September 7, 2017

"The 'stuck up' artist who mocked three scaffolders for only having one GCSE is the daughter of a builder..."

The Daily Mail "can reveal." (And I can infer that "builder," in the UK, is what we'd call a construction worker, and I guess that's what a "scaffolder" is too.)

Here's the photo Hetty Douglas, 25, put out on Instagram:



I had to look up "1 GCSE." It seems to be mark the completion of some low level of grade school.

The Daily Mail found out that Hetty Douglas — mocked as a "spoilt rich girl" — is herself the daughter of a builder.
Speaking from his cottage in a pretty fishing port in Cornwall covered in rubble dust and with his shorts and T-shirt flecked with dry cement, Mr Douglas said: 'She would be very angry with me if I was to speak to you. 'I'd love to defend my daughter but the less anyone says the sooner it will hopefully all blow over.'
The man in the photograph, Warren Butt, said: "I'm just working - just earning a living for me and my son. She's no better than me because she can draw."

74 comments:

n.n said...

She is condescending, which is a trademark of unearned self-esteem.

Hagar said...

GCSE:
General Certificate of Secondary Education: a system of public exams taken in various subjects from the age of about 16, or one of these exams, or a qualification from this system: I'm taking six subjects for GCSE.

Ignorance is Bliss said...

Those guys look deplorable.

walter said...

He's the Butt of the joke.

AlbertAnonymous said...

Irredeemably so...

Left Bank of the Charles said...

Is it more wounding in the UK to call someone a classist than a racist? In the US you would also have to give this the racial politics tag.

Ralph L said...

In recent interviews, P. Wm and Harry both used "I" after a preposition. You'd think Eton would have taught them the Queen's English.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

Given the neck tattoos, I'm inclined to agree with her. How freakin' stupid can you get?

walter said...

Despite the general popularity, there is likely still stigma to some tattoos..especially on the neck.

Ralph L said...

She nailed one black, one Asian, and a pile of tattoos. The girl behind the counter used to be a boy.

Rob said...

President Obama also used "I" after a preposition, and he's the smartest man in the world.

Ralph L said...

GCSE is what they used to call O level. University entrance usually requires A level certification, according to Wikipedia.

Bill Peschel said...

Is this artist someone anyone had heard of or this just some "pull some wanker's stupid comment and burn them at the stake post."

Oh, wait, it's the Daily Fail. Never mind.

The Daily Mail: The only newspaper guaranteed to lower your IQ by reading it.

jwl said...

And an electrician is a sparky, a carpenter is a chippy and brick layer is brickie.

I don't know what they call plumbers, me granda used to call them dunny divers but I think that's gone out of use now.

Infinite Monkeys said...

If the point of the Instagram was to bring attention to people being rude, I'd have to say she succeeded, but not in the way she intended.

Ralph L said...

I've long assumed that pronouncing the "t" in "often" labels one a social climber or parvenu. Bet this chick does it.

campy said...

The Daily Mail: The only newspaper guaranteed to lower your IQ by reading it.

Ever heard of The New York Times?

jwl said...

"The only newspaper guaranteed to lower your IQ by reading it."

I read Daily Mail most days to get soccer news and gossip but I can't help but notice all boob bait on right hand side bar that I am drawn to when I done reading about sports. Reading Daily Mail reminds me of reading Playboy, I tell my partner that I do actually read Daily Mail for articles and all lovely women showing their breasts has nothing to do with it.

traditionalguy said...

Something is lost in translation. The English need to learn American.

Titus said...

The guys are hot.

TerriW said...

"She would be very angry with me if I was to speak to you"

Can't conjugate the subjunctive mood correctly. Must be a 1 GCSE.

Ralph L said...

She's got at least 4 tattoos herself

Big Mike said...

As I read it the GCSE is sort of like a GED. Can someone confirm?

The Godfather said...

Was there more to her post? I read that she claims that she was objecting to how the construction workers were treating the McDonald's clerks, but the photo doesn't show that, it just shows the workers and a disparaging comment from her about their lack of education.

I Have Misplaced My Pants said...

I could say all kinds of catty things about her appearance, but I won't because I'm a higher quality person than she appears to be.

"The high road is a wonderful vantage point from which to look down on people.". Margo Howard

Ralph L said...

Mr. Butt doesn't have any GCSE's, so she missed the mark.

MayBee said...

I don't see anything wrong with these guys, but I'm not going to participate in the internet outrage of the day.

