RELEMBRAR AUBERON
Há umas semanas atrás, fui brindado com duas cartas onde era acusado de snob - facto, aliás, recorrente na minha vida. As razões eram estas: transcrevia textos em inglês, sem os traduzir; era de direita; falava em destinos turísticos para gente rica; abusava do «namedropping» e, finalmente, era elitista (seja lá o que isso for). Em suma, uma perfeita parvoíce.
A propósito do snobismo, lembrei-me de uma crónica de Auberon Waugh, que aproveito para publicar – relembrando este genial e ‘wickedly funny’ escritor e jornalista inglês.
STAND UP FOR SNOBS
A friend characterised my strong desire for greater European integration as being inspired by snobbish motives, and this seemed fair enough. The word “snob” – at any rate since its original meaning of «shoemaker» - has always been used pejoratively, and we must agree that when described an excessive regard for the peerage, or for social aggrandisement, it may have been justified as a term of abuse.
Nowadays, however, it is used in the proletarian culture to describe anyone who reads the Telegraph rather than the Sun, and in the great cultural battle between snobs and yobs we should be all proud to call ourselves snobs.
The difference between the two cultures was well illustrated on Friday night’s television, when Jeremy Paxman, on BBC2, introduced a version of University Challenge with two teams, one from the tabloid and one from the broadsheet press. My point is not that the tabloids showed themselves in a poor light. In fact both the tabloid team, led by the Mirror’s Tony Parsons, and the broadsheet team, led by our own Boris Johnson, struck me as brilliant – very quick and impressively well informed.
Then half an hour later, ITV showed a new series: Who wants to be a millionaire? This was presented by Chris Tarrant and sponsored, needless to say, by the Sun, promising up to £1 million for anyone who could answer a number of general knowledge questions correctly.
A fat, expressionless man called Jason with an unrecognisable accent was brought on and asked eight general knowledge questions of an easiness which made everybody present gasp. Refusing the ninth question, he was told he had won £16,000 and led away. Another, almost equally fat man, this time with a northern accent, was brought on and started the process again. The contrast between the two cultures could not have been plainer. We are all snobs. This is not quite the same thing as saying we must all support the common currency, only that those who don’t support it have some explaining to do.
4 January 1999
Há umas semanas atrás, fui brindado com duas cartas onde era acusado de snob - facto, aliás, recorrente na minha vida. As razões eram estas: transcrevia textos em inglês, sem os traduzir; era de direita; falava em destinos turísticos para gente rica; abusava do «namedropping» e, finalmente, era elitista (seja lá o que isso for). Em suma, uma perfeita parvoíce.
A propósito do snobismo, lembrei-me de uma crónica de Auberon Waugh, que aproveito para publicar – relembrando este genial e ‘wickedly funny’ escritor e jornalista inglês.
STAND UP FOR SNOBS
A friend characterised my strong desire for greater European integration as being inspired by snobbish motives, and this seemed fair enough. The word “snob” – at any rate since its original meaning of «shoemaker» - has always been used pejoratively, and we must agree that when described an excessive regard for the peerage, or for social aggrandisement, it may have been justified as a term of abuse.
Nowadays, however, it is used in the proletarian culture to describe anyone who reads the Telegraph rather than the Sun, and in the great cultural battle between snobs and yobs we should be all proud to call ourselves snobs.
The difference between the two cultures was well illustrated on Friday night’s television, when Jeremy Paxman, on BBC2, introduced a version of University Challenge with two teams, one from the tabloid and one from the broadsheet press. My point is not that the tabloids showed themselves in a poor light. In fact both the tabloid team, led by the Mirror’s Tony Parsons, and the broadsheet team, led by our own Boris Johnson, struck me as brilliant – very quick and impressively well informed.
Then half an hour later, ITV showed a new series: Who wants to be a millionaire? This was presented by Chris Tarrant and sponsored, needless to say, by the Sun, promising up to £1 million for anyone who could answer a number of general knowledge questions correctly.
A fat, expressionless man called Jason with an unrecognisable accent was brought on and asked eight general knowledge questions of an easiness which made everybody present gasp. Refusing the ninth question, he was told he had won £16,000 and led away. Another, almost equally fat man, this time with a northern accent, was brought on and started the process again. The contrast between the two cultures could not have been plainer. We are all snobs. This is not quite the same thing as saying we must all support the common currency, only that those who don’t support it have some explaining to do.
4 January 1999
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