Take out the speck in your own eye.
It is now officially the summer holidays, the time of year many of us look forward to, some of us (teachers, politicians and a few blessed others) have a decent amount of time where we don't work and god knows I look forward to it. Only, this year it is a little different - I had some time where I did not work at school, followed by a half-term of being a child-carer more than a teacher. So I wonder, why did I feel that I needed the holidays so much? Why at the end of that paltry half term was I so bone tired and utterly exhausted and why does that feeling continue? Perhaps, I have gotten accustomed to doing little for a state payout, 'addicted' to it, as some politician somewhere has suggested. Yes, it is dreadful that the less middle class amongst us, who have been working regularly since 13 should want a rest from it all- how very dare us. Our job is to work incredibly hard until our old age, enjoy a few years of pootling around Morrison's cafe and trundling boxed tartan trolleys around public transport with our mates and then die - usually of a lifestyle disease, or if we are very unlucky a pandemic- how very dare any of us should enjoy a tiny bit of a break.
It is always a sticky business talking about class, especially as a degree educated teacher who lives Up North with a southern accent. Many think that we live in a classless society and it appears a common and largely accepted viewpoint; to bring up subjects such as inequality is often seen as an impoliteness. Most of us buy (quite literally) the idea that the UK is truly a utopia of meritocracy, and many of us live quite comfortably - the perks of being born in the 5th richest country (or the 9th depending on the research). Our collective comfort has made many of us quite intolerable to the idea that inequality exists. What with access to cheap holidays, cheap food and cheap electrical goods and lots and lots of cheap T.V we can kid ourselves that for most Brits it is merely a case of working hard and doing well.
In many respects my upbringing was classless, at least if I am looking towards the media of my youth for my idea of 'working classness'- in that world, I often saw the working class portrayed as living tropes: beer swilling, rough-looking, swearing, breeding and fag smoking. Or part of a gritty drama - my childhood bore no resemblance to The Full Monty, or Brassed Off, neither was it Eastenders. The media still appears to largely ignore the rural working class: plodding your way to your dead-end job in the midst of North Devon drizzle does not drama make and neither does it often portray the working classes within Christian religious organisations; at least until I recently got hooked on Michaela Coel's Chewing Gum. The first time I saw less than rich families attend church in a dramatic representation was Breaking The Waves; and that did not turn out well. Besides, Jesus transcends such barriers as class and our family lived as though we were 'in the world but not of the world' and in a reality that was very different from anyone's experience outside of the 'church'. Of course my circumstances have very much changed since I was a child, and I am now informed that my class is no longer a blur and I am firmly middle-class. I am a little disappointed that it is different from the social mobility that I dreamed of as a child; I naively thought that a grant paid University degree would buy me a few meals out and perhaps an occasional holiday in the sun. But then again, I went into all this with working-class humour and naive optimism, yet lacked the middle-class tools of investment, savings and sensible choices backed up by your parental links.
It occurs to me, that although I may be comforted very adequately by an ability to access warmth, shelter and comfort that there is no better time to transcend this soporific state and explore the true extent of inequality. Today, many people's understanding of inequality begins at those who are hungry, jobless, without electricity or a safe place to live and every one else is, apparently on an even playing field. I think this is where many of the issues lie, the layman's investigation into inequality begins in absolute poverty and goes no further, the unfettered trust that individuals can overcome and succeed (which of course they do, occasionally) no matter what- is the accepted idea. The cynical amongst us, claim that this idea benefits the rich and powerful most of all, when you can place the burden of success squarely on the individual, and not in any way part of a systemic regime, the poor can spend their time buried under hard work, regret and searching in the wrong places for the means of their success. It could be a reason why many of the poorer white people seem so desperate to hang on to the concept of #alllivesmatter - spend an afternoon with an open mind researching behind the concept #blacklivesmatter you will inevitably find yourself in the sticky exploration of inequality, discovering (for the first time for many) a big beam shining a light on the systemic inequalities that people of colour live with and as a consequence, a light on inequalities as a whole. Once you identify the great inequalities thrust upon others, you may be forced to face more general inequalities, even perhaps some that affect you and your own. I have always believed that education and research should be a unifying force, where we discover what we have in common rather than focus on what keeps us apart. For many, dismantling the concept that individual fervour is the only tool for success is a bitter pill to swallow, but the beginning of a more balanced exploration into inequality.
