Chapter 12 Chapter 9: The Other People Who Break the Convention

What about us?What class do we belong to, and what do we think about the constraints imposed by social class? Following Amis's poem may help us find the answer: what class is the narrator in the poem from? First of all, we can be sure that he is not a pauper, because a pauper's language must have no characteristics.He was not middle class either, because no one could come from the middle class who could spot serious problems with Aberdas's public buildings and criticize them, and who had no fear of controversy.He is even less likely to be a high-ranking figure, because the language he uses is poetry.Writing poetry requires talent.Knowledge and unremitting efforts, and these, the upper class people do not have.His piercing gaze.Ironic humor.The complex and comic sympathy for the poor middle-class couple Evans and Mrs. Rees, combined with his artistic sensitivity, all point to a special identity for him.

We might as well assume that the narrator does not belong to any class at all.He comes from an unnamed group.I call it the alternative (type x) family.The reason why the alternative people are classified into a certain "category" rather than a certain class is because you cannot be born as an alternative, and your origin and growth must bear the stigma of the poor or the middle class.You can only become an oddity by transforming, or, to put it more clearly, only when you discover, the hard way, that you have some of the qualities of an oddity, especially curiosity and originality. Qualifications.

Such discoveries are the only way to free yourself from the shackles of hierarchy.Joining alternatives often requires you to stay away from your parents and hometown, and give up patience and restraint.Young people gathered in the city from all directions are devoted to "art" and "writing". "Creative work" - anything that will really set them off from the boss.Things that are liberated under the supervision of the supervisor-this is the alternative that is diligently pursuing.Successfully harnessing their talents, these young men end up as full-fledged alternatives.

What kind of person is the alternative? "Bohemian?" The law also helps our understanding. Some alternatives are intellectuals, but most are not: actors, musicians, artists, sports stars, "famous people" among them.Wealthy hippies.Staunch foreign settlers and more gifted journalists.Smart readers who love the articles of these people can't wait to read as soon as they find their names in the author column. Alternatives are people who "raise themselves" (to borrow White Mill's expression here).They are freelancers, engaged in what sociologists call "autonomous work."If, as Mill puts it, the middle class "is always someone else's man," then the alternative belongs to no one at all.

One of the distinguishing characteristics of the alternative is that it is not governed by others.They are independent of mind, unfettered by social conventions, and free in manners and actions.They love their work, have professionalism, and never let go of the work until it is completed.The word "retirement" is not in their mind at all, the concept is only for those who are employed.There is meaning to someone struggling to earn a paycheck, and those people often despise their jobs. Being an alternative is like having most of the freedom and some of the power that the upper class have, but without the money.Alternative people can be regarded as "nobles without money".

As long as you are familiar with some of the characteristics of the alternative, it is not difficult to identify them.Let's take a look at their clothes and facial expressions first.Alternatives dress exactly the way they like, they never try to groom to please others because they don't think anyone deserves it.Therefore, they dress comfortably and casually, and are usually a little "uninhibited".In fact, as long as you always dress according to the principle of being one level worse than others' requirements, you can achieve this effect. If a black tie is required for a gown, Alternate wears a dark suit (conservatively cut and rustic) with a bold tie.If a suit is required, he simply omits the tie.If "casual" dress is required, then the alternative will wear a tattered pair.Well-patched jeans, or a pair of corduroy pants that are either stained or stained.Or it will fade away.If others are wearing bathing suits, then the alternative is likely to come naked.Alternatives focus on comfort when choosing what to wear on their feet, and never care about whether their styles are fashionable, so their shoes (such as sandals and "moccasins" shoes-the heelless shoes usually made of buckskin worn by North American Indians) Soft shoes) always give people a feeling that is very suitable for walking on soft pine needles.

