As the anonymous author of In The Sight of the Unwise has betrayed us by getting a job or something and so slowed his writing, there’s a pertinent question going unanswered during the cost of living squeeze. Is Deano screwed? If you have no idea who I’m talking about, go
I only discovered this sociological archetype today and I'm now slightly obsessed by it.
I've known Deanos throughout my life, without realising it, and a lot of things are slotting into place. As a classic underemployed 2:1-from-a-Russell Group millennial, Deano causes some resentment in me in that he's hit more major life milestones and seems outwardly to enjoy a higher standard of living despite being a bit thick and lacking refinement; however, overall he's a net positive to society, is basically pro-social, and in general his needs being met would be good for the country.
Some questions that occur to me:
1) Is describing social class through such personifications (Essex Man, Mondeo Man, Mr. Pooter, Hooray Henry, Gammon etc.) a uniquely British thing, or do other nations do it as well? Do the French have a struggling Gilet Jaune archetype and call him Arnaud or Claude?
2) While we're familiar enough with the image of the Metropolitan Elite, we've yet to give him/her a specific name as per 'Deano'. (As a suggestion for the lower end of this class, there's a particular kind of liberal male who works in media in London and lives in a flatshare that I want to call 'Ollie'.)
3) Where does Deano fit in the classic tripartite upper/middle/lower class system? I want to say 'upper working class', yet most of his life is outwardly solidly middle (office job, home ownership, wife and kids).
Weirdly I'm on 20k and no mortgage (no rent either). I don't buy stuff unless I can afford it. Not interested in trendy living. Have nothing on credit. Where did I go wrong?
That's about the people in the mainstream media. Mostly idle trust fund kids, and a few weirdos. Heavily focussed on central London, so they don't really get to see Deanos. And what they have is a sneering view of them because of taste and that they work in trade.
But in truth, it's the Deanos that keep the country running. It's why they're paid relatively well, and by relatively well, I mean that they live in cheaper places and earn reasonable money. Because the Deanos do useful things. They're the people who keep the production lines, distribution networks going. They test equipment. I've worked with some of these people when I've done work in manufacturing and I have a higher opinion of them than some GPs I've met who can't diagnose their way out of a paper bag, or the sort of people at the home office who repeatedly mess up deportations of criminals.
And even the taste thing is mostly just about tribes. I'm not sure what's so superior about going and standing in a muddy field listening to landfill indie instead of going to Spain for a weekend, or going to whatever nonsense Jeff Koons produces instead of seeing Avatar 2. "Oh Deano has an A3" yes, but at least he isn't incessantly going on about
Surely it’s ok to be a little Deano and a little bit Bowman? Asking for a friend…
I only discovered this sociological archetype today and I'm now slightly obsessed by it.
I've known Deanos throughout my life, without realising it, and a lot of things are slotting into place. As a classic underemployed 2:1-from-a-Russell Group millennial, Deano causes some resentment in me in that he's hit more major life milestones and seems outwardly to enjoy a higher standard of living despite being a bit thick and lacking refinement; however, overall he's a net positive to society, is basically pro-social, and in general his needs being met would be good for the country.
Some questions that occur to me:
1) Is describing social class through such personifications (Essex Man, Mondeo Man, Mr. Pooter, Hooray Henry, Gammon etc.) a uniquely British thing, or do other nations do it as well? Do the French have a struggling Gilet Jaune archetype and call him Arnaud or Claude?
2) While we're familiar enough with the image of the Metropolitan Elite, we've yet to give him/her a specific name as per 'Deano'. (As a suggestion for the lower end of this class, there's a particular kind of liberal male who works in media in London and lives in a flatshare that I want to call 'Ollie'.)
3) Where does Deano fit in the classic tripartite upper/middle/lower class system? I want to say 'upper working class', yet most of his life is outwardly solidly middle (office job, home ownership, wife and kids).
Weirdly I'm on 20k and no mortgage (no rent either). I don't buy stuff unless I can afford it. Not interested in trendy living. Have nothing on credit. Where did I go wrong?
The Deanos and Leannes are a patriotic and reactionary class and they must rise up and destroy their oppressors.
I've always been acutely aware of Deano but never quite as succinctly
"He has no champions in the mainstream media"
That's about the people in the mainstream media. Mostly idle trust fund kids, and a few weirdos. Heavily focussed on central London, so they don't really get to see Deanos. And what they have is a sneering view of them because of taste and that they work in trade.
But in truth, it's the Deanos that keep the country running. It's why they're paid relatively well, and by relatively well, I mean that they live in cheaper places and earn reasonable money. Because the Deanos do useful things. They're the people who keep the production lines, distribution networks going. They test equipment. I've worked with some of these people when I've done work in manufacturing and I have a higher opinion of them than some GPs I've met who can't diagnose their way out of a paper bag, or the sort of people at the home office who repeatedly mess up deportations of criminals.
And even the taste thing is mostly just about tribes. I'm not sure what's so superior about going and standing in a muddy field listening to landfill indie instead of going to Spain for a weekend, or going to whatever nonsense Jeff Koons produces instead of seeing Avatar 2. "Oh Deano has an A3" yes, but at least he isn't incessantly going on about
This was playing in my head throughout the piece
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flESd2vFXy4&ab_channel=tokyoseven