what, what’ and ‘old bean’ and like shooting fuzzy-wuzzies
- they don’t. In fact, if you were to talk like someone with a hot potato in his throat at public school, you’d probably have your head smashed up against a central heating pipe. If you’re a racist you’ll find very quickly that you have no friends.
3 People who went to public school know nothing about the real world and don’t care about the lot of the ‘average person’
- public schools are as real as any other schools. The kids who attend them are quite normal once you look beyond the accent. They enjoy partying, drinking and exploring their sexuality, as most adolescents do. As for caring about other people, you’ll find public school kids and their parents are much like anybody else; some care about others, some don’t and some are complete potnoodlers.
4 Public schools are full of upper class people who are a bunch of rarified wierdos, sexual deviants and fascists
- yes, there are members of the ‘aristocracy’ at public schools. Most of them are very normal, down to earth people and you would not recognize them as ‘toffs’ if you didn’t know. Some of them use certain patterns of language or behaviour or clothing to show each other their ‘social status’, but many don’t and don’t care. I have seen no more evidence of sexual deviance among them than among anybody else, and no more tendency to the extreme right than among others. In fact, a lot of them are a more than a bit left winged.
Any other myths you’d like me to dismantle?
1 The old school tie will get you privilege and power and money and endear you to the upper classes
- no it won’t. Although you might have some worthwhile contacts left over from school days, if you’re an indolent, incapable halfwit then people will not employ you. That’s because the upper classes own businesses and want their businesses to be profitable. Businesses that choose nice-but-dim idiots over capable people with a state school background will go bust and leave their owners penniless. If you didn't go to public school and you want good business contacts then join an industry society and attend the events.
2 People at public school say ‘what, what’ and ‘old bean’ and like shooting fuzzy-wuzzies
- they don’t. In fact, if you were to talk like someone with a hot potato in his throat at public school, you’d probably have your head smashed up against a central heating pipe. If you’re a racist you’ll find very quickly that you have no friends.
3 People who went to public school know nothing about the real world and don’t care about the lot of the ‘average person’
- public schools are as real as any other schools. The kids who attend them are quite normal once you look beyond the accent. They enjoy partying, drinking and exploring their sexuality, as most adolescents do. As for caring about other people, you’ll find public school kids and their parents are much like anybody else; some care about others, some don’t and some are complete potnoodlers.
4 Public schools are full of upper class people who are a bunch of rarified wierdos, sexual deviants and fascists
- yes, there are members of the ‘aristocracy’ at public schools. Most of them are very normal, down to earth people and you would not recognize them as ‘toffs’ if you didn’t know. Some of them use certain patterns of language or behaviour or clothing to show each other their ‘social status’, but many don’t and don’t care. I have seen no more evidence of sexual deviance among them than among anybody else, and no more tendency to the extreme right than among others. In fact, a lot of them are a more than a bit left winged.
Any other myths you’d like me to dismantle?
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