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Why the private school hate?

I'm well prepared for neg rep because this seems to be a sensitive topic.

However, yesterday I was working in my college bar and two people started a conversation over the counter that baically consisted of;
"Yes, well as soon as I hear someone went to a private school I don't really like them"
"Me neither, I mean look at Sarah"
"I mean I wouldn't not be friends with them if I was already, but it would put me off them a lot, they're all so posh."

Now imagine I have a similar conversation;
"Yes, well as soon as I hear someone went to a state school I don't really like them"
"Me neither, I mean look at Sarah"
"I mean I wouldn't not be friends with them if I was already, but it would put me off them a lot, they're all so chavvy."

I wouldn't last five minutes.

I get asked what my school was all the time, and people really judge you, no matter that the top private schools are as different to the subsidised ones as grammar schools are from inner-city comprehensives. People go for all sorts of reasons (I was there on a scholarship, for example), and yes, this does involve luck, but state school does not necessarily equal 'poor'. I had friends who went on £2000 holidays every year and went to state schools. It's a matter of personal priorities in those many cases.

And even if someone does go on the basis of wealth, how can you possibly judge their personality on something as black and white as that? Assuming everyone at a private school owns a horse and knows nothing about the real world is as random as me assuming every state school pupil is a chav.

In summary;

I genuinely want to find out more about why people are so judgemental about what school you went to.

Disclaimer: I like everyone.

(edited 12 years ago)

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1

Clip

The politics of envy and Class War.

Reply 2

PonchoKid

i remember in my a level sociology class we had a girl that had come from a local private school to our comp 6th form.

my sociology teacher really wanted to send me on an exchange to the private school and bring a private girl to ours (not her choice as with the girl who chose our 6th form) id have loved it to happen, but it never did.

i was a very rowdy "bad" pupil at school so would not have fit in well...
would have been interesting though.

i guess alot of it is the class wars, as i am from a very working class background and half the time we couldnt even afford to buy food, so i cant see why people would want to pay for education (those that do) if you go on scholership then thats great, but i know a lad from our year that got a scholership at another local private school and he actually changed his personality, i used to have a laugh with him in school, and then after he went private he wouldnt even say hi in the streets... i could tell you another story of a different person the same...

so i dunno i guess it depends on the person...

Reply 3

uprising23

Original post by Clip

The politics of envy and Class War.

I would completetly agree...people are so judgemental, it's no wonder private school kids do not want to mix...but that's how people are.

Reply 4

User570431

It brings the age old comment of

"I'll earn my education whilst you buy yours"

People are divided by this. Always will be and have been. Read an Inspector Calls...the message is clear to this day.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 5

edgood93

i went to public school. boarding of course. had a bloody great time.

Reply 6

Drewski

For some it's envy, for others it's the unbearable feeling of superiority the cockier people from private schools have.

I've known guys from private schools who are great people, but I also know some who've been the most arrogant prats on earth.
Some people don't make the distinction that everyone's different and like to generalise. Such is life.

Reply 7

-Invidious-

Jealousy obviously and rightly so.

My boarding days were some of the best of my life.

Jealousy.

I think people wrongly believe that people who are privately educated automatically have everything everyone else wants - money, job prospects etc, but without the 'struggle'. Not exactly jealousy, but a sense that privately educated people are out of touch with 'normal' people.

Reply 10

EffieFlowers

Original post by uprising23

I would completetly agree...people are so judgemental, it's no wonder private school kids do not want to mix...but that's how people are.

I hate this class war, it's relevant on both sides, your comment is steeped with prejudice...

Society sets us up to be prejudice.

Reply 11

Maddog Jones

I'm a Welsh, left-wing, Labour party member and I have no problem with privately schooled people. I mean, I support the abolition of private schools in theory (meritocracy and all that, although we can't handle these 7% of pupils being put into our already overcrowded state schools atm), but I have no immediate problem with people privately educated. Just the concept of the actual warping of a supposedly meritocratic society.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 12

tammie94

Stereotyping. Just because a person went to a private school, others tend to assume that they'd be stuck up for some reason.

Reply 13

uprising23

Original post by EffieFlowers

I hate this class war, it's relevant on both sides, your comment is steeped with prejudice...

Society sets us up to be prejudice.

How am I being prejudiced?!

Reply 14

username306617

I think people stereotype a lot. They think of private school people as all up themselves, pony riding, gilet wearing, snobs.
My best friend went to private school and he couldn't be further from that stereotype. He shops in TK Maxx and Aldi and isn't that snobby at all.
Luckily I'm from Northern Ireland so I got a flipping brilliant education for free! (Well £90/year parental contribution if we're being picky :tongue:

)

Reply 15

Xyls

I think people are generally just jealous and naive to what private education actually brings. I went to private school - Didn't do so well due to a number of reasons but there is some like expectation that people at private school have there work done for them .. .. .. I certainly know from where I went to school this was not the case - (My brother went to state school).

I've noticed from uni that there are a certain type of people which have a problem with privately educated children - Do I care? No. My father worked tirelessly to be able to give me the opportunities I have had in life - And what does my dad do? No, he's not a banker, No he's not a retail genius, He tarmacs roads, and has been doing that since he was 14 years old - its nothing you need to go to university to do, you just need to be bothered to get off your ass - just as my brother is now doing. Neither of my parents have GCSES or Alevels.

There were a lot of children (well a lot for a school of 450 pupils from 3-18) at my school who were from 'poor' backgrounds who had got into school because of scholarships - These things are there for a reason, to allow children who can't afford to go the chance - Will it give you a better education? I'm hesitant to agree - You reap the rewards that you sow, If you do no effort, in either private or state you won't get anything out of it. The only thing private school does give is extra chances to do things such as travel, learn musical instruments and other things - Probably more so on the sporting front as well.

Life's a bitch - some people make it and some people don't, some people resent they didn't make it and become this little ball of jealously and anger and some people accept the situation, But I refuse to believe that if someone was in a position to they would give there children every opportunity that they could afford - Coming from a rich OR a poor background. It's extremely funny how peoples views change when there circumstances do.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 16

misst911

Somehow feels like those who can afford teachers who actually know what they're talking about are more likely to do well, get into a better university, get a better job and ultimately have more money than someone who can't afford them and are instead stuck with half their teachers having no ****ing clue about their subject.

Reply 17

A Mysterious Lord

Original post by tammie94

Stereotyping. Just because a person went to a private school, others tend to assume that they'd be stuck up for some reason.

This, basically.

Reply 18

Somerandomstudent

I think it is just prejudice everywhere is prejudice. Pejudice. Prejudice. Prejudice. There are always people who seem like they look down on other members of society and are more arrogant. That seems to be more prevelant in private schools - by perception at least. And I don't think how "posh" somebody really comes into the hatred of private schools - just a side effect. In fact, my next door neighbour goes to private school and I am publicly educated but I am willing to bet I seem more posh than her. :P

Original post by Maddog Jones

Labour party member

You really should get that problem seen to. ^^ jk

Reply 19

Historophilia

Some people do have a negative reaction to it. I've told people where I went to school and they've been surprised and said stuff like 'Oh but you're not in the least stuck up!' or 'But you aren't that rich!', as if they immediately expect all private school kids to be completely up themselves and rolling in money.

They're all just normal people, what your education was doesn't define you as a person.

There's also some kind of perception that if you go to Private school you get three A's and a place at Oxbridge handed to you on a plate. The reality is very different.