Edinburgh Tab Drama: End the Era of Posh

Walking down Buccleuch Street one Sunday afternoon, I was fifteen and couldn’t wait to go home. I just spent an hour and a half at church, or “little free time” to be precise, and if anyone I went to church with is reading this, I don’t want to upset you. I just wanted to go home and sleep. I turn the corner toward the old business school and am jolted awake by four scary words that I didn’t think anyone would actually say.

“Rah, where’s my baccy?”

In front of me was a line hundreds of people long for a trainer, pink, green, yellow and blue, and of course there were men in gray suits all going to the races. But not in the fun, “chav” Ladies Day way where you dress up, drink the day away with Prosecco and don’t actually care about horses. No, no, they were professional Poshos. These people were here to bet their student loans with no consequences. These people weren’t laughing, they were giggling. These people were distinguished English university students in Edinburgh.

I thought, I definitely won’t stay here for college. I can’t afford the rent in Edinburgh, but even if I could, my patience is shorter than my budget.

As someone who grew up working class in Edinburgh, I promise I have ridden the Posh Edinburgh Uni Student Hater Train before you. When I was little, trips with my grandparents to the big swing park in The Meadows often involved a fake hippie trust fund kid balancing on a tightrope between two trees, always with his toes pointed out, for some reason. My first job, where I lasted three days, was when I was seventeen, in an ice cream parlor in the city center, where the girl who told me what to do was wearing a signet ring Posh English Edinburgh Uni Student, from who I once heard complaining that she wouldn’t come home from work to watch Tarquin’s polo match. I didn’t even know people actually played this. She then beat me up because I didn’t have a “real” espresso machine at home.

Needless to say, the cancellation of The Edinburgh Tab, a social media and new website for Edinburgh University students, was welcome. Since then the page has gone private, which just makes me think they check follow requests for a British flag or lion emoji in the background, suggesting the accounts are English and not povos from up here before giving them to them grant the privilege of observing student fitness Check in at The Meadows or Buccleuch Street.

The removal of the Edinburgh Tab comes after a mix of lack of representation of the Scottish population because it is not how we actually live Edinburghthat is far too beautiful. Complaints in their comments section included one user’s comment: “Not a Scotsman in sight.” The tab’s answer? “As God intended.” In response to the criticism, the Edinburgh Tab dodged responsibility, telling Scot’s complaint that the topic wasn’t funny: “boring”.

Apparently many people find this shocking. But what did we expect?

Many wealthy students use running away to college with mom and dad’s handbag as an excuse to show the world how cheeky they are. Some people go through life without facing consequences, taking responsibility, and not being exposed to the real world. When people who have a sheltered upbringing go to college, they sometimes never develop a lack of empathy. And perhaps I’m biased because, as I said, I’ve been an Edinburgh anti-snob since birth, but when you have English children, particularly very wealthy and privileged English children, you head north with seemingly unlimited amounts of money (If If you have any doubts about this, keep an eye on how many micro-trends you follow fashionably, because it’s not a cheap habit). them to respect the locals? So if you have doubts about what to do, there is a simple solution.

Talk back.

If some snob in college, because they are everywhere, decides to look down on your background, your clothes, your accent, or because you can’t afford something, call them out. You will lose some connections, you will no longer be invited to some people’s sermons, but you can go home knowing that you stood up for yourself. And believe me, that’s easier to do than jumping on the bandwagon and belittling your hometown or polishing your speech so that you sound like an old monarch but at least posh people understand you. And on top of that, many potential Edinburgh Tabbers are the way they are because no one has ever told them no. So tell your posh colleague: no, you’re not sending them exactly £4.95 for a pint in spoons, you’ll just get them on the next round. No, you don’t agree with your neighbors calling your neighbors drug dealers and welfare smugglers. Tell the classist poshos that you know the era of snobbery is over. Don’t let her get away with it again.

Featured Image Source: Jess Urquhart

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