[g8-sheffield] re:class

[Kathleen Holliday]

I'd like to point out that my post about our equality was in response to
zerosevenfour two's posting earlier

I wrote:
I feel sorry for the "middle class"......................................we
are equal until we think we aren't.

Money isn't the only measure of wealth. It's time we trade in.



http://eserver.org/thoreau/civil1.html <- civil dosobedience, (A guide to
peaceful non-action)


---- Original Message ----- 
From: "zerosevenfour two" <zerosevenfourtwo at hotmail.co.uk>
To: <g8-sheffield at lists.aktivix.org>
Sent: Thursday, June 09, 2005 2:02 PM
Subject: [g8-sheffield] Oppenly Classist..


>
>
> The class system is the injustice at the heart of British, and especially
> English, society. It is the system that I hate with a passion, and one
that
> has crushed countless millions of people throughout contemporary history
and
> even my own family, parents, grandparents and, if I am honest, me too.
That
> I detest the unfairness and injustice of this system with every fibre of
my
> being, I cannot state enough. So many millions of people even today, in
the
> 21st century, are still suffering in one form or another, because in the
> eyes of greater society they are not worthy; not good enough for polite
> society. Not deemed of any value. Surplus to requirements. Third rate.
> Passed over for some kid with more privileged status and a silver spoon in
> the mouth. The detrimental effect this has had on British society is
> impossible to calculate.
>
> The scale of sheer injustice, and, to be frank, evil, is breathtaking, and
> no essay of any kind could fully do it justice. I am one voice in a sea of
> voices after all. Few people in British society have ever looked at the
> class system full on, without blinkers of one kind or another, or waxing
> sentimentally, or in the briefest glances. It is something that by its
very
> nature is painful to many of us, even those who have benefited unjustly
> because of this most unjust of structures. Because I believe that not only
> has the system in Britain robbed millions of a full life, it has also
> crippled those, who promoted the injustice and evil, into lives of
> half-truths, double standards, and lives built on every kind of base
> corruption, shoddiness and cowardice. But I am not here to write about the
> moneyed and well off, the socially perfect and correctly spoken, I am here
> to write about those left out of the wealth, those left out of the good
jobs
> and opportunities, those like me born at the bottom of the hierarchy, and
to
> all intents and purposes, meant to stay there.
>
> Class is such an emotive issue, and it is true that if a middle class
person
> meets a working class person, there will very likely be a sense of angst
and
> uncertainty on both sides; the animosities, though well buried, would not
> take long to rise to the surface. And in Britain certainly, there is a
> tendency for people, as groups of all kinds, and most definitely class
> groups, to polarise against each other, in many ways and for many reasons.
A
> working class person, seeing what he or she thinks are middle class effete
> tendencies, may particularly become harder and less genteel to counter
what
> he or she thinks are base middle class values. A middle class person,
seeing
> what he or she thinks are base working class values, whatever they may be,
> might very well have a tendency to shun these things. And of course, there
> is then a general national tendency to despise what you don't understand,
to
> what you find distasteful, and so on. Of such is the British class system,
> in highly oversimplified form. Class in Britain goes far deeper than this;
> in real terms, it could be said to be about groups who are related in
their
> similar life chances, job opportunities, levels of education, access to
all
> the good, or bad, things in life and better, or worse, opportunities in
> general. Working class people will find that many doors to them are
closed,
> because they lack a decent education, a 'decent' accent, they live in an
> inner city or council estate or poor neighbourhood, that they come from
poor
> backgrounds of some kind, and so on. Much of this might be inferred, some
of
> it is spoken about, and a lot of it is internalised over the course of a
> person's life, and in society in general. A working class person will
> definitely for the most part internalise negative values, a belief that he
> or she should keep their head down, accept their lot, and hope one day to
be
> lucky.
