Quite a shame how people respond

[fr0d0]

Yes, him with his public school superiority complex....

Public school superiority complex? What does this mean?

The guy has an incredibly privileged background. His take on reality is somewhat skewed. Those people expect to get away with anything because of their breeding.

[Silver]

The guy has an incredibly privileged background. His take on reality is somewhat skewed. Those people expect to get away with anything because of their breeding.

I believe you are confusing public school with private school.

[fr0d0]

Oops!

[Cato]

I believe you are confusing public school with private school.

Is there a difference?

[Silver]

Is there a difference?

Yes. Money.

[Cato]

Is there a difference?

Yes. Money.

Are you suggesting that money is required to ensure a proper education?

[Silver]

Are you suggesting that money is required to ensure a proper education?

Not at all, but money is always an incentive for the uneducated to advance to places the truly educated without money sometimes cannot reach.

[little_monkey]

Yes, of course, over time, most people will ''grow some skins'', but take for example Dawkins, he sort of lost it with his website. He was too outraged by the language and the verbal violence which had spread like a cancer. He couldn't take it and so he decided to close it down, even though it was the most active forum for atheists. But then, look at how he frequently answers in public. He is no model of restrain when it comes to use cussin' words. All in all, it has to do with self-discipline. Anyone can use the F-word, it's the easiest one to use when you want to tell someone to get lost. But as I said before, it has been overused and abused.

I didn't know that Dawkins has such a propensity for cussing. If that is true, then I suppose people might have had a better opinion of him if he did less of that.

I only heard him say "fuck off" one time in this video. (Funny how he said it with so little force).

I believe it has made him vulnerable, especially being a well-known public figure with so many enemies who are watching his every steps to pounce on him and tarnish his reputation. I hope he will realize such tactics are counter-productive and will make an effort to control himself in public appearances.

[Fidel_Castronaut]

I believe you are confusing public school with private school.

Is there a difference?

*off topic* Actually public and private in the UK are somewhat the same.

A public comprehensive is the standard state school, but a public self-funded school is different (relies on funds).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_school_(England)

'The' public schools in England and Scotland (Eton, Rugby and so on) were originally known as public schools becuase of their non-affiliation to religious or class heirarchies back in the years when that was most important for school applications. The top schools were completely indepdent of state control (listed in the article), but are still fee paying.

Private schools in the UK are effectively the same thing but do not have the same status as the leading public schools (again, Eton, Harrow and so on). They are still fee-paying and completely independent of state control.

Dawkins attended a fee-paying (minor/ private) public school called Oundle in Northhamptonshire.

IMHO, to achieve the best in education for poorer students, they should bring back more grammar schools. I'm from a poor East London background but attended one of the oldest grammar schools in the country (for free). They're great for social mobility because they rely more on the child's abilities and not the parent's pockets. 50% of the kids in my year came from very poor backgrounds in inner city Birmingham.

*on-topic* FWIW, I actually saw Dawkins a couple of times in the Oxford debating hall whilst I was there, and he always came across as eloquent if not a bit 'hostile' sometimes. I will say that he doesn't suffer fools gladly (to put it in such terms), but really, none of the staff at Oxford do. You're there to do the best you can and work 24/7 to advance research, and you don't get to the top of your field by being 'nice' to everyone. Not saying I agree with that, it's just the reality of the place and every other top academic institution. Cut throat, even through collaboration.

[NoraBrimstone]

The guy has an incredibly privileged background. His take on reality is somewhat skewed. Those people expect to get away with anything because of their breeding.

I believe you are confusing public school with private school.

In the UK, "Public School"=Super-Private School. It's the kind of school Royalty and the proper Upper Class twats sens their kids.

What you call "Public School" we call "State School."