Kevin Myres on working class mindsets.

Underachievement - How many have interesting career paths?

You have peoplewith post grad qualifications working in McDolands or in Super Valu.

What is wrong with this?

There is too much job snobbery in this country.

Snobbery about house locations, colleges, schools etc.
 
Purple said:
Personally I find the whole “Working Class” and “Middle Class” tags very distasteful in a Republic.
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Yes indeed, as has been mentioned, people in a "working class job" often are wealthier than people in "middle class jobs".
Class designation is an invention of Marxism and Socialism. Before free market capitalism there were aristocratic landowners and serfs. There was no way for a serf to get a better life or become a land owner through hard work and savings.
With the dawn of free market capitalism, which no longer exists, people's status in life is purely down to what they achieve through being productive. There is no barrier to becoming reasonably wealthy. The Marxist class system is based on the idea that there is no way for someone in a "lower" class to progress into a "higher" class. And because of this the working class needs to take control and ownership of all means of production. And history has proven how well that worked out and how wrong the theory is.
 

I think this is very interesting. I have a degree and two further post grad qualifications and I now work in a restaurant. By choice. I did approximately 17 years in the corporate world, including 12 years in a prestigious and much sought after job I really disliked. I stayed due to the great money, company car, petrol, VHI, bonuses etc.

After each maternity leave, I would say I'm not coming back and I'd be tempted back. I used to dream about having a job packing bags in Tescos where you did your job, left it and forgot about it. No constantly travelling for business or getting work related calls or emails on the weekends or holidays. I now make a very respectable amount of money working set hours 3 days a week and never think about the job from when I leave it until I come back in.

It actually took a huge amount of courage for me to do this and I still get a funny reaction from friends and former colleagues who consider this a huge step down. Me - I've never been happier.

A.
 
I agree. I hate my current job. It is a bore. There is no prospects with it.

If it wound up - I would consider restaurant work.

People have funny atitudes to work and jobs.
 

I'd love to do that!
 
But it funny that some "dream jobs" are far from it.

Underachievement - might mean a job that is badly perceived but it might be ok.

There is so much job snobbery in Ireland.

Even with schools here in Cork.
 
Chris said:
With the dawn of free market capitalism, which no longer exists, people's status in life is purely down to what they achieve through being productive. There is no barrier to becoming reasonably wealthy.
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This is fiction. The real world does not fit your beautiful theories.

Check out today's Examiner article about the ESRI report, e.g. "their analysis highlights the longer term social processes that underlie poverty risks, such as low educational attainment, social background, ill health and disability, household coposition and exclusion from the labour market". We are a long, long way off an even playing field for all.
 
Wouldn't it be an excellent social experiment to place Myers living in a working class estate for a period of 3 months or so. He would of course have to interact with the locals and get involved in the community, shop in the local shops, eat in the local eateries and what ever else it would entail for him to be able to form informed opinions of what it is really like to live "on the other side". He could help out with after school clubs, gaa teams, elderly activities (will be relevant to him very soon).

I wonder would he be up for it? I would be most interested in reading his articles afterwards.
 
It would be worth it just to shut him up for three months...



Although, skilled as he is at taking the colour or his environment to heart (!) the turn of phrase might be more interesting when he returns.

The title of how new column would be 'Story? and the rest of it could be written in text speak from his mobile somewhere in Dublin 1.

A street-credible Myers - what a shocker - will complement Vinnie Brawn in "The Soup Kitchen" replacing "The Restaurant"t.

"Moore Street Traders" will replace "Dragons's Den" and "Jobsround" will replace "Newsround".

ONQ.
 
Maybe he could do an Irish 'wife swap' exercise, and have it filmed in all its glory. I'd quite like to see him taking four kids to four different schools without his land rover.

TBH, it doesn't really matter if Kevin is up for it. Could you find a working class estate/family that would be willing to take him in for 3 months? Unlikely...
 

Most of these obstacles IMO can be overcome by taking personal responsibility for your future.

Education - do an evening course, apprentice ship etc
Social Background - plenty people have come from the wrong side of the tracks have done well for themselves.
Ill Health - Reducing consumption of alcohol, giving up cigarettes and not eating prepared / take away meals regularly would significantly add to a household coffers. Again, this is a personal choice
There are other health issues obviously and I'm no expert, but if the vices I've listed above were dropped poor people would have more money to spend on investments such as books, education or a savings account.
Exclusion from the labour market - see education and social background


Disabilities IMO is very valid if you're already poor and I am all for giving people, already misfortunate enough in this situation, all the help they need.

Household Composition - way to complex for me to even offer my opinion on, except to say that a reduction in the reliance on alcohol by many people would probably help.
 
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