to find some people attitudes, such as "i work hard i deserve it" really sickening

[carriedababi]

was reading some magazine in the dentist, there was a woman from dragons den iin the mag.
saying how she had a wardrode worth 3 million.

and she went onto say well i work hard for it.
so ideserve it.
and something todo with she sees her expensive clothes as a symbol of how sucessful she is.

really made me feel sick, how a horrible nasty attitude to have in life.

i'm sure even if i was a millionaire, i would not be proud about spending that much on clothes.

i don't know its just the arrogant im entitled to this that got me.
and dont they think people how have less also work hard. probably alot of them work alot harder

what do you think

If people want to work extremely hard, that is their choice. I have friends who work incredibly hard. They have lots of work status, responsibility and some of them earn a great deal of money. Of course, there is a downside, which is they are often away from home for extended periods and they rarely see their children on a weekday. It's very hard to get a good work-life balance when you work a lot...

I've been up since 5:30, working, so that I can spend some time with the DDs today. It's called running your own business :o

I wouldn't change it though, I love my job

Georgie : I don't really hope that - it was a light-hearted comment. What I meant was she makes me feel utterly inadequate. I work hard, twelve hours days, and feel drained, and I don't work as hard as that. Maybe I need some vitamins but just reading her post made me want to go and lie down.

I mean twelve hours days plus children, house work etc.

I suppose iy all comes down to whether your underlying political beliefs are Conservative - hard work, small government, pay/reward determined by the market, and tolerance of vast difference between the richest and poorest.

UK has one of the biggest differences between rich and poor. Sweden on the other hand has a much narrower gap. This is associated with left-wing socialist thinkers (and sometimes the Labour party), who look to promote equality and social cohesion, and redistribution of wealth.

I suppose anyone of any view can condemn or support conspicuous consumption (I think it's a bit tacky) but the conditions in which the wealthy few can extend a huge gap over the working population is a triumph of right wing individualism.

Unfortunately Labour didn't promote social mobility and they spent an awful lot of money not promoting it, I think. I don't think you're saying Labour don't believe in hard work, which is what it looks like a bit. Labour expanded the dependent state, which did nothing for mobility and an enormous amount to generate resentment among working people and thus social division.

No, I'm saying that New Labour was a right wing party: it was "relaxed" about people getting obscenely rich, it promoted individualism (and victim blaming) and it's vaunted "redistribution" policies did no such thing and barely, if at all, covered the rapidly growing inequality which occurred in the New Labour years.

Despite the great enjoyment people get from catcalling at the Tories, this is a deeply rightwing country.

YABU. if people work hard and can afford stuff what is the harm in it? if they didnt buy then the economy would be a whole lot worse than it already is. If you were to say it annoys you when people say they work hard, buy but cannot afford then get into debt and moan about it then YANBU.

I don't think it is, actually. It's been made that way. It might be conservative with a small c though, and there is a long history of working class Conservativism.

I don't know that old Labour would have made a vast difference to social mobility. Labour think social equality is achieved by welfare and charity . Prescott was old Labour and he thoroughly enjoyed the fruits of power. As was Scargill, betraying the miners then and now.

scaevola That's a really interesting viewpoint. I spend a lot of time looking at American politics and as a result, I'm always grateful for how left-wing our country is. Free healthcare, a benefits system that could really work well, were it applied properly and great personal freedom.

To the OP - yup, YABU. Work hard, pay your taxes, treat others with respect and spend your money one whatever you like. The only problem seems to be when those of us without all that money start thinking that conspicuous consumption could possible make us happy.

Old Labour believed in class politics, not individual politics. So it wasn't about giving ladders to the individual nor was there victim blaming. It was about helping the working class as a whole - a sort of "all for one, one for all" approach and a belief that society was better when everyone's conditions improved.

We are currently in a much more individualistic phase - and this thread offers plenty of evidence that many people like, indeed prefer, this approach.

It is inherently right wing and Tory - though the label is repudiated or substituted frequently (it is deeply unfashionable to admit to right wing beliefs, and people will go to great lengths to get round this). The acceptance of individualistic rather than class based politics is entrenchment of a right wing approach, and the denial of class originates in Thatcherism.

