Stato
Well-known member
- Dec 21, 2011
- 7,374
I'm not sure that we were disagreeing. More that you were providing nuance to my ham-fisted explanation of outcome.As an old lefty, sorry to disagree. I don't think there is any evidence that 'public school charm' can be learned. With a different accent the supreme self belief manifests itself across society. One immediate example, a bloke I interviewed for doing my extension had it (partly the reason we went elsewhere). And there are plenty who were brutalized by public school. No.....
My theory is that those who have acquired wealth and perhaps some position, from which they create protection for their offspring, such as Johnson's dad, his dad, and Cameron's forbears likewise, have the genes that favour this type of success. Yes a lot of them end up sending their kids to public school. But they are the chicken and the public schools are merely the nests, not the eggs.
They are of a class because the class is created by them (or rather their forebears) to nurture their type.
I am not saying that the ruling classes are born to a station. I am a biologists, not a f***ing conservative. No, I mean that all living things survive because their genes allow them to thrive, and in the complex human world a great deal of niche characteristics facilitate (reproductive and societal) success. It used to simply be physical strength and ruthlessness that made you a prince or duke. Now (by now I mean in the last 300 years) having charm, no conscience and a modicum of cunning are all you need to become a baronet, buy a country pile and create a dynasty.
You don't have to ponce about, like the cock Mogg, in a top hat in order to ram the apparent superiority home, but on occasions it may help.
So the system (of privilege) has been created by those who benefit from it, because they can (and must). Other systems (such as the Welfare State, and the provision of opportunity to all, including oiks like myself, in the 1970s) are of course available. Socialism being the most prominent.
But don't expect those whose line has benefitted from the status quo to be clamoring for change any time soon. This is where the old labour idea, 'we are he masters now', gains traction. It is a natural goal to become the master when you are simply the servant. I would personally prefer to be a colleague rather than a master, but hey ho, call me a poof.
Be honest, people. You vote for self interest. This includes the notion of altruism being generally good (if you consider it would be generally good for yourself). I vote left because I feel more comfortable knowing that I am more likely to mix with and be judged by people more like me who, I like to tell myself, are more likely to be fair and collegiate. Were my personality different, and I found myself mainly drawn to the strong, self-made or well-established, the independent and, yes, wealthy, I may favour the right. Except....except they can be such ****s. Why send refugees to Rwanda? That is just ****ish.
No, I will stick with what I prefer, I think.
Yes, the extreme self belief is more widespread these days, but absence of the accent makes it easier to recognise the Dunning-Kruger effect.
Logically, we should vote for self interest, but someone with supreme self confidence will have a better chance of persuading us otherwise.
The only UK Prime minister during my lifetime that I have actually liked was Gordon Brown. He came over as worried, anxious, serious, a bit dour and depressed. That to me is the absolutely correct response to being put in a position where your decisions can mean life and death for people who you will never meet. He seemed a decent honorable man trying to do an impossible job. Unfortunately most other people seem to prefer someone who pretends that there will be sunlit uplands and honey for tea. We seem to elect far more Tiggers than Eyeores.