Matthew McConaughey’s Bizarre Experience With Posh British Culture
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 10 янв 2025
- Chris and Matthew McConaughey discuss Matthew’s experience in Britain. What did Matthew think of Britain? How does American culture differ from British culture according to Matthew McConaughey?
Shop SKIMS Mens at SKIMS.com/mode... (automatically applied at checkout)
Get access to every episode 10 hours before RUclips by subscribing for free on Spotify - spoti.fi/2LSimPn or Apple Podcasts - apple.co/2MNqIgw
Get my free Reading List of 100 life-changing books here - chriswillx.com...
Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic here - neutonic.com/m...
-
Get in touch in the comments below or head to...
Instagram: / chriswillx
Twitter: / chriswillx
Email: chriswillx.com...
Hello you savages. Watch the full episode with Matthew here - ruclips.net/video/Eu1kHIztT24/видео.html Shop SKIMS Mens at SKIMS.com/modernwisdom
It is not POSH it is bloody ignorant. In the USA they have subdivisions and all you have to do is drive by and you can guess their income.
There are two types of posh in America , the first are not so posh and are envious of the posh , meanwhile the posh just laugh at the not so posh .
It's a bit like the 2 Ronies sketch , one looks up at the other one whilst the other one looks down on the one 😂
The one is of course a millionaire and the posh is a billionaire 😂
Americans are not blind to class, at least on the East Coast.
Ooh uh "savages" is not... yeah I'd rethink that one.
One key thing is that not all of rich people are posh and not all posh people are rich(cash rich anyway). Posh is more to do with how you speak, where you were educated, the sports you play (rugby, cricket, tennis etc, cricket is definitely a posh sport), how you dress, how you behave, what you do socially and all things like that. For example Wayne Rooney is obviously very rich but is not posh. There’s so much more to being posh than having money and is often how you’re brought up, not how much you make.
From a foreign perspective Chris will always struck me as posh. When he said cricket wasn't posh I knew he was.
yes posh people are not always rich in fact alot of the time they are not rich. They have expensive homes but no disposable cash.
@@87mits Cricket isn't posh at all, it's a sport for everyone and definitely played by working class men.
Cricket is enjoyed by both working class and upper class people but it’s very regional and places where it isn’t liked see it as posh for some reason. It’s more a rural and small town sport than football is.
@@87mitsCricket isn’t posh, you only have to look at recent English players. Lots of non pretentious Yorkshiremen, Lancastrians and North Easterners.
I love that Matthew is going on all these podcasts recently. The dude seems like a class act
His hair did the greatest and most misterious comeback of all time.😅
He's working on his political foundation.
A 'class' act - nice one 😅
@@gyromurphy Quite knowledgeable in many areas as well. Rare for Hollyweird types.
Seems… Do not create an idol
In America class is more, but not exclusively, on what you’ve got. In England it’s is defined on how you dress, speak, behave, your traditions, and what you do socially. It has much less to do with money.
Clothes, watches and cars are free? You can't fake upper class in England.
This comment is so tone deaf, loads of poor posh folks over there I'm sure...
I disagree. Class, or “old money” here in America certainly has its customs and signals,including not being too loud when it comes to resources and status. Flaunting ones money shows a lack of class.
@@adrianl7147 Posh ain't money. It's pretty much just the way one speaks. Source: went to posh school.
Although, I will say upper class people are exceptionally rare. My school was a Public one and I don't think I had any upper class lads in my year. Some were extremely rich but not upper class.
@@charityscreams5366as someone who’s been called posh my entire life and works a minimum wage job you definitely can be posh and poor. I had a friend who’s mum had gone to some elite private schools and all that growing up but the family lost it all, she lived in a small terraced house, was clearly posh but not rich
This is probably the most I’ve watched of Matthew McConaughey outside of his movies, all right all right.
All right
All right
All right
@@ChristianLife888 his 1st 6 word line spoken in his 1st movie of his career
I really appreciate his recognition of the value of ritual. It helps to bind societies.
