Council esate folk being praised for making something of themselves - What do we think of this?

[DrNortherner]

Spent the first 18 years of my life on a council estate, went to the local sink comp and have done alright for myself.

Cheryl Cole gets prasie for having acheived so much, and she grew up on an estate.

How do we feel about this praise?

Yes I grew up on a tough estate but my parents were excellent role models, good people with morals and a hard work ethcic which was passed to me.

Discuss

Quite 2shoes

ND I agree- although I have noticed that on Mum's estate the big problems are from famillies in private rented houses on the estates, ex council homes. I do think lack of long term security of tenure causes big differences in pride.

Whereas, Mum's garden is a show rose garden (or alomost LOL), they grow their own veg and the people their age are fab at keeping an eye on each other when needed.

it might be different elsewhere anyway but where I hail from (expensive rural SW county) 'council estates' as such don;t exist any mroe anyway: it's mostly now owner occupied ex-council houses with a fair smattering to BTL properties and a few old council houses bunged in for good measure.

AMumInScotland - I would agree - the problem is that many people don't aspire to ANYTHING at all. Because 'what's the point'. And that's where someone like Cheryl Cole COULD be helpful, because she HAS moved out of one social situation into another.

I'm sure teenage pregnancies are sometimes because it gives the girl some validation in life - I've seen friends of family who've had babies at 15, and suddenly they 'matter' in life because they're a mum. But they should be able to value themselves anyway, and have aspirations.

I'm not putting that very well - I just mean that I think there are areas where aspiration has been lost, through despair and giving up, and the more examples there are of people who have achieved social mobility the better. And I would prefer those to be doctors etc, but EVERY example is helpful.