posted
Some questionable entries, there. The one that caught my eye was "#67 Standing Still at Concerts". Surely the mosh pit is a white thing? Concert crowds don't get much whiter than at metal, hardcore punk or heavy rock gigs and that's where everyone hammers down the front and starts beating the crap out of each other.
Posts: 13758
| IP: Logged
quote:So why would white people spend all that time studying and working to get into college if they are just going to read books that they might have read in their free time? Because white people have it made. They can take that degree and easily parlay it into a non profit job, an art gallery job, or work in publishing. If the pay is low, no problem, their parents will happily help out with rent until they magically start making six figures or non-magically turn 40.
posted
Personally, I've never once been to a predominantly black audience concert, so I've no idea if the whole evening is one non-stop dance marathon or something.
Much as I love a good mosh pit, it's usually only a very small area in a concert hall and most people are elsewhere and standing still, occasionally clapping or pressing buttons on their mobile phone cameras.
Posts: 8467
| IP: Logged
posted
OK, I should stop reading now. That list is starting to annoy me now, in much the same way as the 'Craptowns' website.
quote:If you want to understand white people, you need to understand indie music. As mentioned before, white people hate anything that’s “mainstream”
Does this mean non-whites are responsible for the rise of Michael Bolton, The Spice Girls, Take That, David Gray, Dido, Sting, and a bajillion other crimes against music?
Posts: 13758
| IP: Logged
quote:Originally posted by dang65: Much as I love a good mosh pit, it's usually only a very small area in a concert hall and most people are elsewhere and standing still, occasionally clapping or pressing buttons on their mobile phone cameras.
I dunno. The last two gigs I went to - The Wildhearts and then The Dropkick Murphys - seemed to have the whole place bouncing up and down. The actual fist-flying, shoving and falling moshpit was a small percentage of the venue, but most people seemed to be pogoing.
Posts: 13758
| IP: Logged
Louche
Carved TMO on her clit just to make you feel bad
posted
At a gig in Berlin once I got told off for talking during a ballad. I wonder what that says about the Germans?
I'm not reading the list. I am having anger management issues as it is.
Posts: 5776
| IP: Logged
posted
You should totally read it. If you read it all I'll come up to Manchester and buy you a pint.
Bits of it are good, but like a lot of these 'collective' projects the quality is wildly varied and some things only seem to have been added because the writer wanted to be involved. Entries like 'Wes Anderson Movies' and 'Michael Gondry' make me think that the particular contributor just wanted to lash out against hipsters but didn't have an appropriate website. I bet if each of us went round the office and people if they liked Michael Gondry, about 90% of the answers would be "What's a Michael Gondry?"
eta: actually it seems to be just one guy. So there's no excuse.
Louche
Carved TMO on her clit just to make you feel bad
posted
You owe me a pint. And I'm only drinking vodka and slimline tonic at the moment, so it could be expensive.
It's not really about race, is it, it's about class? It's people gently lampooning the middle classes. Which is fair play, really, I'm always up for the lampooning of the middle classes. But dressing it up as a cultural divide between white and other than white is a bit silly. Praps.
Maybe it speaks volumes about the class divide in Merica and the percentage of white people inhabiting the top end of it. Actually, it probably does.
Posts: 5776
| IP: Logged
quote:Originally posted by Thorn Davis: I bet if each of us went round the office and people if they liked Michael Gondry, about 90% of the answers would be "What's a Michael Gondry?"
Perhaps because his name is Michel Gondry. Or do you always anglicise the names of the French, e.g. Frank Mitterrand, Jack Chirac?
I'm so pleased you found this. This is my favourite man in despair pic ever and I've been trying to find it for yonks. On posting, Benway actually had to consider taking it down because it was really traumatic.
quote:Originally posted by Louche: It's not really about race, is it, it's about class? It's people gently lampooning the middle classes. Which is fair play, really, I'm always up for the lampooning of the middle classes. But dressing it up as a cultural divide between white and other than white is a bit silly. Praps.
That's probably very true. It's also probably the middle classes that are enjoying that blog for the most part. They should add, "Enjoy being parodied" to the list.