The entire British monarchy is ritual and symbolism.
Anti monarchists often are critical of swearing allegiance to a man or woman. They are really swearing allegiance to the symbol of authority and values that the monarch is supposed to represent.
When Americans swear allegiance to the flag, they aren’t swearing allegiance to a piece of cloth. They are swearing allegiance to the values the flag represents.
Exactly! Well said!
American here, when I enlisted in the Marines I swore Allegiance to the constitution. Not saying the flag is not important as a symbol, but not the same.
@@jmw1982blue Isn't there a routine pledge of allegiance in US schools that "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
The monarchy is the flag embodied
Generally speaking, all countries has the ritual of how flags are flown and also how the nation's flag cannot touch the ground.
These are all rituals.
Growing up in Georgia USA, I remember working as a waitress where some of the wealthier people would eat often, sometimes they could be condescending, rude, and not tip even though we did everything as perfect as we possibly could… and when those people would leave we would say, “ money can’t buy you class”…
Class isn’t a financial status here, but more of a way to being… whether someone is rich or poor doesn’t determine their class. A lot of poor people have more class than wealthy people… are they “upper class”? No… but no one cares… no one cares if you’re rich, happy for you but you’re not better than the rest of us. That’s the way we perceive class here. Confidence and humility go a long way here. 😊
Exactly. Seems a lot of comments here are directly associating posh/class with wealth. While in some cases it’s true, I know a lot of low to middle-class people who are very “classy” people. I hold them in high regard because of how they act vs their income/wealth
Classy or having class /= social status or class system.
You're conflating 2 different things.
Being upper class doesn't mean you're nice, or lower class mean you're rude.
The best way I have heard it explained is posh - it's an initiliasation of port out starboard home. Comes from transatlantic cruises, you got more sun if you travel from the UK to the USA on the left side of the ship and came home on the right. If you knew this it meant you had lots of money to be taking the journey regularly enough to know this tip.
But it's not just the money, it's about being the circles where people might know that sort of thing. You don't have to be rich to discuss Opera but if you start discussing opera likely posh and or rich people will carry on that conversation etc etc
that's how the word is used in modern (American) English so i can understand your confusion, but when referring to the UK and many other countries we are literally talking about a class (or caste) system where birth determines ones place in society, its very very watered down and irrelevant today but for the vast majority of our history this system was what the entire country and structure of our government was built around.
something that deeply entrenched in a countries history is not easily cast aside even when it no longer serves a purpose. due to the way America was founded this system was simply unviable so America really has no similar cultural concept for what we would call a "class system" (although the Rockefellers etc certainly could be considered such)
and no its not all about the money nor manners, there are many upper class families that lost their fortunes etc. but even when in prison for being unable to pay their debts, high class people were sent to a very different and much more comfortable prison than lower classes etc.
if i had to try and explain it in a context an American would be familiar with i would compare it to our modern celebrity culture. its not about wealth or even merit, its about influence and the value society places on an individual, and as we have often learned, the most vile of people are often raised to those positions and then protected by them. it was an unfair and unjust system that decrees "some peoples lives are worth less than others" by its nature, which is why we mostly got rid of it all.
I noticed when I was in the US, that people used the word pricey much more than the word expensive when they were referring to items that were of a higher standard/quality, implying they were what rich people buy or shops that wealthy people go to. I think many people just won´t go to certain stores because they think that´s not for them, when in fact they may have things that don´t cost so much as well as things that do.
I own a small window washing company. I work for some of the Titans of industry in the fourth largest city in America. I can walk up to two millionaires and have a conversation with them as if we’re all at the same level. I know and they know we aren’t at the same level.But there’s no class division that says we can’t shoot the shit and have a moment between men.
@@anthonyhammond165 that’s just bollocks mate how many do you know 🤣 I’m a financial adviser and look after people from the House of Lords down to working class tradesman. The upper class Eton types are some of the nicest people I’ve met sure there are some wankers but proportionally it’s low. It’s the middle class that have earned a few quid that have a much larger percentage that operate like that. Particularly the children of those people.