Ralph L said...

A level 1 GCSE covers grades C to G or 1 to 5 (commonly referred to as the foundation tier) whereas a level 2 GCSE covers grades A* to C or 4 to 9 (commonly referred to as the higher tier). Five level 2 GCSEs, including English and Maths, are generally required (as well as an A or B in the specific subject) to continue to the level 3 Advanced GCE level (A-Level)....
Christ, no wonder the British Empire fell.

Paddy O said...

Not immediately relevant, but close enough: How Americanisms are ruining English

Of course, Mark Twain argued we don't speak English at all over here.

William said...

Further context required, Maybe she was just razzing fellow members of her peer group. Maybe she looked down on them because one had a bad tattoo that was unlike the discreet, artistically redeeming tattoos that she sports. Maybe they had said something boorish just previously. There are other possibilities besides snobbery......I'd be inclined to look down on all of them--construction workers, McDonald's staff, and art students--as a bunch of cunts who are unworthy of my attention, much less disapproval, and I'm far from snobbish as I demonstrated by my use of the word cunt..

CJ said...

English people no longer speak English properly.

Received Pronunciation: The pronunciation and grammar (including some of the way words are "spelt"), the English now use, diverged from the way the Americans use the language in the 1800s.

The American pronunciation, grammar, and spelling is more like the way the English settlers of the New World spoke and talked.

https://www.livescience.com/33652-americans-brits-accents.html

http://grammarist.com/spelling/spelled-spelt/

CJ said...

Also:

https://static.fjcdn.com/pictures/Mfw_c229ca_3371157.jpg

MFW (My Face When) Americans call Chocolate Globbernaughts "chocolate bars"

Gabriel said...

The educated class uses "smart" as a moral quality, not as a descriptor like "tall".

The implication is that if you are not smart you can become smart through proper application, and that if you are not smart, its because of a failing somewhere.

But "smart" is like "tall".

Tari said...

Given the fact that her dad is a builder, over the years she's probably met a lot of construction guys, and she's made the observation that they aren't that educated. Fine. Point taken. What her nevertheless insulting comment fails to take into account is this: that says nothing whatsoever about their importance or usefulness to society at large. Take it from someone who has spent the past week watching lawyers, engineers, software developers, students and teachers rip flooring and drywall out of flooded homes: the people who do this crap for a living are pretty freaking valuable, and they don't deserve anyone's contempt.

NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...

Big Mike said...
As I read it the GCSE is sort of like a GED. Can someone confirm?

A GCSE is somewhat like a US high school diploma with the exception that in the UK a GCSE alone does not qualify the holder for entry into University. A GCSE can be obtained at age 16. Qualifying for University (or a Technical College) requires students to spend up to two more years taking academic courses (A Levels) and passing their A Level exams.

n.n said...

She's ashamed of her father, and is in love with her professor, or a charismatic politician.

But "smart" is like "tall".

In the most meaningful terms of human value, each is a characteristic but do not define character.

Sprezzatura said...

Has anyone fact checked?

Did these dudes get further w/ school than this gal suggested?

Maybe she's right.

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

Take it from someone who has spent the past week watching lawyers, engineers, software developers, students and teachers rip flooring and drywall out of flooded homes: the people who do this crap for a living are pretty freaking valuable, and they don't deserve anyone's contempt.

9/7/17, 1:56 PM

True. In Houston right now, himbos like PB are completely useless. Members of the Cajun Navy are not.

walter said...

They likely make a helluva lot more money than many of the more edjumacated.

Sprezzatura said...

exile,

Odds are that I can swing a Hitachi NR83 better than anyone in these threads. In fact, after knocking off the rust I could probably nail off shear panels (w/ Makita coil gun as the weapon of choice) w/o layout lines--it'd so fast that it'd be hard to hear any pauses between "bullets." [Truthfully, at speed I'd be lucky to only miss one out of every three unmarked studs. Getting that perfectly dialed in again would require more than "knocking off the rust."]

From every aspect, I know how to build stuff commercially, i.e. not weekend warrior-y.

donald said...

I'm not a tattoo guy, but it's 2017 and what I see are some hardworking (Making an assumption) clean cut guys. I could use a few like that, they're surprisingly hard to find.

Achilles said...

She probably has more education.

I bet they are more productive and useful.

DanTheMan said...

