Named and Shamed! Britain's jobless ghettos...

thescouselander

ILW wrote: »

Why is it that Scousers bang on endlessly about what a brilliant place Liverpool is, and then move to Surrey as soon as they make a few quid?

Well I wouldn't know anything about living in Surrey but Liverpool is a good city in some respects - its just the job prospects are poor. I'd have stayed if there were any decent jobs available.

StevieJ

thescouselander wrote: »

Well I wouldn't know anything about living in Surrey but Liverpool is a good city in some respects - its just the job prospects are poor. I'd have stayed if there were any decent jobs available.

You could always commute to Manchester

ruggedtoast

There was an interesting sociological longitudinal study conducted in the 70's. It followed working class boys from school to the factory they were always going to work in after leaving education at 15.

In school the researchers said the kids were cocky, prone to disobey and dislike authority, particularly conspicuously middle class authority like teachers, and made a significant virtue out of evading work. Even if this got them into trouble or ended up being more effort than just doing what they were told.

To the researchers surprise they were just the same in the factory, except the foremen then took on the role of the teachers. Although they weren't as lippy to the foreman as they were to the teachers, they did pretty much anything possible to avoid doing what they were told; immediately sitting down and rolling cigarettes as soon as their boss was out of sight. All the while looking furtively around or enacting pointless tasks that they thought made them look busy.

At one point at the end of the study, one of the researchers recounted asking them if they were having a good time, they were skiving, hiding in some part of the factory avoiding doing their jobs. They thought about it for a bit and reported that they were very, very bored and felt stressed avoiding their boss.

The study hypothesised that a lot of their motivation was generated by a feeling of resentful rebellion and "getting one over". The inevitability of failure and exploitation by "them" was so ingrained that they would avoid do anything to the utter worst of theri ability, whether it was learning an 8 times table or putting sheet metal through a press.

I think this is still a problem in a lot of society in the UK. People are both rebellious, but also completely institutionalised.

michaels

Souf of the river? I once had this problem at Peckham Queens Road.

Generali wrote: »

That's not to say it's easy to do as living in the nastier bits of London creates a lot of problems that don't apply to some of the other areas let alone the leafy suburbs:I was once late for work because my local station was closed as a drug dealer had been shot outside it for example.

Generali

michaels wrote: »

Souf of the river? I once had this problem at Peckham Queens Road.

It was south of the water but in West Norwood, not Peckham.

I used to work for a bloke that reckoned that the riverside appartments on the South bank of the Thames should go for more than those on the North. The reason? The ones to the South got to look at North London whereas those on the North bank had to look at South London!

Then again he was a bloody Gooner so belonged in Woolwich anyway.:D

chucknorris

HAMISH_MCTAVISH wrote: »

It's almost like a top ten list of Britain's Cheapest Housing.....

Gee, I wonder if there is a connection?

With the notable exception of Hackney of course

StevieJ

michaels wrote: »

Souf of the river? I once had this problem at Peckham Queens Road.

Is they you Del?

StevieJ

Generali wrote: »

It was south of the water but in West Norwood, not Peckham.

I used to work for a bloke that reckoned that the riverside appartments on the South bank of the Thames should go for more than those on the North. The reason? The ones to the South got to look at North London whereas those on the North bank had to look at South London!

Then again he was a bloody Gooner so belonged in Woolwich anyway.:D

That is an interesting one, when does east become north?

marklv

amcluesent wrote: »

Or Britain's most staunch Labour supporters. Surely they didn't vote Clown for the benefits feather-bed?

NB. 3-bed in Merthyr for £22k - HMO opportunity I'd say...

You'll spend £100k in making it suitable for human habitation.

marklv

ruggedtoast wrote: »

There was an interesting sociological longitudinal study conducted in the 70's. It followed working class boys from school to the factory they were always going to work in after leaving education at 15.

In school the researchers said the kids were cocky, prone to disobey and dislike authority, particularly conspicuously middle class authority like teachers, and made a significant virtue out of evading work. Even if this got them into trouble or ended up being more effort than just doing what they were told.

To the researchers surprise they were just the same in the factory, except the foremen then took on the role of the teachers. Although they weren't as lippy to the foreman as they were to the teachers, they did pretty much anything possible to avoid doing what they were told; immediately sitting down and rolling cigarettes as soon as their boss was out of sight. All the while looking furtively around or enacting pointless tasks that they thought made them look busy.

At one point at the end of the study, one of the researchers recounted asking them if they were having a good time, they were skiving, hiding in some part of the factory avoiding doing their jobs. They thought about it for a bit and reported that they were very, very bored and felt stressed avoiding their boss.

The study hypothesised that a lot of their motivation was generated by a feeling of resentful rebellion and "getting one over". The inevitability of failure and exploitation by "them" was so ingrained that they would avoid do anything to the utter worst of theri ability, whether it was learning an 8 times table or putting sheet metal through a press.

I think this is still a problem in a lot of society in the UK. People are both rebellious, but also completely institutionalised.

This is all about British working class culture: lack of ambition, anger at 'the system', aggression towards those in authority, self-destructive behaviour (eg. excessive drinking and smoking). It's not that different in other countries, though the class conflict is not as great.