>
> This is how I felt for chunks of my life. I don't feel this way anymore,
nor
> do I believe that any person has to accept anything in life they do not
wish
> to. It is about understanding negatives, and it is more importantly
> understanding positives in life. If we as working class people allow other
> more privileged types to an unchallenged position in all areas of life, we
> can't complain when they do just that, maintain a privileged, and of
course
> increasingly unjust, position. If, on the other hand, as we hold out for
> better lives ourselves, better jobs, better educations, better housing and
> better all round lifestyles, whilst at the same challenging unjust
privilege
> of all kinds, we make our own very immediate environments more just and
more
> fairer. It isn't about hating and despising, we can leave that to our
> so-called betters and superiors, it is about finding a liveable and
workable
> reality for working class people, that enables us personally and as groups
> of people of all kinds to have better lives, for ourselves, our families
and
> friends, and our children to come. It is that simple.
>
> I speak for myself when I write this, and at the same time as someone who
is
> highly educated, well read, literate, cultured and so on, but for many
years
> I have always felt out of sorts, and that sooner or later someone would
find
> me out and send me back to the craphole I grew up in. I have done well for
> myself in some ways, getting the aforementioned degree at university and,
at
> this time of writing, a reasonable job as a journalist, and someone who
> likes to pursue hobbies of various kinds; not bad for a kid who grew up in
a
> Liverpool slum! But, as with all happy-ever-after stories, I have had hard
> times and bad times too. I have often felt inferior to other people, at
> times this has overwhelmed me and made me feel less and smaller than other
> people. It is not something I can quantify, or explain or understand
easily,
> and best left as a simple explanation; that at times I feel less than
other
> people. I believe a large part of this is because of the British class
> system, and the nonsensical way British people have related to each other
as
> groups and individuals for about the last 200 years or so. Is this what we
> want as a nation, what we demand for ourselves, and the next generation
> after us? It is not what I want for myself, or any member of my family
> anyway. It is up to each reader to think about this for themselves. At any
> rate, I have often felt inferior compared to other people. It has skewed
my
> relationships, friendships, family relationships and how I felt about
myself
> over the many years of my life. Today, I feel better and stronger. On a
> national scale, these type of feelings create vast waves of anxiety,
> animosity, crime, injustice, indifference, and vast gulfs between those
who
> have, often in plenty, and those who have very little of anything at all.
> This is the core of all the class injustice, the vastly unequal resource
> distribution.
>
> It is not just that there are poor people, and people who are richer, it
is
> the philosophy that often follows such inequalities, philosophies that,
more
> often than not, justify and even promote base and rank injustice, division
> and unfairness. Why does our Head of State, the Queen, who has a private
> fortune of hundreds of millions of pounds, get millions more each year
from
> taxpayers, whilst millions of ordinary workers make do on a fraction of
> this, and all the while working hard and paying taxes? It is what I call
the
> 'philosophy of insanity', and it is the philosophy that underpins much of
> the unequal relations that still exist in the British Isles at this time,
> circa mid-2004. A philosophy that allows rich people to prosper, even when
> they already have everything they need and more anyway, whilst denying a
> basic standard of living to many more British citizens. Unless, and until,
> this 'philosophy of insanity' is tackled, and tackled head on, and it is
> brought into the public forum, we will continue to live in an unjust
> society, and an unjust world. I don't accept of course that any human
> society, or any human relationship of any kind, at this time will ever be
> perfect in entirety, but it is up to us who want and wish to change
society
> to do so; if we can't change it, we can write about, if we can't write
> about, we can debate it, and if we can't change the whole world, or even
> Britain, we can change ourselves, and our attitudes to privilege and a
> fairer democracy for all. It is understanding this, that the individual is
> important, that change does and will happen, for you and me. Why shouldn't
a
> working class kid from the wrong side of the tracks get on, make a better
> life and have money for once? It is learning to be positive, when all
around
> might be negative, that better life chances spring out of the air. We of
> course have to reach out for them, and help others less fortunate to do
the
> same.