>>I don't know what they call plumbers,

I don't know British slang for plumbers, either, but I bet they all know the First Rule of Plumbers:
Don't chew your nails.

Ralph L said...

Did these dudes get further w/ school than this gal suggested?

The one who came forward didn't do as well as she said.

Virgil Hilts said...

She should have just written "I think that's Larry, Daryl and Daryl in front of me in line."

n.n said...

To be clear, while unearned self-esteem is a first-order forcing of condescension, this character flaw is likely the outcome of an unexamined life. It is common to people who deny individual dignity (e.g. [class] diversitists), intrinsic value (e.g. selective-child advocates), and engage in other elective behaviors (e.g. social justice adventures, redistributive change, CAIR).

David said...

Must not judge people by appearance!

But I will anyway.

Those guys look like they could spend a full day at physical labor and still have enough left to kick the ass of most people who might present a Need An Ass Kicking type of problem.

She is lucky that they are also well mannered enough not to strike a woman.

Kansas Scout said...

I'm a Construction Supt. for many years and soon to retire. I was a carpenter before that. I have seen time and time again the contempt people can have for us construction workers. At times we feel like we're being treated like dogs.

Michael K said...

This is how you get more Trump.

Britain could use some.

Phil 314 said...

Prior to social media these would just be dark, unspoken thoughts.

I Have Misplaced My Pants said...

I'm a Construction Supt. for many years and soon to retire. I was a carpenter before that. I have seen time and time again the contempt people can have for us construction workers. At times we feel like we're being treated like dogs.

If it makes you feel any better, women think you're hot. :)

Titus might also!

Sprezzatura said...

"Prior to social media these would just be dark, unspoken thoughts."

Well, technically the dudes' harassment of the McD staff would definitely have still been spoken. But, there would be no way for a bystander gal to do anything other than cower silently on location.

Anywho, Althouse was settin' ya (i.e. those of ya who didn't read the link) up.



exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...


"From every aspect, I know how to build stuff commercially"

Well, good for you. Why do you hold other men who build stuff commercially in such contempt then? Your disdain for blue collar people has been very evident in other threads.

No contempt from me, Kansas Scout.

Sprezzatura said...

"Why do you hold other men who build stuff commercially in such contempt then?"

Based on what we know about this situation:

1) the uppity gal was probably right (if not overly kind) re these dudes' education level.

2) this is a 'he said she said' where the dudes are accused of harassing some even lower (status speaking) person than themselves, i.e. McD workers. (Re support for the picture taker's version of events: unless this uppity gal has a record of spreading pics of lowly educated dudes, ya gots ta ask why she, out of the blue, did it here if not for the reason given in Althouse's link.)

3) I knows the sorta construction folks that could be exactly the villains that this uppity gal is purportedly trying to expose.

4) I've been lowly and highly educated, IMHO the later is, on average, quantifiably better. Glamourizing the former seems counterproductive. Of course, it's not nice to overly stigmatize lowly educated folks. And this offensiveness increases w/ decreasing education. That's why we don't call retards retards anymore.


Ctmom4 said...

Sorry about that, Kansas Scout. My rule is never to think condescending thoughts about anyone who does a job I couldn't do if my life depended on it. I've tried doing some fix it things around the house. I'll just say it never ended well. Call in the pros!

Unknown said...

She's not even a real artist. The work is absolute trash of the worst variety. Complete and total lack of talent.
http://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/hetty-douglas-121216

Mike of Snoqualmie said...

I'm an engineer, soon to be a retired-engineer. I can pound a keyboard with the best of them. I can do ok with a hammer, but if I want it done right and done right the first time!, I'll hire a contractor who knows his stuff. Good contractors, electricians (sparkies - we call the electronic engineers sparkies), plumbers (I hate plumbing!) are a treasure. They are not to be abused by some stuck up, know-it-all socialite with too much time on her hands.

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

"Of course, it's not nice to overly stigmatize lowly educated folks"

I'll try to remember that next time I respond to your comments, PB.

Richard Cranium said...

I've been lowly and highly educated,[...]

That's the normal progression, isn't it? Or did you go from kindergarten to insert your current education level here in one bound?

patriarchal landmine said...

public face of the female gender on display for all to see. working class guys receive more hate than nazis.

Casey said...

For those familiar with Harry Potter, a GCSE is the equivalent to an "OWL." :)

Don't see the point of cracking on construction workers. A bricklayer or welder does more for society than most degree holders.

