Why do people assume because she isn't able to articulate herself she is unintelligent? Says more about the educational system to me.

If you are constantly made to feel worthless you will start to believe it.

Harriet doe not feel worthless, she thinks that the world would be a better place if everyone is like her.

She is a foul mouthed idiot who glories in her own stupidity. She is proud of being ill-educated and vulgar.

I agree with the BIB but I don't think Harriet feels worthless. She often refers to her mother and her family so would seem to come from a loving close family, you don't usually feel worthless if that is your background. I think it's more a case of people calling her unintelligent because of the fact that she swears and curses so much they don't really listen to what she actually trying to say.

That said Harriet could do with some chilling out, she does rise up very quickly and often when it is not merited.

It's her defense mechanism because she is aware of the fact that people will always underestimate her because of the class she had no choice of being born into.

I think the person who has mentioned class more often than anyone else is Harriet herself and isn't being able to articulate yourself part of your intelligence?

I understand this but to me it says more about the people judging her.

Notice how she is close to Sarah, because Sarah doesn't patronise her or pussy foot around her.

Not necessarily. Intelligence manifests itself in many ways. Have you ever heard of cultural capital? People who are brought up in houses where they are exposed to 'culture' inevitably end up becoming more articulate. Harriet sounds like she has been made to feel worthless, both by her own family and by society.

Yes & yes.

When it was suggested anyone could be Prime Minister, she explained how uneducated and how unqualified she is. I like her, cos she's fit.

It may or not be a defence mechanism, that's a matter of opinion.

She has a choice about the language that she uses. Not everyone from humble beginnings thinks that being foul-mouthed and aggressive is attractive.

BIB certainly. But you have to find your way in life without having to resort to streams of bad language and losing your temper. Everyone does not get on with everyone, it's a fact of life. Can you imaging the workplace if people just went off into tirades of anger at every (possibly imagined) slight?

She has a choice but the odds are stacked against her. That's the point you are missing. How much Thatcherite mantra have you been reading?

The people that you accuse of judging her are entitled to their opinions and are entitled to say that the glories in her stupidity and foul language because they have the proof that she does it.

I think the reason she mentions it so much that if anything she is embarressed by it and if she got the chance to move up she would be on it quicker than Jade on a mirror.

There are no odds stacked against her as far as foul language is concerned. She could stop using it.

She is in a stressful situation. When you are in a stressful situation you stick to what you know. What she knows is being foul mouthed and aggressive.

The odds are stacked against you as far as being simplistic is concerned. You could stop doing it.

Harriet's background is irrelevant to me, I don't like her for her behaviour in the house.
I wouldn't want to be around someone where one word could set them off on an aggression session, and the constant foul language she uses is painful on the ears.

What can any educational system or any teacher do if a pupil doesn't want to learn or just can't be bothered . I bet Harriet was such a pupil .

It's irrelevant to you, good to hear that. I'll let you know when I start to care.

The point is it's relevant to life.

Maybe she was. Maybe she wasn't.

Childish much.

I'm just trying to make people think.

You have, you've made me think you probably have a short fuse too.

I don't care what people think of me on an internet discussion forum. I'm looking at the bigger picture.

I think BB highlights clearly the hierarchy of prejudice that exists in our culture. Classism, ageism, genderism etc are generally far more tolerated than racism and homophobia for example. Other prejudices are hardly yet recognised at all.