Long ago, back when the snow was falling and everyone was going stir-crazy huddling in their homes to avoid yet another awful Chicago winter, I had a post about the book How to Lose Friends and Alienate People by Toby Young.
I said that I would post some passages from the book, and I have no good reason why it took me this long. Actually, I have a few excerpts I'd like to share from this enjoyable book, so I'll start with this one, which is quite a brave statement:
"It was at this point, I'm ashamed to say, that I began to miss the English class system. I yearned for the social safety net that was provided by my membership in the educated bourgeoisie back home. In London, thanks to my BBC accent and the fact that I'd been to Oxford and Cambridge, I could still look forward to being treated with some respect even though my career was in the toilet--or rather, the loo. Thanks to my class background, I had an identity that wasn't affected by how well or badly I was doing. My social standing was independent of my professional status."
How many people would admit, publically, that they enjoy being part of an elite group in society? Those kinds of people are considered snobs, especially from the point of view of, like, 90% of the world. Yet here he was, saying, "I was born into priviledge, and by golly, I like it."
In case you're thinking he's some oblivious, self-righteous jerk, he's not. You've gotta read the book to see why he came to this conclusion.
Next: why he thinks New Yorkers make aristocrats seem common.
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