Kevin said...

Obviously, they voted for Donald Trump.

Sprezzatura said...

For F-ing F's sake,

y'all are missing the butt of the joke.

I'm implying that these construction folks that y'all are worshiping are to educated folks as the McD folks are to retards, aka special people.


So, can ya figure out the implications of that, and your positioning, and Meadehouse's coordinates?



I know I said that it's not nice to make fun of retards, but sheesh. It's Exile's fault, usually I sit back sans a spelling bee re 'it out,' aka paint by numbers for the Rousseau of Rousseaus by a factor of fourteen.

Anywho, [back to the script] I'm in 3rd grade, so it goes w/o sayin' that I doesn't knows what y'all does knows.



Douglas von Roeder said...

A "GCE" is (was) a General Certificate of Education. It sounds like the "GCSE" is a modern variant. I'm adding this post because I believe it will remove some of the confusion.

A GCE "O" level is an "Ordinary" level exam that is sat by secondary (high school) students in the British Empire. It is analogous to a high school certificate in a specific subject.

I don't know of a restriction on age to sit an O level but I sat 2 O's at age 15, which was in my junior year, and took more O's at the end of my senior year. All told, I think I took 8 O's which is a decent record but, certainly, not outstanding

The next level is the Advanced ("A") level which is, generally, two years of study in only two areas of focus. One could study Organic Chemistry and Mathematics and then sit those exams.

Based on the O's and the A's, a student in the British system then goes to 3 years of university, a marked difference to the system in the US where four years is often…the plan.

I was educated in three systems — American for elementary school, colonial British for secondary (high school), and Canadian for university. All of those systems have their strengths and weaknesses.

Douglas von Roeder said...

"One could study Organic Chemistry and Mathematics and then sit those exams."
Those subjects are only examples. One can sit A's in a wide variety of topics.

Michael K said...

It's Exile's fault, usually I sit back sans a spelling bee re 'it out,' aka paint by numbers for the Rousseau of Rousseaus by a factor of fourteen.

Speaking of being condescended to by one's inferiors.

SweatBee said...

She's basically calling them high school drop-outs.

Sprezzatura said...

"She's basically calling them high school drop-outs."

According to the Althouse link (which only has info re one of the three construction workers), she (i.e. the uppity gal) is over-stating their educational attainment.

sdharms said...

what are the two most important jobs? sewage treatment plant worker and trash collector. Without them, we will all be dead of cholera in 2 weeks.

stlcdr said...

To add to Douglas van Roeder;

Generally, 'O' levels are taken at 16, but if you are particularly noteworthy in particular subjects, you can take them early. You take these exams on a subject by subject basis. It is designed to demonstrate knowledge in areas of your strengths and not have your weak capabilities drag down your qualification. For example, you could be good at Art (getting an A grade) but poor at physics (getting a C or D, or not even taking the subject to exam level).

'A' levels are taken at 18, typically as a precursor to entry to polytechnic, college or university. One would generally take between 1 and 4 subjects; those subjects which you demonstrated a strength at the 'O' level stage.

There would be specific grade stipulations for university entry. For example, Cambridge or Oxford required a minimum of 3 A's and a B. That is, you must take 4 A levels and pass them with those grades. As such, if you were only taking 3 A levels, it was impossible to go to one of those Universities. And so on down the line, with some lower end Tech colleges requiring C grades in one or two A levels - these were generally hands on colleges or polytechnics, teaching mechanics, metalworking, and other useful crafts that would lead down a path to a useful, but less glamorous career.

Note that this was over 20 years ago, so some things have changed, including the renaming as GCSEs, but also a noteworthy dumbing down.

Big Mike said...

3rd Grader says that we are all being too hard on poor Hetty. Read the article he says. But if he actually read the article himself , he'd note that the article says that a friend of Hetty's said that Hetty told her that the workers were abusing the McDonald's staff. There is no independent corroboration for this ass-covering bit of hearsay, and an intelligent person should discount it.

Sorry. They'd say "arse-covering" in Britain.

Freeman Hunt said...

A non-famous person posted something rude on social media! It cannot be! Put it in the paper!

It's a mad, mad, mad, mad world.

Perplexed said...

What you think, or even say privately, is one thing. But you really don't have the right to post someone's picture on the internet without their permission, and then mock them. I am not saying you don't have the legal right, I am talking right-and-wrong. Grow a heart, and grow up, lady.