The Brits, Class and The Visit

Having spent time in and out of Britain it is clear what "class" means. The British system is class based and in many ways it exceeds any of the characteristics of the Indian caste system. It starts with heritage, who was your family, then moves to education, profession, accent etc. One can almost place a person by the accent alone. The Brits can then align themselves according to where their culture places them. Mobility in the system is almost impossible, since the long line of ancestors often dominates.

The Brits have looked down upon their captive folks, the Empire residents, from the Irish and Indians to the Jamaicans and others. One just need to read de Tocqueville's text on his Irish visit to see this in action. Now it is thus reasonable that a par venue from Queens, New York, the town's name is the utter irony in this case, would cause such a disruption. Coming from Staten Island, before the bridge, I am a New Yorker, but at a time that we could have easily been considered someone from Nebraska! But Queens, the borough that exploded after WW II and is now more ethnically complex than any place in the world, well that is a stretch!

Now along comes a NY Times piece that tells us all of the Brits. The author notes:

When President Trump visits Britain this week, many people here will want to remind him — and the rest of the world — just how nauseating we think he is. He’s new money. He’s perma-tanned. He’s a former reality TV star. He’s American. He’s everything the British, snobs that we are, love to hate. And that’s before we even get started on his ghastly politics.When it comes to making people feel that they don’t belong, nobody does it better than us. America may be the most powerful nation on earth, but Britain is still the snootiest.

This Brit exemplifies what we across the pond who have been exposed to them truly recognize. Now leaving the person targeted aside, they are this way all the time. From the taxi driver to the desk clerk to the museum ticket taker. I had a spare moment once and though I would walk through the museum at Buckingham Palace. resenting my ID the response was negative, a double negative, an Irish name on a US Passport! I was truly beneath contempt! Oh yes, just a reminder, in WW I the US troops had no winter coats so that they got them from the Brits. The Irish from the US then promptly tore off all the buttons which were emblems of the Crown! The coats flapped but we won the War. The author above just reinforces the reason to keep visits to Britain brief!

It will be interesting to see their response. Balloon and all.