Notes & Queries response - Why don’t the British respect service staff or builders the way they do abroad?
This is my response to a question that appeared on the Notes & Queries page of The Guardian website on the 5th March, 2023. The Guardian is apparently no longer happy to host my comments on their site, so it is appearing here instead. This blog is obviously not affiliated with The Guardian. Its reference to a question that appeared in Notes & Queries is presented here under the terms of fair use. ~ Why don’t the British respect service staff or builders the way they do abroad? image generated by Craiyon To properly answer this question, we must assume the mantle of a profession that could be thought of as antithetical to that of the builder; one that concerns itself predominately with ruins and fragments. I speak of archaeology. In common with these antiquarians of the field, we too must get down on our knees and grub about in the dirt. Our goal is to root out the foundation of the enmity that is commonly expressed by the English for their labouring classes. One point of origin...