>
> Justice; justice is a big word, and an idea that cuts through everything,
> that cleans everything, and makes fairness and tolerance where there might
> be no such things. Justice for working class people, for people like you
and
> me, is and has been in very short supply. When we demand justice, for
> ourselves, our families, friends and cherish justice as a higher form of
> society, I believe that we go in the right direction. Justice is where it
is
> at; where there is justice, there will be harmony, peace, friendship,
where
> there is a lack of justice there will be indifference, hatred, oppression
> and a lack of any good will of any kind. Normal people cry out for justice
> all over the world! Then we should hold justice to our hearts, demand it
for
> the whole world, and not least for ourselves. It is in just relationships,
> be that marriage, friendships, an office, or even on the street, that
humans
> can fire on all cylinders and be the best that all their capabilities and
> ambitions allow. It is in a ready justice that we can all stand on the
same
> ground, demand a better life for one and all, and make Britain, even the
> world, a better place to live in. The mere notion of justice itself drives
> away corruption, unfairness and non-level playing fields of every kind.
> Justice is the ideal that all people should live up to, and the ideal and
> reality we should want for ourselves, and the people around us. For
justice,
> we need to be just. To be just, we need to accept that we are on a level
> playing field, and that what is truly good for one, is generally good for
> others too.
>
> When working class people dream, when little people dream, the whole world
> sits up and takes notice. It is not the ambitions of the rich and pampered
> elites that have really ever shaped the world, it is always the hungry,
the
> impoverished, the slum dweller, the forgotten who shape the world and give
> society impetus and focus. Throughout history, contemporary history and
> today, this has often been the case. When you and I dream, and when we
want
> to make our lives better, and have what the rich and powerful and the
> pampered take for granted, we change the world, and we change ourselves
too.
> This is an important point. Why shouldn't you have a better education, a
> better job, a good business, a nice house? Why shouldn't you dream, have
> ambition, believe that good things can happen to you? They can, and they
> will, if you are prepared to dream, work towards the goals you want, and
> look at life in the long-term. Nothing happens overnight, but takes time
and
> a change in attitudes, life goals, outlook and personal ambitions. Even
the
> very idea of your dreams taking shape and hold in the real world is in
> itself for many working class people a revelation, something that I think
> many working class people do not do or do not believe is possible for
them.
> It is possible, but it takes time to shape a good character and a winning
> mindset from a mindset and lifestyle that might be used to negative
> realities and situations of many different kinds. It is a revelation, and
a
> revolution in thought processes that shapes the world we live in. Thinking
> alone will not bring about change, but thought and action combined can
bring
> about the results everyone desires. Everything built, written, made,
cooked
> and so much more besides is after all merely the result of someone's idea
at
> some time or other. So, the world revolves on thought processes. For a
> working class person, sometimes the only thing you may have are wonderful
> ideas, and dreams of a better life. What starts in the head, can take
shape
> in reality. It is holding onto the dream, and pursing it that make dreams
> worthwhile.
>
> As working class people, we have a latent energy that generally is
> underdeveloped and underused, an energy that often comes out negatively or
> destructively in some way, to the detriment of that person, or others
around
> them. It is understanding this very potent force, this nervous energy, and
> harnessing it to our better advantage, that any person can make a better
> life for themselves. To waste such enormous potential, such enormous
energy,
> is to waste one's talents, dreams and goals and to muddy the path that we
> can all find if we look hard enough. It is accentuating the positive, and
> downplaying the negative. It is being magnanimous in success, and
> matter-of-fact in defeat. It is always being open minded to a better life,
> and resilient in finding that better life. It is using that powerful
energy
> for positive results, and making our own lives and the people around us
> better, happier and more productive. It is moving on from such passing
> systems as class, racism, and injustice of very kind, and finding a better
> place spiritually, emotionally, economically and the place very much where
> you wish to be. Of such is the reality of the enormous human potential
each
> of us has at our fingertips, assuming we make use of it. When working
class
> people unleash this energy, it is an energy that is unstoppable, and
> properly controlled and directed, can take the lowest person to the
highest
> place and the best outcome. It is this that I myself labour under at this
> time, and this idea that nourishes me and gives me hope.
