Upon reading “Chavs: The Demonization of the Working Class” by Owen Jones I have been left more aware of the British political climate that has left many working class people neglected, stagnate, fractured and misled by an establishment that has worked on catering to the interests of society’s wealthier people. This is one side of the coin. The working classes may stigmatise and upset the middle and upper classes as much as they are done so by them. There is always a certain element of personal responsibility and being able to behave well is something anyone should be very concerned with. The NHS is a great resource and body of guidance for all members of our society. The police uphold justice and control misbehaviour in society in the interests of all people. We have world-class universities and a curriculum for excellence that anyone can be a part of with the right support available and the ability to achieve. Whilst certain socioeconomic and demographic conditions are more favourable to wealthier people, if we more effectively facilitate social mobility then with greater representation in the upper echelons of society from those who have come from poorer circumstances, we may be able to find more effective ways of tackling poverty, helping equality and fairness, and tackling social problems that result from a lack of these, whilst not upsetting the moral interests of those already in well-established positions. To better understand this possibility we should look more closely at the current state of the working class and how well-being, common tongue and political integrity can go a long way in helping our society.
There is a stereotype that the working class are feckless, job-shy and lazy. Through the media we have seen caricatures of working class people described by the word “chav”. Benefit fraud can often make the headlines, but figures show that tax evasion costs the taxpayer much more. From the collapse of the unions and from having underrepresentation in society, a number of working class people have directed their dissatisfaction and disempowerment to racial hate, which parties such as the BNP have tried to capitalise on. These are superficial perceptions of the working class. Many good people labour tirelessly every day to make an honest living, and yet for all their great work they may struggle to find secure housing. Some jobs which are pivotal to the functioning of society are paid poorly and some job placements can be so insecure and have bad work conditions such that the health of many working class people greatly suffers through the stress caused. When bright working class children grow up in an environment of poorer health, cannot afford anything but state schools, are stigmatised by the media and society, and lack any real political voice or representation, is it any wonder that they incline more to poorer behaviours and may show stigma back to wealthier members of society? Margaret Thatcher’s idea was that we should all aspire to be middle class, and whilst we now have more middle class citizens, for those left behind working class is no longer something to be proud of. We may be a long way from eliminating poverty, but some honest politics would go a long way in helping the problems of working class and give our country greater political dignity.
Mutual understanding is key. Poorer and wealthier members of society tend to speak with different dialects, using different vocabulary and frowning at contrasting usages of language. To see a smooth integration and cooperation between the classes in all facets of society, adhering to a more universal standard of grammar would greatly help communication, empathy and class perceptions that result from stereotypes. There is also a great deal to be said for supporting poorer members of society who are suffering from a lack of well-being. When mental health issues are added to strong class associations in people then it causes greater friction between the classes and within their own class. If we more generally focus on helping the well-being of others then we should witness better social mobility and a greater drive to improve the poorer social conditions of some people. As mentioned, my key idea lies in facilitating fair social mobility such that the previously poor can better connect with everyone else and vice-versa. Socialist policies have a role in addressing poverty and helping equality, but the capitalism in our system is effective in many respects, and so I would advise a more centrist politics that can work well with our current establishment and adequately cater to all members of society, whilst having a reasonable grip on moderating gross wealth that is accumulated at the expense of widespread poverty.
There can never be too much focus on mental health and well-being and greater knowledge in these areas informs every aspect of society. By increasing our efforts in these fields we can treat both brighter individuals who are struggling and help general standards of behaviour that are in the interest of everyone. If mental health is to be learned and imitated from other members of society, then surely if we witness greater mental health from the working classes we would see a knock-on effect to those around them. With greater communication and guidance from the upper classes, and with the hope the future of science promises to bring, the idea of the classes all functioning to their capacity might be very close to reality. At best, science promises an era of post-scarcity and transhumanism which would serve to solve many of humanity’s most heartfelt needs. To these ends: an era of great science, a society of great mental health and linguistic development, where class barriers and negative labels that hold people down become a thing of the past, and where honest political guidance and representation functions as it should, a great focus must surely be on international states of affairs.
Humanity escaped the cold-war unscathed, but recent developments are giving some worrying signs. Russia’s poisoning of an ex-spy as it would seem to have been the case was a misaction from them that followed previous misactions. There has certainly been an enduring tension between Russia and the West and both parties need to reassess their responsibility in enduring frictions and how we can be done with any conflict that threatens to pull as back; forgetting opportunism and wisely coming together in good faith so as to set out sensible addresses that we can all be satisfied with, and then we can walk into our great future with no hard feelings and a cooperation which trumps competition for everyone. A positive psychology is the result of our deeds and a good environment that we live by and thrive with. A nation’s representative is a cue of mental status to the people and any influential societal action does so by having a consequential effect on the people. For when a people is led poorly by a society, they incline to poor information to its leaders. It is in this cycle that good leadership must make itself known and that we absolve each society from past guilts which left asserted are forcing retaliation through a pride all of our societies have come to earn and value in themselves, and from leaders who have earned their place through the ability to do well. This could be termed the international dream.
Our last focus should be the war on terror. Terrorism is inexcusable and in any society, no matter how great, there may always be those who fall by the wayside and want to do terrible for everyone. The theists who belong to the Islamic extremism are the main perpetrators in the modern day. These Islamists feel betrayed by the world and are directing their anger in the most evil ways. The West has certainly done some degree of injustice to the Middle East in the past and racial attitudes of Islamic hate are isolating these minorities more. Theists need to learn that our historical doctrines must be conflated with modern knowledge, and atheists need to acknowledge their nonsense, disorder and defiance. In an enlightened theism we could come together: finding common ground with regards to spiritual and mystical matters such that we can incorporate the past and together innovate the future. In this way, where we stay open-minded and impartially work with the deeper fundamentals and structured complexities in reality there will be no need to assert God’s message in extreme ways or disregard God in unreasonable ways. With classism obsolete, greater mental health and inter-societal cooperation, and with the threat of terror practically solved, our future would look both incredibly promising and incredibly secure. All this can be termed my human dream.
