Essay

British modesty

By Mariko Kato

British modesty is an awkward game; and this is particularly evident when you are forced to mention that you are a student at Oxford University.

In Japan, it is more straightforward; you can look someone in the eye and say, "I'm at Tokyo University," and you do not need to blush; your conversation partner, be it a neighbor, the postman, or the woman behind you in the queue at the supermarket, will be honestly impressed and say so.

This is partly the result of the long struggle that the Japanese faced after World War II: They are rightfully proud of achievement and are unified in working hard towards clearly set-out goals. If you are an ambitious student in Japan, there is no doubt in your mind that the top goals would be Tokyo University, then Kyoto, Waseda and Keio universities.

In contrast, class, race and many other differences play an important role in creating British modesty. In a person from the working class or rural areas, or of an ethnic minority, you see a strong sense of pride: an admirable, if stubborn, sense of "self": "I'm proud of who and where I am and how I came to be here. If anyone dares knock it, I'll show 'em what I'm made of."

While such pride is also visible in Japan, it is rife in Britain, a country where the class system still exists, where ethnic minorities are diverse and growing in number, and where there are many vocal rural inhabitants.

But if you are a middle-class white person from the city (with a private school education), expressing pride in being an Oxford University student will only get a sarcastic look. The conversation might be flowing smoothly with your newsagent /milkman / friend's aunt, but as soon as the "O" of "Oxford" is mentioned (or the "C" of "Cambridge" if you're at "the other" elite university), your conversation partner cuts it short with one of two reactions: "Ooohhh, so you must be very clever" [with lifted eyebrows]; or "Oh, OK, right, wow" [looks suspicious and changes conversation topic].

Appreciating that "everyone is different" and that there is no university that is suited to everyone is certainly important, and it is to Britain's credit that no "achievement" is cut in black and white. However, it is less admirable when a child from a less privileged background is deterred from trying for a place at Oxford because the family or the school has too much inverted pride, or rather, snobbery.

You need to have a certain complacency to be able to play your triumphs down. Britian has that complacency. It is a country that has not been fully invaded since 1066. It had its first and only civil war in the 17th century, and has in recent history always been on the winning side. It now enjoys a prominent and stable status on the world stage.

For Japan, however, the course of history has been quite different; and so it seems inevitable — and even enviable — that students at top universities can celebrate their achievement at the top of their voices.

Shukan ST: March 28, 2008

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