Alternative buys a lot of casual vests, flannel shirts and hiking boots in this country every year, most of them from L. L． Bean and The End of the Earth.Alternatives like to wear these for occasions where most people would wear a suit or smart dress.Alternatives rarely wear recognizable designer clothes, and when they do, they choose brands that are new and unique—not Budweiser or USA Drinking Team. But they don't want people to say anything about it, and obviously, paying even the slightest attention to their brand would be seen as bad manners.Be an alternative, whether you are a man or a woman, when you stay with a person who can tell which class you are at a glance, no matter how he (she) dresses, the clothes convey this message: "I am more free than you , more relaxed." Or—in some extreme cases—"I'm smarter and more interesting than you: please don't bore me."

Alternatives don't have to worry about whether to choose a black raincoat or a beige raincoat, because they don't wear raincoats at all: they either let the rain soak, or find a place to take shelter and come out when the rain stops: they are not time slave. Few of the alternatives get fat, because they engage in a lot of physical exercise, which is natural on the one hand, and on the other hand, in their eyes, sports are really fun.Alternatives were exercising three decades ago, before the upper-middle classes were taught to jog by the popular press.Favorite sport: touch football, played on a whim, best played when the booze is low.

Alternatives avoid several common pets, preferring instead domestic coyotes, skunks, peacocks and anteaters.Alternatives are likely to bring their sexual partners out to social situations without introducing them.But it was known that several of their sexual partners had become pregnant at times that were highly inappropriate for social engagements.Alternative ways of disposing of baby poo and poo are eye-opening, if not jaw-dropping, for middle-class folks, such as net bags or baby backpacks. Alternative accommodations usually have a specialty food store and a decent wine store nearby.There might also be an Army and Navy clothing store, or a hiking supply store where you can buy casual clothing.To avoid boredom, they often go to a good public or university library nearby to study.A well-stocked newsagent is also attractive because.These people also read periodicals in English, French, German, Italian and other countries.

Alternative felt that it was time to move, so he moved away, making his own decisions, unlike employees, who are always led by the nose by the bosses.Others love where they live, but one day they realize they don't like the place anymore—for example, it's rapidly becoming middle class or poorer—and they move out immediately.None of their homes are on "development lots," but in odd locations—say, on a hillside, or firmly planted between two skyscrapers.Their houses (which, of course, will never be "home" to these people) tend to be old rather than new.One reason is that old houses are cheaper; secondly, to show off an old house that has been around for a long time is tantamount to declaring that you are not in the company of those naive Americans who are obsessed with "trendy".