It is always a sticky business talking about class, especially as a degree educated teacher who lives Up North with a southern accent. Many think that we live in a classless society and it appears a common and largely accepted viewpoint; to bring up subjects such as inequality is often seen as an impoliteness. Most of us buy (quite literally) the idea that the UK is truly a utopia of meritocracy, and many of us live quite comfortably - the perks of being born in the 5th richest country (or the 9th depending on the research). Our collective comfort has made many of us quite intolerable to the idea that inequality exists. What with access to cheap holidays, cheap food and cheap electrical goods and lots and lots of cheap T.V we can kid ourselves that for most Brits it is merely a case of working hard and doing well.
In many respects my upbringing was classless, at least if I am looking towards the media of my youth for my idea of 'working classness'- in that world, I often saw the working class portrayed as living tropes: beer swilling, rough-looking, swearing, breeding and fag smoking. Or part of a gritty drama - my childhood bore no resemblance to The Full Monty, or Brassed Off, neither was it Eastenders. The media still appears to largely ignore the rural working class: plodding your way to your dead-end job in the midst of North Devon drizzle does not drama make and neither does it often portray the working classes within Christian religious organisations; at least until I recently got hooked on Michaela Coel's Chewing Gum. The first time I saw less than rich families attend church in a dramatic representation was Breaking The Waves; and that did not turn out well. Besides, Jesus transcends such barriers as class and our family lived as though we were 'in the world but not of the world' and in a reality that was very different from anyone's experience outside of the 'church'. Of course my circumstances have very much changed since I was a child, and I am now informed that my class is no longer a blur and I am firmly middle-class. I am a little disappointed that it is different from the social mobility that I dreamed of as a child; I naively thought that a grant paid University degree would buy me a few meals out and perhaps an occasional holiday in the sun. But then again, I went into all this with working-class humour and naive optimism, yet lacked the middle-class tools of investment, savings and sensible choices backed up by your parental links.
It occurs to me, that although I may be comforted very adequately by an ability to access warmth, shelter and comfort that there is no better time to transcend this soporific state and explore the true extent of inequality. Today, many people's understanding of inequality begins at those who are hungry, jobless, without electricity or a safe place to live and every one else is, apparently on an even playing field. I think this is where many of the issues lie, the layman's investigation into inequality begins in absolute poverty and goes no further, the unfettered trust that individuals can overcome and succeed (which of course they do, occasionally) no matter what- is the accepted idea. The cynical amongst us, claim that this idea benefits the rich and powerful most of all, when you can place the burden of success squarely on the individual, and not in any way part of a systemic regime, the poor can spend their time buried under hard work, regret and searching in the wrong places for the means of their success. It could be a reason why many of the poorer white people seem so desperate to hang on to the concept of #alllivesmatter - spend an afternoon with an open mind researching behind the concept #blacklivesmatter you will inevitably find yourself in the sticky exploration of inequality, discovering (for the first time for many) a big beam shining a light on the systemic inequalities that people of colour live with and as a consequence, a light on inequalities as a whole. Once you identify the great inequalities thrust upon others, you may be forced to face more general inequalities, even perhaps some that affect you and your own. I have always believed that education and research should be a unifying force, where we discover what we have in common rather than focus on what keeps us apart. For many, dismantling the concept that individual fervour is the only tool for success is a bitter pill to swallow, but the beginning of a more balanced exploration into inequality.
Thank you for this, a great read.
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