Re the article in the New York Times on Prince William's ex-girl friend http://tinyurl.com/26q7r8 Beth writes: > Maybe the issue is of interest in psychology classes > in Britain as well... Allen, what's the take from across the Big Pond?
My immediate take is that it is a pity that nowadays even 'quality' newspapers indulge in cheap gossip churned out by the tabloids. Obviously when the pair broke up there was going to be endless speculation in the press about the background to the splitting up, and the lovely thing about the stuff in the NYT article is that it doesn't have to be attributed to anyone in particular. In fact friends close to the ex-couple have denied that there is anything in the stories being put around like that recycled in the Times. My other "take" is that it makes for good stories, especially in the foreign (meaning in this context non-British) press, to go on about the class system in Britain, but I think most of it nowadays is rubbish. Of course it is easy to pick on people or situations (and find appropriate quotes) if the journalist wants to make a "story" out of them, but for most people it just isn't an issue. At least no more (or scarcely more) than the kinds of differences one finds in other countries (including the States) between 'elite' families and the rest, or between well-off middle classes and poorer folk. Allen Esterson Former lecturer, Science Department Southwark College, London http://www.esterson.org/ ------------------------------------------------ Sun, 29 Apr 2007 11:14:07 -0400 Author: "Beth Benoit" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: of multicultural interest > You all must know by now that I'm a sucker for anything that makes for a = > fun discussion of cultural differences. =20 > > Non-British classes may enjoy discussing the issue of why Prince = > William's former girlfriend, Kate, may have been shown the moat door - = > it's purportedly because her mother, Carole, is too middle class, at = > least according to an entertaining article in the New York Times' = > section, "Memo from London." The article says that, despite Tony = > Blair's proclamation that, "We are all middle-class now," it's not = > really true. The differences range from the chosen word for = > toilet/bathroom/loo to where to sit when going out for a drive. = > ("Working class, men in the front. Middle class, man with his own = > partner in the front. Upper class, man with the other partner in the = > front.") Your choice will most certainly denote your class. = > Apparently, Henry Higgins' transformation of Eliza Doolittle was only = > able to fool the upper class on stage. > > http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/26/world/europe/26britain.html?_r=3D1&oref= > =3Dslogin > > Well, who knows? Maybe the issue is of interest in psychology classes = > in Britain as well... Allen, what's the take from across the Big Pond? > > Beth Benoit > Granite State College > Plymouth State University > New Hampshire --- To make changes to your subscription go to: http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tips&text_mode=0&lang=english
