We Don’t Need No Educayshun

There’s no avoiding it any longer… we have a problem here in Hartlepool that just isn’t being addressed properly. Adult education. I keep running into the thick and ignorant on my daily ramblings round the town. Perhaps Im just unlucky.

I have a gut feeling that a significant proportion of the population have not had a proper education. Don’t get me wrong…  I don’t know what the specific figures are when compared to other towns/cities or areas of the country but I see behaviour here on a daily basis which can only be caused by lack of education. In some cases the people concerned are just being a bit thick and in some their behaviour is completely inappropriate… they cannot be educated individuals or they wouldn’t do such a thing and if they know that their behaviour is wrong then this is even worse… they may not be intelligent enough to stop themselves.

Check out the conversations in bus queues, on the street and in some bars that you can’t help but overhearing of the “well I hit her… and she hit me…” type. Or people living their lives on the street  shouting at each other in the middle of Middleton Grange or shouting at little 4 year old Kylie Come here you f***ing little —-. When is this behaviour ever acceptable Surely the perpetrators cannot be educated in any meaningful way.

I had to travel to Middlesbrough on Wednesday morning and Hartlepool station had some interesting characters lounging on it… there was a guy drinking special brew who was yellow… a woman in a wheelchair coughing her lungs up like a consumptive – whilst taking deep drags on a cigarette and the perpetual arguing chav couple. Not educated behaviour really is it from any of them. None of them can see the link between action and consequence (or they dont care) and Mr Yellow really needs some urgent help.

When I speak about adult education I’m not talking about educating people in Nuclear Physics here… just in common sense. These people need a little bit of help with the basics – Learn to read. Learn to write. Learn to count. Learn to spell. The result of this You may just learn to communicate properly and behave appropriately! Mr tattooed taxi driver…. when I get into your cab stop grunting at me like a low grade moron or telling me what a f***ing bad morning you’ve had in front of my missus and have an idea of what is appropriate… and what is inappropriate behaviour.

Cab drivers are usually pretty good people but I would wager that they have a high percentage of uneducated folk amongst their ranks who cant get a job anywhere else. I have many stories of my encounters with them – A few years ago I paid a visit to Manchester and upon arrival at Piccadilly station I jumped in a black cab and said “xxxxx road please” at which point the cab driver looked over his shoulder at me and said “don’t tell me the f***ing back road… tell me the name of the f***ing main road!” at which point I got out of the cab straightaway. All he had to say was “I’m not sure where that is, what road’s it off of” or “Hang on a mo whilst I consult my A to Z”. Some people would say that this person had no customer service skills but I would go a step further and say that he had no manners or communication skills. This was a truly ignorant man. Heaven help his wife and family. Wherever we go around Britain we see these people and their rotten behaviour but always more so where there is poverty  it seems to stop people giving a hoot about behaving correctly as they lose their self respect.

So how can we help Well, if you see this behaviour in the street especially in a crowded area everyone point and laugh. They will go absolutely nuts! After two or three times they might just get the hint and start to behave themselves. If you are a person who isnt mentally disabled, doesnt have learning difficulties or any other reason for your atrocious behaviour you can do yourself a real favour – Learn to read. Learn to write. Learn to count. Learn to spell. Understand how your speech and behaviour affects others. Learn to take responsibility for your own actions. Do it for the good of society but most of all do it for your own self respect.

Cheers!

Headlander