>
> Working class people are naturally and obviously more democratic and
> egalitarian in nature. It is something I have known, about myself and
> working class people in general, for a long time. Those born without
> inherited wealth or privilege of any kind seem, in most cases at least, to
> believe almost instinctively in social justice, democracy, egalitarianism
> and equal relations of every kind. It is strange in fact why working class
> people are attacked so, when these beliefs come to most working class
people
> almost by default. They are good beliefs, they make the most sense, are
the
> basic tenets of many religions, including of course Christianity, and to
all
> people in the world are the values that each individual wants for him or
> herself and family, friends and the like. They are self-evident, need no
> real explanation, and the world over craves them; where they are, in
nations
> and societies, people desire them the more, where they are not, in
military
> juntas and tyrannies, people desire them, cry out for them and have
> revolutions to acquire them! They are, by all accounts, highly desirable
> virtues. And because there is and has been, a societal enmity towards
> working class people, working class culture, working class ideology and
> values, it goes without saying that values such as equality, social
justice,
> egalitarianism and a more fair and equal society are dismissed and often
> also held in contempt. Do you see what I am trying to say? That a society
> based on genuine working class values, not in some hippy-dippy, or
> Communist, or even political way, but a heartfelt and honest way, would be
a
> society that promoted justice and equality as a matter of course. This
would
> involve a fairer wage system, a fairer tax system that took into account
> people's ability to pay, a less centralised and more localised
bureaucracy,
> more accountability from our public servants, a nationalised public
> transport system to name but a few important things. The knock-on effect
of
> such just and fair policies, though taking a while to adapt to, would make
> Britain healthier economically and socially, and would make Britain a
nation
> more genuinely at ease with itself. We would be, in almost all senses of
the
> word, citizens of a free nation and not subjects of a once great country
but
> now living on past glories. I know which I would choose given the chance.
> And I know what many other British people would choose too given the same
> chance. It is what many of us have only ever half-dared to dream. Class
and
> prejudice harks back to a bygone age of unspeakable divisions of all
kinds,
> that, for the most part, have thankfully been eclipsed or forgotten. It is
> living on past glories, or looking to build a better tomorrow for us all.
> The choice, I believe, is yours and mine.
>
> The injustice of vastly unequal resource distributions is at the heart of
> the real problem with the class system, in fact any system which is based
on
> some form of unfair difference, be that class, racism, religious
> differences, language and culture differences, chauvinism and so on. The
> wealth distribution in the world is so badly out of tilt, that even in the
> wealthy parts of the world, like Britain, America, Continental Western
> Europe, there is much poverty and lack of opportunity, even when we are
> surrounded all the time by the trappings of wealth. Class, racism and so
on,
> justify the divisions, give them a form of credibility, the mark of
> respectability even, to what is, frankly after all, base and unjust
> division. The 'philosophy of insanity' as I mentioned before, allows those
> who already have more than they might possibly spend in a thousand
> lifetimes, to accumulate more wealth, pay less tax and be engaged in the
> pursuit of accumulation for its own sake, even at the price of health,
> family relationships and their own genuine quality of life. On the other
> hand, those in the world who have very little, and lack any real
> opportunities to get on, are hindered from even having in many cases a
> normal and adequate standard of living. This seems accepted without
question
> all over the world, and it is certainly accepted in Britain, with few if
any
> noticeable qualms. It is, if we were being completely and utterly honest,
> insane; insane policy for an insane world. How do we challenge injustice
as
> working class people, as ordinary people who might not have any social
power
> of any kind, or create any real ideas how to do this? We challenge it by
> debating it, bringing it into public and political arenas, by challenging
> the often cosy middle class conceptions that poverty in the world is just
> about big corporation greed, and those at the very top of the tree. We
> challenge it by looking at the divisions between middle class and working
> class lifestyles, and the vast gulfs between the job expectancies, life
> chances and general all round opportunities between middle class people
and
> working class people. We challenge it by looking seriously and honestly at
> those people, who, claiming to be on the side of justice, are not really
on
> that side at all. We challenge it by looking at so-called left wing
parties
> and groups, and really wondering whether groups full of usually moneyed
> middle class politicos really want anything to change at all, and whether
> much of what passes for left politics in Britain, are people either on a
> guilt trip, or those playing at being rebels until their career begins to
> take shape. No one should resent anyone else trying to get on, we all want
a
> better life, but a little honesty, a little working class realism into the
> mix might do all of us a little more good. It is for to us to challenge
> injustice wherever it is, and to hold out for better lives ourselves. The
> bell tolls for you and me as well, not just posh rich people. It is for
> working class people to challenge all the prejudices that surround class,
> even when everything seems to be against that. Challenge racism, challenge
> chauvinism and challenge the British class system, and challenge those who
> defiantly refuse to debate it until they accept that class is as much an
> injustice as any other bigoted and small minded and nonsensical prejudice.
