Sunday 7 September 2008

 

The latest culture as recommended by our staff

Clemency Burton-Hill
Clemency Burton-Hill

Clemency suggests


Status anxiety

What your Christmas card says about you (and it’s not usually very nice)

Wednesday, 12th December 2007

Toby Young frets about his Christmas card

When a person does something to remind you of their superior status, I often wonder whether he or she is fully in control of what they’re doing. Name-droppers, for instance, often seem to be acting compulsively, as if they’re suffering from a mild personality disorder. Once the impulse to drop the name has been triggered — usually by some circuitous route that only makes sense to the name-dropper — these people can’t stop themselves. The name pops out in spite of the fact that they know it’s gauche. (That’s my excuse, anyway.)

More articles from: Toby Young | this section

Subscribe now

Post this entry to:   del.icio.us | Digg | Newsvine | NowPublic | Reddit

Comments

Post a comment


Your comment:*

Your name:*

Your email address:*
(We won't publish this)

*Required information

Please click the button only once - your comment will not be published immediately

S. S. Pratt

December 13th, 2007 1:21pm

Good one, Toby. But what does it mean if one does not send Xmas/holiday cards at all?

somerville

December 14th, 2007 12:13pm

Always amusing and sometimes even true (as usual with TY)

Tim

December 17th, 2007 11:12am

I think when you name your kids 'Sasha' and 'Ludo', you've pretty much given announced your status.

margaret

December 29th, 2007 4:38am

OMG!!! Mine ALWAYS has to have a nativity and a Christian message, almost a sermon - definately no reference to what we have been doing. What does THAT say?

Dan

January 16th, 2008 1:46pm

Shorely sending hand-made cards is a statement of some sort?


In this section

Slow Life

Alex James

Baton twirling

Low Life

Jeremy Clarke

Toeing the line

High Life

Taki

Driving out dragons

The Turf

Robin Oakley

Character call

Dear Mary

Mary Killen

Your problems solved

Related articles

Labour’s punishment freaks are hounding honest citizens

Ross Clark

Ross Clark says that far from keeping our streets safer or cleaner, the government’s new force of amateur policemen are ignoring the worst offenders and pursuing law-abiding innocents instead

Low Life

Jeremy Clarke

Another Olympian

Politics

Fraser Nelson

Fraser Nelson reviews the week in politics

A long and happy life

Jason Goodwin

Jason Goowin reviews the memoirs of John Julius Norwich

‘If there’s a vote of no confidence on 42 days, we’ll win’

Matthew d'Ancona

In her only print interview, Jacqui Smith tells Matthew d’Ancona that her proposal for the detention of terror suspects does not undermine Magna Carta, that she is ‘frustrated’ by Lord Goldsmith, and that the ‘West Midlands housewife’ is a better judge of the threat than MPs

Spectator recommends

Sky TV, Broadband & Talk from £16 a Month

Sky TV & free broadband packages available from £16 a month. Choose from a standard free sky box, sky plus...


Spectator classifieds

ROME CENTRE

PORTA METRONIA, ROME Standing high on the top of one of the seven hills of Rome- the Coelian- this unique

City Breaks. ROME and PARIS

ROME and PARIS: over 350 holiday rentals apartments listed: visit  www.romanreference.com  and  www.parisreference.com or call +39 0648 903612.

Jewellery. RUFFS (Estd. 1904).

Goldsmiths by Design Welcome to Ruffs!  You have found a company of Goldsmiths that specialises in the manufacture, amongst other