I have a middle class crisis myself at the moment. My 11-year-old has managed to get the offer of a place at an independent (fee paying) school. I've never been that keen on them myself, having spent a couple of years at one myself before begging to be moved to a comprehensive. The public school was, frankly, shit. But the one he's got into strikes me as ideal for him. It's not all flash and hothouse results obsessed, but is just a very small school which appears to be focussed on subjects which my son is keen on etc. I'd really like to send him there.
Of course, this has started a "debate" amongst a couple of friends about how "only the rich can afford public schools" and how the divide between the wealthy and the poor is widening in this country and how that's almost entirely down to education. They believe that if all "rich" people (i.e. anyone that isn't living in poverty) were forced to send their children to state schools then they would soon ensure that those schools came up to standard.
This may well be true, but it's not likely to happen and, in the meantime, the middle classes who do have some income are free to decide how we spend it - whether it be on foreign holidays, new cars, private gyms, big houses or private education.
For us to send one child to public school will mean a big upheaval. We'll have to move to a much smaller house, cut corners on shopping, holidays and pretty much any luxuries. But the fact remains that we are privileged to be in a position where we can even do that.
We've left the choice to the boy, of course. The whole idea of getting him to sit entrance exams was so that he would have a choice, if he got in. It's up to him whether he stays with his mates from primary school and walks to school every day, or whether he takes the opportunity to go to a school which I think is far more suited to his style and travels on the special public school bus every day etc. He's got about a week to think about it.
I think he'll do fine at the comprehensive. I know people who have far more disposable income than us who are sending their kids to the state school for political reasons (so they say). More like so they can go on two foreign holidays every year I reckon.
But, yeah, this stuff is a fucking minefield for the middle classes, especially the more socialist inclined ones. And you have to ask how we've got into that position where we're constantly paranoid about how the rest of society will view us. Does the rest of society give a fuck how the middle classes see them? And does the rest of society actually give a fuck what the middle classes get up to, or are we just completely paranoid for no reason?
Posts: 8467
| IP: Logged
Louche
Carved TMO on her clit just to make you feel bad
posted
That picture makes me want to ring my Mum up and see what she's forgotten this week.
Posts: 5776
| IP: Logged
This is a great idea. If it doesn't work out, and when the rest of the family is simmering with resentment at having to give up all their luxuries you can just shrug your shoulders and go "It wasn't my fault. It was his."
Posts: 13758
| IP: Logged
quote:Originally posted by dang65: For us to send one child to public school will mean a big upheaval. We'll have to move to a much smaller house, cut corners on shopping, holidays and pretty much any luxuries. But the fact remains that we are privileged to be in a position where we can even do that.
Dang, I think you should do the best for your kid, but seriously, is selling a house, cutting your budget of all aspects of life really a privelege? because that sounds like you can't afford to send him, but could if it impacts everyone else. I've been twatting on about about buying a sofa recently and buying a sofa shouldn't be some kind of serious commitment. But for me, it is. Especially as I want to spunk my wad on an expensive sofa. I mean, I could probably afford lots of things in this manner, if I ate beans and sat alone in the cold, but that's not right is it? That means the 11 year old gets to be brought up on luxuries and the youngest doesn't get them. He could end up like Froopy's brother, man.
[ 28.02.2008, 08:11: Message edited by: New Way Of Decay ]
posted
I'm imagining the other childer might be just a teensy bit resentful. Like not only having some shitty comp education, but also getting no holidays or coats.
I'm never totally convinced by the 'well, we can afford it so why not' argument. It's a slippery slope that starts with getting a cleaner, and ends with running over pedigree kittens in a 4x4, encrusted with diamonds hand-hewn from rocks by blind slaves.
posted
Yeah, one of my best friends is like that. I love her to pieces, especially if those pieces include her tits, and her waist... but... you know. At university she was all Doc Martens and big skirts, handing out leaflets of unethical companies, really prepared to suffer for her social views: she even listened to The Levellers. then she got a job with Citi-bank. Couple of years ago she got a cleaner. Justified it by saying "well, she should be grateful we're giving her a job." Then they bought a house in East Dulwich, renting out their London Bridge flat. Two properties. A land baron. She used to rant against private schools like nothing I'd ever heard. Now you can tell she's already begun the process of squaring it away. Lot of blacks in nearby Camberwell. Maybe if the local comprehensives were better then they wouldn't need to send their kids to private school. Anyway it's their money.