> It is the prejudice in Britain that dare not speak its name, it is the
> prejudice that is, time and time again, brushed under the carpet, and the
> prejudice that, incredibly enough, is rarely mentioned even in equal
> opportunity statements and equal rights charters and organisations! Is
this
> not an incredible state of affairs, that the very prejudice, the very
> small-minded prejudice that still shapes Britain's social, economic,
> political and even religious spheres, is conveniently airbrushed from the
> picture? It is to me, and to many more people too. We have allowed people
to
> speak for us, been silent for far too long. We have allowed class prejudic
e
> to fester, without challenging it, and without challenging the people who
> benefit from it, and the people who pretend it is not an issue. If you are
> working class, it is an issue every day of your life.
>
> More top jobs, more power, and more opportunities must be made available
to
> working class people, who should at all times challenge the notion that
> certain jobs and lifestyles are available only to those who already come
> from privileged backgrounds. The idea that because someone comes from a
> wealthy background, an already privileged background, and then gets a top
> job merely because of this, is an absurdity and a serious setback to
> democracy in a modern first world country. Surely, to spread the wealth
> around, and to ensure a healthy democracy, a more democratic and
> meritocratic society is needed, and certainly whatever those in privileged
> positions may believe, working class people desire and demand a fairer job
> market, and a bigger slice of the pie. We should also look at the role of
> charity too, and ask why it is often moneyed and middle class people who
get
> the plum jobs in these organisations, and more often than not, it is poor
> working class people who have to stand on the street corners rattling tins
> in people's faces as volunteers. We should challenge this obscene reality,
> and understand that charity's absolute role is to take from the haves and
> redistribute to the have-nots, starting with giving poor and working class
> people some key jobs in these very self same charities. A working class
> person should think hard about keeping those who already have comfy
> lifestyles, in those lifestyles, while working class people the length and
> breadth of Britain struggle to get jobs paying just over minimum wage.
> Perhaps it is better to buy a 'Big Issue' on the street, and give directly
> to those, but I am not advocating a revolution, only a revolution in
> thought. When we challenge hypocrisy and injustice, wherever it is and in
> whatever form it takes, we then see how rotten and corrupt such injustice
> is, and that what is usually held together by such injustice and
corruption
> is, after all, easy to challenge. Fight injustice with justice. It is an
> irresistible force. Working class people should challenge society's
> hypocrisy and double-standards on very personal and local levels, and also
> in general and more global terms. A working class person should hold out
for
> a better job and a better life and not accept that someone, whatever their
> social status, has any more right than anyone else to simply get a job or
a
> better life before you. Challenge this notion in your own life, and you
will
> find a better life whilst changing the world too. We have nothing to lose
> but our chains!
>
> A democratic society, one where the best person gets the job regardless of
> their social background, will see a society where people are held
> accountable, sportspeople begin to win instead of nice middle class boys
and
> girls losing everything all the time, and a more fairer, tolerant society
> that is genuinely more at ease with itself. The injustice of the class
> system makes victims of us all, and allows evil and intolerance to go
> unchecked. A fairer society will to a large extent, put right the wrongs
and
> injustices that have been allowed, and historically were allowed, to go on
> in Britain. If we challenge racism, then we have to challenge all forms of
> prejudice, be that economic, social, geographic and wherever it is found
in
> the British Isles. So many of us have been duped, duped into accepting
> second and third best, duped into remaining silent and duped into thinking
> we are only fit to keep our heads down and let someone else have a better
> lifestyle. It is when a person challenges injustice, deeply unfair
> injustice, that society slowly but sooner than later changes for the
better.