Alternatives despise popular practices aimed at flaunting status, so their homes generally lack driveways.Their car was out on the street, outdated and largely unscrubbed.Another unwritten rule of thumb about the type and condition of a car is that no decal of any kind—university or otherwise—will appear on the rear window.Maybe nothing but black and white.The "A" sticker, which marked the minimum gasoline ration during World War II, could be allowed as an archaic practice.Alternatives will no doubt shy away from the dreary, featureless boulevards and freeways reserved for the middle class, preferring to drive more slowly on "glamorous" country roads. The other sex loves to mock by imitation, and their lawn and yards in front of their houses never make a good impression, instead, they often exude a strong sense of irony: their front yards have no lawn, and the ground may be paved. Gravel, asphalt, or cement (sometimes with a bright green finish), or weeds.Rubble is strewn about, and marijuana will even be prominently planted. In addition to deliberately creating a middle-class effect, Alternative may also imitate some practices of the poor, for example, placing a few pieces of ridiculously ugly lawn equipment or building a circle of funny flower walls.But no matter how they are decorated, their front yards will always feel lifeless, because for the alternative, the street side of the house does not matter, and the claustrophobic backyard is the real place to go.There, you can hide from other people's eyes and ears and have fun.Alternatives welcome guests to stay overnight in their homes, but they never specify which guests can “stay” the way upper-middle-class people do.Guests don't stay in guest rooms, but sleep on spare couches or sleeping bags, and people may come and go constantly during the night, not to mention the hectic scene in the early morning. The shortest way to describe an alternative living room is to say that there is nothing here that a fine interior magazine recommends.Their guiding principle is to make sure not to come across as an imitation: there might be an elephant's foot used as an umbrella stand, and there might be stuffed cats, dogs, penguins, and lizards—and they do. Not necessarily to represent the art of taxidermy.There were effeminate drapes and fabrics everywhere—curious drapes, fringed shawls hanging down, museum-style wall coverings.The paintings on the walls strongly reflect the owner's unconventional qualities: bold nudes (of all ages and genders) and maps of Bikini Atoll or Guadalcanal.They never hang up maps of Nantucket and Catalonia, which are so beloved by middle-class people.The magazines on the coffee table were Aunt Jones and the Transactions of the Atomicologist. When you find yourself sitting closer and closer to the floor, you can quickly become a pure alternative.A complete alternative living room would have no furniture legs at all, just any surface in the room for sitting on.For eating.Recumbent - no more than twelve inches from the floor.The floor was either bare or scattered with carpet.The rugs also come from unusual places, such as Nepal and Honduras.There is also usually a not very clean burning fireplace in the room.The reason why they install fireplaces is not so much to beautify the living room as to enjoy the pleasure of making love on the rug in front of the fireplace.There were also massive bookshelves filled with rows and rows of hardcover books, most of which were dated well before the fifties. Alternative watches TV a lot, but never anything that is preachy.They see the national education station as a threat to culture.Alternative TVs usually feature a bazaar-like protruding eye.They like to watch old classics like "I Love Lucy" and "Honeymooners."They love to experience the ecstasy of watching the crazy Jack Gleason Future Chef Cup and Lucy Cup golf for the fiftieth time.Through these hobbies, Alternative expresses its homage to the great and sublime classicism.They often tune in to live broadcasts.Just to get a glimpse of some of the jokes that go wrong—a football game messed up, a public speech manuscript ruined.Wind blowing, gaffes by presidents, governors, legislators, mayors, senior clergy during impromptu speeches, etc.Alternatives still remember the ominous plumes of black smoke that the dais caught fire during Cardinal Richard Cushing's prayer at the inauguration of President John F. Drinking: Alternative drinking is not about showing status or capacity, but about feeling peacefully drunk.They found that drinking vodka and gin was the best way to do this.Of course, some alternatives also drink white wine without restraint.Although there aren't many alternative drinkers, they still like to buy cheap wine in bulk and specifically.No-name but good spirits like Beefeater gin and Cuttv Sark scotch.In doing so, they certainly betrayed the dupes of advertising, the middle class.In alternative accommodations, gallon wine bottles are everywhere. Alternatives seldom eat at a fixed time, they will only have the desire to eat when they are hungry and suitable.Like the upper class, alternative meals are later, not earlier; and a meal can last a long time, with jokes or scandalous slander constantly being told.Alternative cuisine has little resemblance to the "French" or "British" dishes that the upper-middle-class eat: their dishes tend to be more North American.Turkish flavor.Or Indochinese and vegetarian dishes. "Organic Meal" and "Nutritious Meal". Alternatives are usually reluctant to eat in restaurants; because they are not as intimidated as some, who have to swagger before those of lower status.Give orders to satisfy your whims, so that you can gain a kind of identity protection.Someone as quick-thinking and insightful as Alternative has long understood: If you're smart enough, you'll eat better at home than out.You may not be able to figure out what are many alternative favorite foods for a while, such as herbal tea.lemon vodka.Foods baked with stone-ground flour, etc.Occasionally, the alternative will suddenly stop eating those exotic foods without any prior notice, and become obsessed with authentic American dishes, except for apple pie, ham, hot dogs, hamburgers, chili, Eat nothing but turkey.But no matter how changeable the style of alternative cuisine is, it will not deviate from the following two characteristics: (1) delicious; (2) needless to praise.Because it is delicious.Aside from the occasional sauteme, or port wine after a meal, alternative wines are usually dry but tasty and never compromised on quality have a discussion. If you want to identify whether a certain banquet is a banquet between alternatives, when other aspects are indistinguishable from each other, there is a way to ensure your success, that is, no matter how much wine the host prepares, the guests will drink it all. There will be surplus.Moreover, even the owner will be dumbfounded in the end: even the wine at home is running out. Alternative natures are well-informed, so they are unknowingly familiar with the street layout and signposts of many cities, such as London.Paris and Rome, and sometimes even Istanbul and Karachi.On the one hand, this is inseparable from their habit of being willing to learn more new things; on the other hand, no matter when and where, they have a strong thirst for knowledge and curiosity about people.As such, alternative interests center on areas such as history, literature, architecture, and aesthetic taste. (The guy who criticized Aberdas Center Square happens to be at the center of the tradition.) No matter what kind of job an alt takes, he reads a lot of books.They see reading as a natural part of life experience, as important as "experience" and more interesting than experience.Alternative never joins any book clubs.Because they choose books entirely according to their tastes, they are often heard complaining about how kitsch and hopeless the vision of the local bookstore operators is.Alternative reading interests are extremely wide-ranging, he reads all kinds of books, and sometimes even flips through bestsellers, but the main purpose of their reading this kind of books is to see if they are still full of clichés as before.Typically, Alternatives "went to college," but if someone sent him an alumni publication, he would usually throw it away along with the rest of the junk mail without reading it. Because alternatives are completely autonomous, they also tend to explore some unusual fringe disciplines, for example, they may feverishly study Serbo-Croatian verses.Geodes and vestments of churches in northern France in the eleventh century.If the alternatives are in a good mood for a while and suddenly start singing, their demeanor is likely to come from operas of the Baroque era, or from "Tang Sulfondo" (Mozart's famous opera. A translator's note), or "Messiah" (Handel's famous oratorio. A translator's note).Even the tunes of their usual whistles come from the classic repertoire.A truly powerful alternative who can knock down Beethoven's quarters note by note.Alternatives are good at playing instruments, but almost all of them are unexpected: they don't play the violin, they don't play the clarinet.They played the merlot organ.Auto-harp or blow the nose with the nostrils. Although Alternative hates the word "creative" deeply, and thinks that it means pursuing fashion, being easily sentimental and psychologically immature in daily discourse, which is completely a manifestation of the character of the middle class.But they still approach things with a creator's attitude, which is of course a critic's attitude.An alternative has no trouble imagining himself creating a modern work of art, a play, or a work of architecture.Therefore, as far as movies are concerned, alternatives are no less interested in directing style than they are in acting style. Although a cult might permeate European church architecture, and even include some of the graceful and elegant customs of the liturgy of the fifteenth century, he never went to church except at individual weddings and funerals.Not only that, but no one he knew went there.To them it was embarrassing to know who had come up with such an absurd idea of ​​going to church.If compelled to bow their heads in prayer in public, the Alternative will secretly raise his eyes to scan the expressions of those around him who are more conformist, observing people's posture and clothing. Alternatives often make up the rules for themselves, and thus free themselves from social conventions, which means that many of them are writers, and as Diana Trilling puts it, "if everyone . . . wanted to be a writer , not just because being a writer can make someone famous, but because the life of an artist is free and you can make your own rules." Alternative is very talkative.They're good at languages, so it's taken for granted that it's a shame if you're willing to live your life speaking only