Posts: 13758
| IP: Logged
quote:Originally posted by herbs: It's a slippery slope that starts with getting a cleaner, and ends with running over pedigree kittens in a 4x4, encrusted with diamonds hand-hewn from rocks by blind slaves.
Oh now that's just silly. Dang's kittens aren't pedigree.
-------------------- Give 'em .0139 fathoms and they'll take 80 chains. Posts: 3201
| IP: Logged
posted
Of course, when I send my kid to the local comp it won't be because I'm making some statement about local equality, but more because daddy needs the money for his home cinema and music room.
Posts: 13758
| IP: Logged
posted
Interesting how posts here have picked up on the fact that we'd be missing out on luxuries and impacting family life by doing this.
The arguments from my friends are that it's unfair that we even have the option to do that.
Nah, I don't think the others would be bothered because a) a big house is meaningless to them and b) they'll each get their opportunity when the time comes. Our 17-year-old didn't get offered a place at any independent schools, so it wasn't an issue. The opportunity was there if he wanted to take it.
I reckon the family would be just as happy in a much smaller house (or just as miserable, whatever). We don't take foreign holidays anyway, and we could switch to budget food shopping without too much impact. There's always corners to cut.
posted
But more seriously, and I admit I'm incapable of offering an opinion here without my personal experience coming to bear, I think the discussion about a private school (ugh. terminology! private=yank speak for what you the parents need to pay extra for; public=what is free apart from all the taxes you already pay) really has to consider making opportunities equally available to each of the children in turn. I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with making certain lifestyle adjustments in order to make tuition payments possible, but I don't think it's a reasonable trade to make those lifestyle adjustments for just one child. If you could make the numbers work so that your cost trimming measures will free up enough money to afford private tuition (or its equivalent, perhaps, in an investment vehicle of some kind, should other children not choose the pay school route), then it would seem to me to be a fair deal. Otherwise, as NWOD indicated, it would be asking the other children unfairly to accept a lose-lose scenario under which they would have to bear lifestyle sacrifices and then not be afforded the same educational opportunities as the 'golden child'.
nb. i would have used paragraph breaks but they were all used up by my older brother.
-------------------- Give 'em .0139 fathoms and they'll take 80 chains. Posts: 3201
| IP: Logged
posted
I understand all that, but the children are all given plenty of warning before the move to secondary school. They can have extra tuition and we'll do practice papers with them etc. So far, one has been offered a place and one wasn't. I don't think there's any grounds for a grudge there. There has to be an element of the child working hard for his place, and it is quite difficult to get into these schools. It's not just a case of waving cash at them.
Posts: 8467
| IP: Logged
Louche
Carved TMO on her clit just to make you feel bad
posted
I am frighteningly like the woman that Thorn has described.
Posts: 5776
| IP: Logged
posted
Will the other children really get their chance, dang? I can't remember the age gaps, but if it's less than five years until the next one goes up, then essentially you'll be doubling the expenses won't you? Or do you get a discount when you enrol two or more kids?
posted
I think sometimes that hiring a cleaner would be alright in practise, you know, tidy place, but then in principle, the idea of playing somebody to clean up after me... it's just not good. I'd want to be there, apologising for everything, cleaning everything up before she turned up, and then still feeling ill on her behalf as she has to come to my house and look after it/me because I can't be assed.
Private school though... I don't know. I suppose I don't care right now. I haven't thought about that much, other than to generally assume that I probably wouldn't be able to afford it, and that it would turn my children into *****. I suppose you could say that it's a **** 's world, so they're best off being ***** really. And ***** rarely know they are *****, so perhaps they'd be happy. But, I don't know. I didn't go to private school, and I loathed education. Maybe kids in private schools are happier. But - arrrgh! What if they come out all fucking...you know...fucking...twatty. And want to live in that area of society where they're all dickheads and fuck-knuckles, fucking...with their accents and their cottages and their fucking....house and garden magazine...and... basically all like sandy fucking toskvig or whatever her name is... Living in a cuntbubble, being so obviously an unbearable bastard, but having no clue, ever, and really believing - knowing - that they are right, all the time. Geh.
[ 28.02.2008, 09:30: Message edited by: Dr. Benway ]
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
Printer-friendly view of this topic