Blue Labour, wasn't it? I think that rather than spending lots on not achieving social mobility, they were investing lots in some ways in the next couple of generations. It will be interesting in 50 years to see how it is all untangled, and if anyone did benefit. Social mobility is a long game.

Proon, not quite Blue Labour. Solid, working class, Daily Express. I must disagree with you about the rest. Education - billions was spent but mainly driven by an education philosophy that loathed and wanted to destroy the idea and possibility of an elite. As for investing in the future - future generations will pay for years and years for mistakes they made.

I must admit I think of the UK as essentially Left wing, in terms of no one questioning the rightness of the NHS, the principles of welfare and free education and so on.

Albert, I began to read your post with interest but then you began to use meaningless guff like 'skillset', 'Contextual Value Added' and 'resilience skills and it all began to blur into one. You do sound like your work very hard.It's a shame you aren't able to convey what you do in jargon free English.

As Blue says, some home educating for a few hours a week can make a huge difference and address the appalling gaps in knowledge left by our current educational system.

I also said most teachers don't have a clue what hard work means-certainly not all.
Coming from a family of teachers, growing up as the child of a headmaster and then school inspector and having been involved professionally with a wide range of teachers for 16 years, I speak with a clear understanding of what it entails. I am also a researcher into evidence based education.

Havin said that, I also know some dazzlingly good teachers who blow your socks off with the energy and commitment and passion for imparting their subject. Teaching is without doubt the most important job in the worls and it should not have been dumbed down as it has been, crowded out with pointless paperwork and become the preserve of the many second rate individuals it attracts.

It's not good enough for my children and it isn't good enough for yours.

I have cited this book many times on MN and cannot recommend it highly enough.It will shake you to the core.

what is wrong with the word "skills" or even heaven forfend "abilities"

sooon they will be getting down with the kids and calling it skillage

that is jokes man

for other old-fashioned types that is what my teenage son says when he finds something rather droll

skillz t tichaz

(as part of whatever bloody toolset/framework/Q set is all the rage this season.)

Don't forget my absolute favourite-beloved of vast swathes of public sector worker.

'reflective practice'

Here's a novel idea. Howzabout a bit less reflection and a bit more action?

Moondog I have just had a 'Nam flashback with your mention of 'reflective practice'. Always thought it was a good way for the teacher trainers to fill a third of a session.

It is amusing terrifying to talk with newly trained nurses about the emphasis placed on 'reflctive practice' on their courses and in their first few years.

Talk about Nero fiddling while Rome burns.

I resist constant urge to bellow
'It's not about us. It's about the people we are paid to serve.'

If you like your work then it's not difficult to spend a lot of time on it. However most of us also balance it with time with those whom we love too. I have very often stopped work because I'm tired when other people might carry on. I think one of my strengths is being able to look after myself, being able to say no, whether to children or work because I want to have some time to myself. I need a lot of time alone and in silence and now I'm older and my chidlren are older I'm able to procure that. Also if you work 7 days a week which in effect I do then it makes the 7 days less difficult and if the work is as fun as scrubbing the floor or wiping the baby's bottom then there's no problem with it.

For 17 years I have been availble to the children when I'm working here at home. That is much easier than when you work for a boss with no power or money and a long way away. SOmetimes it is harder than others. Within 24 hours of getting back from holiday I might have wanted to be unpacking but I was on a flight to Lagos for work this summer and I am often busiest when the children are busiest and at school with lots on and then we'll all be less busy when they don't need me as much but I've been managing children's needs and mine and work for 27 years so I have got the hang of it by now.

Those who are against jargon should read Lucy Kellaway's columns in the FT. She quoted my quote to her a few weeks ago. I found an awful piece suggesting the new head of a supermarket was going to "love" and embrace the workers in the stores. Very funny. I suggested it might take him rather a long time to get round to cuddling the whole work force.

scaevola i think there's a lot in what you say and that Britain is essentially pretty right wing and becoming more so all the time, certainly if you compare with most of continental Europe. The big exception is health care, In most other countries people expect to have to pay something for doctors etc albeit with help from the state as well. Social inequality is much higher in the UK than in most of Europe and becoming more so, to my mind this is largely due to popularity of private schooling for those who can scrape together the money, which does more to promote social inequality than anything else.