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For those not familiar with UK media, The Guardian (better known as The Grauniad due to the frequency of spelling mistakes in its pages) is a very left-leaning
by traceroute66 4y ago
For those not familiar with UK media, The Guardian (better known as The Grauniad due to the frequency of spelling mistakes in its pages) is a very left-leaning paper.
Therefore topics such as private members' clubs are to be considered fair game for The Guardian as its the sort of place their readership would not be seen dead.
I would suggest that the truth is somewhere half-way between two sides of the proverbial coin.
There are some clubs that do indeed have a bit of a reputation. The Carlton Club mentioned in the first paragraph for example. As one Londoner put it to me in relation to the alleged Pincher incident, "if it was bad enough to raise eyebrows at the Carlton Club, it must have been bad".
Moving more to the other side of the coin, the Reform Club also mentioned in the article is not particularly controversial. Sure some of its ways may be old-fashioned my modern standards (e.g. wearing of ties by gentlemen is NOT optional). However for the non-Londoner for example, membership does have its benefits in that they have a small number of accommodation rooms available at a nightly rate that you would be hard pushed to find in such a central location, especially during peak season.
Finally, firmly on the other side of the coin are those clubs that try to scrape by a living by catering for pursuits that are rather more rarified in the modern age. For example, anyone who's anyone in the Bridge world will know of the Portland Club, the main parameter for membership there being a (very!) decent Bridge player (a fact that will need to be vouched for by your proposer and seconder). You won't find any debauchery at the Portland Club, its a serious club for serious people !
Other examples exist, but point being to take The Guardian's opinion on such matters with a pinch of salt.
- canniballectern 4y agoDid you read the article? It's just a review of a book - the article itself doesn't have much to say either way about modern clubs, besides acknowledging the recent Pincher news.
- traceroute66 4y ago> Did you read the article? Briefly skimmed through it yes. But surely the average HN reader will know from the tech world that choice of item to review and style of review is down to editorial discretion. One might say that The Guardian is doing the very English thing of finding a way to say something without saying it.
- katamarimambo 4y agoyou didn't even click the damn link.
- ideamotor 4y agoThat definitely seems to be what they said. Along with quite enough more.
- DaedPsyker 4y agoI feel for balance then that I strongly disagree that the guardian is VERY left leaning. It leans left for sure but primarily centre-left.
- feet 4y agoThe perception of politics is being skewed by the heavily extremist right-wing US, that's my best guess anyhow
- frgtpsswrdlame 4y agoYou make it sound like they're printing Lenin or something lol, they're a little left but certainly not 'very.' Furthermore, why wouldn't a topic like private members' clubs be fair game for any sort of major journalistic outfit?
- jl6 4y agoThe dress code at the Reform is strict but ties are in fact optional.
- nibbleshifter 4y agoThe guardian might be left leaning, but specifically, middle/upper middle class in its left leaning-ness. Another point to note: Soho House, much loved by some of the HN readership, is a private members club.
- prvit 4y agoSoho House is just silly now, I literally know of law firms handing memberships out as an employment perk. So much for being a cool place for creative folks, now they just let everybody in. Also, at least in London the clubs simply suck. 0 atmosphere, even Annabel’s with it’s older crowd and their sugar babes is much more fun.
- NoboruWataya 4y agoI mean, lawyers and creative folk aren't mutually exclusive. Most of the time when lawyers are criticised in the media it's for their "creativity". Surely one of the benefits of being in a club like this is that you get to meet people outside your circle, people who aren't exactly like you. If you want a programmer-only social club, could you not just hang out at the office?
- prvit 4y agoThe whole point of Soho house was to be a place for people working in creative industries. Now that everyone can get in, they’re just boring restaurants with mediocre-at-best food.
- katamarimambo 4y agoWill dang appear out of nowhere to condemn this post like he did when Bari Weiss was criticized for her "common sense" BS website or "ad hominem" (per him) is fair game against left wing media?
- na85 4y agoI have no idea what you're referring to but, if you have to ask in such a fashion then probably not. You'll eventually learn that every online community has its own particular brand of bias and implicit editorial slant, if you will. HN is no exception. There are certain topics that are simply not kosher here, irrespective of what people say. The sooner you make your peace with that the better.
- noSyncCloud 4y ago>The Guardian [...] is a very left-leaning paper. This is A. Not true, and B. Not the perjorative you think it is. The Guardian is as milquetoast and centrist as it's possible to get.
- skissane 4y ago“Left-leaning” and “right-leaning” are somewhat objective. Add the word very to either, and suddenly we are much more in subjective eye-of-the-beholder territory. What’s “centrism” or “moderation” or “milquetoast” to one person will be seen as “radicalism”, even “extremism”, by another.
- monksy 4y agoJust wait till you get to the opinion section. They enjoy their sexism.
- agd 4y ago|> For those not familiar with UK media, The Guardian (better known as The Grauniad due to the frequency of spelling mistakes in its pages) is a very left-leaning paper. It’s left of centre, but not ‘very left’. And ‘The Grauniad’ is a very niche term - I’ve never heard it used in conversation, and have only ever seen it used in Private Eye.
- Aeolun 4y agoThe Guardian has some absurdly left-leaning articles. Like, I’m fairly far left, but I eventually unsubscribed from the Guardian because it was just comical.
- Aeolun 4y ago> e.g. wearing of ties by gentlemen is NOT optional This doesn’t feel so old fashioned to me. Just good sense.