one language just because you're American or because you're narrow-minded.Alternatives are not like the middle-class and upper-middle-class people, who only speak a foreign word or two for decoration, such as guurmet (French, delicious food); arriderci (Italian, goodbye); kapu (German, it's over).They can translate whole passages from French, Italian, German or Spanish, and sometimes even Russian and Chinese.Alternatives use swearing with aplomb because they don't care about earning respect, but their swearing always has a powerful rhetorical effect.And unlike the pauper who always talk about "focking" (focking), they only occasionally use "focking" as a modifier, and never omit the "g" sound. They may prefer to call some people—usually “servants of the people” or middle-class idols—“fools” more than most people.This shows that, in general, alternatives say what they want and do not use euphemisms, such as insisting that their children use scientific words such as "penis" and "vagina". But they are not always outspoken, and sometimes they use euphemisms, but for a different purpose than polite people.They like to use euphemisms in reverse, or to mock others through imitation.Their favorites are those published in some pulp tabloids, which can make readers tacitly understand the meaning of irony and sarcasm.It can also avoid being said to be a euphemism for slander.So when an alternative raises its brow slightly and calls someone a "firm bachelor," we can infer that he's referring to a "passionately gay."Likewise, as Neil McWood puts it, "starlet" is an ironic term for a whore: correspondingly, "companionist" means "lover"; "fatigue" (or "overfatigue") means "drunk in public"; "playful" means "promiscuity".To say a young woman is "slender" is to say her.About to die of anorexia", if an alt puts enough hints of sarcasm into his tone of voice when using a euphemism, he is using the euphemism to sarcastic effect. So when it comes to a poor guy's kleptomaniac problem , which sounds like vicious skeptical quotation marks around the sentence. A century ago, Matthew Arnold, after carefully examining social classes in England, identified the standard third division of class and went on to explain that in every class there are people who do not feel they are I don't belong to this class and want to come out of it.He defined these people as "heterogeneous".It is to a large extent their American counterparts that make up the alternative community.Some of these members came from the upper echelons of society, such as Al Gore.Vidal (a famous American contemporary writer who is good at non-fiction writing. A translator's note).Some people, like James Jones, were originally poor, even poor farmers.An alternative can be a man with little education, like Jones; Talented lads. In short, alternatives constitute a "classless" class who have taken their place in American society.There, the outlook on life of "trading" can no longer run amok.The arrogance and disrespect characteristic of the alternative.Their bright minds, cynical manner of speaking and high fighting spirit make them escape from the cage of class that binds others.Those who worry that alternative character traits might be "un-American" should realize that, in fact, the opposite is true—these people have real American blood running through them.mark.Twain recognized this early on, and he created the archetypal other, when he first introduced the man to his readers, saying, "Huckleberry Finn has come and gone, by his free will. Personal will." Although their status was not inherited, and although they had no regard for decorum, their free spirit made them a special kind of nobility.In some respects, they are similar to E. M. Forster's "sensitive, decent, bold aristocratic class", members of this class "keenly feel the inner world of themselves and others, . . . scrambling." And "they have a great sense of humor." "They're on the march again," Foster said, heartened by what he saw, "an indomitable army, but not one that can last forever." Victorious Army": Seeing their value, those in power tried every means to snare them and use them.Those in power have borrowed many tricks: Egyptian priests, Christian churches, Chinese bureaucracies, and many other tricks worth trying.But they keep slipping through the net and running away... If people with poor imagination and limited understanding are trying to get into the upper-middle class, then those elites with gifted minds and insights are struggling to get rid of the shackles and prepare to enter the ranks of alternatives.Only an alternative who transcends the depression and anxiety caused by class chaos is an American who truly enjoys the freedom promised on the coin.And only in an alternative world can an American escape the ambition and jealousy that have corrupted so many.As early as 1845, Tocqueville foresaw the consequences of the American government's rejection of aristocratic codes of conduct. "Desire is still in full swing," he wrote. "And the means to satisfy these desires are becoming less and less day by day." Therefore, "these desires are burning in the heart. Expanding. Frustrated desires begin to bite the soul secretly. In vain, we can see the pain of the soul everywhere. torture." At present, the camp of the alternative family is not strong enough.However, it will be big because many people will not realize that they have been invited, and they will eventually join the ranks of the alternative.