Comments on: Lucy Mangan and The Sickening hypocrisy of elite condescension

By: simon kane

simon kane — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 18:07:51 +0000

I don’t know anything about Lucy Mangan’s parents but as you’ve just stated, she was working, she just wasn’t being paid. Now while this state of affairs may be sickening, working unpaid on a placement is not the same as not taking any job. And as for “not something everyone else can afford to do” well hang on if you can “afford” to be unemployed surely you can afford to take a placement. What am I missing?

By: AdamP

AdamP — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:59:05 +0000

Presumably Reuben’s point would be that when criticising others for not taking jobs that they’re not interested in, it would be wise not to be the kind of person who held off on getting a job until they found one they were interested in. Especially if the only reason it was possible for Lucy Mangan to do so was because she came from a background wealthy enough that she could afford to ‘hang around’ at the Guardian for free on a placement until they had an opening and hired her (helped along by the fact that she had been working there for free for ages, not something everyone else can afford to do, sadly).

I thought it was pretty clearly stated, personally.

By: simon kane

simon kane — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 01:47:05 +0000

An interesting point. but I’m going to test the water and suggest that you probably don’t get into Cambridge without working hard. And she got a job she found interesting. So what actually is your point?

By: Reuben

Reuben — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 13:01:53 +0000

You make a good point. My headlines have got a but daily mailish lately

By: JWA

JWA — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 12:24:03 +0000

Reuben that’s a very nice spot. Although you really don’t need to use ‘sickening’, it diminishes us.

You also have a very odd relationship with caPITal LEttERS.