George Bernard Shaw, the renowned Irish playwright, had a sharp eye for social issues and a biting wit that he often used to critique English society. One of his most memorable criticisms centers around the deep-rooted arrogance and class prejudice that he believed permeated English culture, often expressed through something as simple as language. Shaw’s famous quip, “It is impossible for an Englishman to open his mouth without making some other Englishmen hate and despise him,” highlights the absurdity of the social divisions that were entrenched in British society based on regional accents and dialects.
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| .Bernard Shaw, edusoft.ro |
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| Shaw was highly cortical of status minded English quotefancy.com |
In Shaw’s view, the English were particularly obsessed with accent as a marker of identity and status. Whether one spoke with the refined “Received Pronunciation” or a regional accent such as Cockney, Scouse, or Yorkshire, it instantly placed them in a particular social bracket. This led to a paradoxical situation: while one Englishman might view his own accent as a badge of pride, others could interpret it as a symbol of inferiority or arrogance. Shaw was quick to point out that these prejudices weren’t just casual; they influenced real-world outcomes, shaping people’s perceptions, career opportunities, and social standing.
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| Bernard Shaw, .shutterstock.com |
Shaw’s Pygmalion of 1913 play (Hollywood flick: ''My Fair Lady'' with Rex Harrison, Stan Holloway and Audrey Hepburn; Wilfrid Hyde-White as Colonel Hugh Pickering retd British officer expert in spoken Sanskrit ) is perhaps the best illustration of his critique. The play’s protagonist, Eliza Doolittle, is initially dismissed as an unworthy street flower girl simply because of her Cockney accent. However, with phonetic training from Professor Henry Higgins, she is transformed into a lady who can move in upper-class circles, demonstrating that speech alone determines how society perceives her. The transformation, though purely superficial, exposes how shallow and arbitrary these judgments are.
To Shaw, this obsession with “correct” English was emblematic of English arrogance — a belief that one’s speech determined one’s worth, and that “proper” English was superior. By focusing on the triviality of accents, English society was ignoring the true value of an individual’s character, intellect, and potential. Shaw’s critique was not just of language but of a mindset that prioritized appearances and class distinctions over real human qualities, ultimately calling for a more egalitarian approach to judging people. According to George Bernard Shaw, the English stratified society stemmed from deep-rooted historical and cultural factors that emphasized class distinctions. The rigid class system was reinforced by language, accent, and education, with Received Pronunciation associated with the elite and regional accents often deemed inferior. This obsession with hierarchy led to an ingrained arrogance among the upper classes, who believed their social status was inherently superior.
On a visit to Bombay January 10, 1933 at a Yacht club near Taj Hotel he was angry after seeing a sign that said , "Reserved exclusively for the white people only." He responded angrily to his guide, a reporter from The Hindu, ''It was nothing short of snobbery to have a club exclusively reserved for the use of the white people in a land of colored people".
Shaw argued that the importance placed on royalty and aristocracy perpetuated these divisions, as the monarchy symbolized tradition and authority. The English were conditioned to respect and uphold the royal lineage, which further solidified social stratification in which character and intellect were relegated to the back stage.
https://www.navrangindia.in/2015/04/bernard-shaw-and-gandhi-vegetarianism.html
https://www.thoughtco.com/george-bernard-shaws-life-and-plays-2713683
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