> We should challenge hypocrisy wherever we see it, and speak out against
it,
> eloquently and honestly. We should challenge the very notion of a class
> system that allows some people to own vast amounts of wealth, and others
to
> struggle and scrimp and save just to make ends meet. We can promote
> fairness, and believe in equality rigidly and egalitarianism rigidly and
> demand fair wages, fair prices for the businesses we work in or want to
own
> ourselves, and safe streets for the areas and places we live in. With a
> sense of equality come notions of justice, and with justice comes the
notion
> of fair play. It will be the working classes, not the 'enlightened' and
> liberal middle classes and wealthy and out-of-touch upper classes, who
will
> make the world fairer, safer, more equal and more just. We are grounded in
> such notions, whereas those who practise hypocrisy and all sorts of double
> standards know within themselves that their actions are hypocritical, that
> their standards are false and without real conviction. We have the courage
> of our convictions, and if we are genuine about a fairer and more just
> world, false standards of all kinds will be washed away, and more fairness
> and justice will enter the world. If one in one thousand rich or powerful
or
> wealthy people sees the justice in equality and a fairer economic system,
> that is one person we have won over. We can work with the people who wish
to
> work with us, and around the people who don't wish to work with us. But
this
> isn't about the great and the good, the comfy and the privileged, let them
> write their own manifestos if they can work their way through the lies,
> half-truths and double standards many of them are mired in. This is about
> the so-called ordinary people, the people who more often than not do hard
> and boring jobs for low pay.
>
> Importantly, if people want to attack and tackle any justice, they must
talk
> about it, openly debate it, write about it!!!! No more hush-hush or
brushed
> under the carpet, in talking and writing and debating about the class
system
> we bring it into a public forum. In challenging injustice and intolerance
in
> our very own lives, we help to challenge injustices in the whole world. A
> working class person should not be ashamed of their background, but must
> live in the knowledge that he or she has the same rights as anyone else.
> These are beliefs and ideals I have formulated over long periods of my
life,
> a life that, like many people, has had its ups and downs. I believe firmly
> that, although the world is an unjust place at best, and though injustice
> and hypocrisy and double-standards need tackling and taking on, it is
always
> in a positive sense; if a person has a class problem, or a racist problem,
> or has taken to themselves any small-minded prejudice, it is in the end
> their problem and should be left their problem. We should challenge
> injustice with justice, negative realities with positive and hopeful
> aspirations and ways of living, and in the end, perhaps surprisingly, not
> indulge in any form of class war or resentments, but find what is genuine,
a
> genuine way of life, the way of life that a sense of conviction, honesty
and
> being courageous can win. These are not idle words and they are written
with
> conviction to instil others with the same sense of worth I now have
myself.
> It is when ordinary people dare to dream that society changes; when we the
> downtrodden and poor stand up to be counted and demand a fairer slice of
the
> pie, that we win, albeit grudging, respect. But the real issue is finding
a
> better life, and a fulfilling life and making society better for all of
us,
> regardless of the class we come from, the colour of our skin, the
background
> we come from, our gender, religion or lack thereof, and so on; a society
fit
> for heroes and heroines of all kinds.
>
> We must also, as we challenge injustice and hypocrisy, learn to live
better
> and more wisely; refuse to shop in establishments that are over expensive
or
> patronising; refuse to keep someone else in wealth who isn't contributing
in
> some way to the community; think about low wage economies, think about
> justice as a broad issue. It is challenging all the injustices, the social
> injustices, the economic injustices, the great disparities of wealth
between
> the rich and poor, the allocation of all types of resources, where as in
so
> many cases, often those who have, seem to get more and more. When we
> challenge injustice, even in our own very personal lives, we challenge the
> very heart of the hypocrisy, which is a grossly unfair economic reality,
as
> much evident in the modern world as in poorer and less developed parts of
> the world. Most injustices revolve on the deeply skewed economic reality
at
> the heart of the world's system. The Bible states quite clearly: 'For the
> love of money is the root of all evil'. Isn't it curious how those who are
> often rich and powerful, in spheres such as business, the Church and
higher
> society of all kinds, claim the higher moral and religious and political
> ground as well? So, not content with having material wealth and privilege,
> they want the spiritual and philosophical power as well? How convenient!
> Much of Left politics, and it seems church and charity organisations, are
> all about a veneer of political correctness and 'goody-two-shoes'
rhetoric,
> whilst at the same time creating and upholding the divisions and
injustices
> that, circa 2004, are still dividing Britain. We should challenge wealthy
> lefties, and wealthy politically correct individuals, to see if they are
> 'true' or merely using slogans to justify their domination in other
spheres.
> How interesting that for all the charity work and the splendid words,
> Britain is almost at the bottom of the modern nations for child poverty,
> wage slavery, horrendous pensioner poverty and whole areas that lack basic
> amenities, and where people are either out of work or in low paying and
> contract-labour jobs. If we do not talk about this, and bring it into the
> public forum, the so-called liberals and 'concerned' will happily ignore
it
> all day long. How can the fourth wealthiest country in the world be so
> divided on terms of wealth?
>
> We know in our hearts that so much injustice goes on, that it is often
> impossible, is impossible, to tackle it all. Everywhere there is poverty,
> bad housing, lying and often useless politicians of all political hues,
> corruption, injustice, class-prejudice, racism, bigotry, bad public
> transport, rundown areas and a general apathy about it all. Few of us have
> escaped the apathy and the indifferences that such injustice inevitably
> brings with it. But, we are living in a new age, I would call it the age
of
> awareness; we know the workings of the world. It is a hard and unfair
place
> at its very best, but at least we are wise to this. Never before in fact
has
> their been so much knowledge available, and so much personal freedom, at
> least in the West, even if often we waste these freedoms. The freedoms
> today, the freedoms we take for granted, have been hard won; we have a
duty
> to live in ways that even our grandparents could only have dreamed about.
> Yes, it is an incredible world out there, with marvellous opportunities,
> even for working class people from poor backgrounds; I am proof of this.
We
> challenge the injustice of the whole world by, in the end, finding
> ourselves, and being ourselves. Not hiding behind a clipped accent, or a
> make-believe world, but where we face the world square in the eye,
proclaim
> who we are, and stand up and be counted. The working class kid from the
slum
> may just find a better life, who knows?
>
> A working class revolution is one where the people at the bottom are given
> first credence, and where the reality is accepted that ordinary people
shape
> and change society, not some supposed pampered elite, that does little
more
> than drain taxes and live lifestyles of ancient Chinese emperors; society
is
> for the majority of ordinary people. We should challenge unjust privilege
of
> every kind, and expect local politicians and the people claiming to
> represent us, to do just that. We should ask for accountability and think
> about local people and local issues. We working class people in the cities
> should challenge the notion that all the good jobs should go to a middle
> class elite that has little or no interest in local issues. We ourselves
> should hold out for these top jobs! We should be better, and work harder,
> and aspire to better jobs and lives ourselves. In this alone there is a
> balancing out of the great injustices that England has been party to since
> anyone can care to remember. You need education, ambition and to dream a
> little, no, to dream a lot. A good education is one of the keys. Also a
> sense of optimism, and the ability to see your life in the long-term; a
new
> life and outlook does not and will not come overnight. Then the working
> class from the wrong side of the tracks and the wrong accent, won't be in
> the wrong place, he or she will be in the right place, whoever they are,
> whatever they have been and wherever they have come from, and whatever
> poverty or hardships that entailed. Then we will see that the world was
made
> for us too, not just the worthy and genteel, that God created the whole
> world for all of us. The bell tolls for you too, and there is a place in
the
> world for every one of us.
>
> http://openlyclassist.org.uk/archsub.html
>
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> _______________________________________________
> http://www.sheffield.dissent.org.uk/
> http://wiki.sheffieldsocialforum.org.uk/G8
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>
>
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