@@alpey8487 Spot on, in America the poor are humble. The Rich are usually humble, but you definitely know they are rich.
It's the middle class that puts on a performance. Spending all their money on expensive trash just to show it off.
@@Pbr1029 problem is you get the working and middle class that don’t even know anyone in the upper class that have an opinion on them. They are more offensive in their assumptions than they think the upper class are about them ironically
I was also a window cleaner for many years, two of my customers are on Britains rich list, in the top 10, wont say who but both billionaires, most down to earth people you would meet, always had a great laugh with them, so no different in England.
@@alpey8487 it is sad, like everyone is scrambling to play some invisible/material king of the hill match, just to have some peace of mind knowing that you are a "above" a certain group of people.
Which is why I love A knight's tale with Heath Ledger. If you haven't seen the movie, it's basically about someone from the peasant class becoming a self proclaimed noble to prove his capabilities in jousting. He's such a good jouster that the nobles look past the class he is from, he wins the girl, and becomes a knight. Idk I haven't seen the movie in awhile.
But what I loved about it is that Heath's character could have never have done all of that, unless he believed he could. Unless he believed the class system could be broken.
It was his father in the beginning of the film that reassured him that "A man can change his stars"
Matthew oozes drunk uncle energy. I love it!
I was raised to believe that class meant kindness, generosity, thoughtfulness, good manners and good sportsmanship. It also meant tolerance, education and integrity and speaking out for your beliefs as your duty, not your option. I have dual citizenship. We have work to do.
All the best English words have multiple meanings. And many can also be used 'truthfully' and sarcastically.
@AthelstanEngland Pray tell, how did you interpret it? I beg you to educate me.
The pomp and ritual in state occasions like the Queen's funeral and the Coronation are breathtaking and give me goosebumps. It feels like nearly 1,000 years of history brought to life in dazzling technicolor with stirring music to match. The late Queen's funeral was watched by more than more people than any other similar event, partly because so many people around the world could watch it on a smartphone, with 5 Billion people watching at least part of it.
This 1,000 year-old ritual stuff is not true. England was notorious for not having rituals for royal funerals and coronations. Many were quickly put together affairs that would be considered comic disasters today. Usually there was a big banquet that degenerated into a drunken free-for-all. When the nobles left, the remaining food was eaten by the commoners who were waiting on the sidelines. Cue possible riot. Most of the rituals were invented in the early 19th century as the Brits decided, as a world power and empire, that visiting royalty and subject peoples needed a good show. ‘The Rest is History’ podcast, hosted by Brits, goes through this rather well. Even the simple ‘white wedding’ ritual that many rely upon as somehow traditional and historic only goes back to Queen Victoria’s marriage to Prince Albert in 1840. It wasn’t common in the US until the 1940s and 50s.
Nothing that you see those events are done in the same way they were even a few hundred years ago.
I watched that and I found it deeply moving and showed the world who we are as a country. This is the United Kingdom laying to rest an era and a monarch, one of 1000 years of history. Wonderful.
I had a similar experience to Chris playing Rugby. I got to play for the under 21s county team and turned up to the first practice session on my moped. Meanwhile, every other player turned up in their Porches, Mercs, and Range Rovers and it was then I realised they were all Public Schoolboys and it was just me and one other guy who came from a comprehensive.
Wait, public school means you’re rich? I thought it would be private school.
I think in UK private schools are called public schools as opposed to state schools, if I recall my english language classes correctly
English here. The word 'aristocracy ' means two different things to Brits and Americans. In America, my understanding it is an individual or family with money, influence etc. They can be self-made. In Britain its far more exclusive and pinned down by specific definition. Being rich, well spoken, influential, high class does not make you an aristocrat. It would make you upper or middle-upper class in the British sense. Aristocracy is literally a birthright. A noble like a Duke, Marquiss, Earl, Viscount or Baron. You can only either be born into it or marry into it.
I mean monarch can make anybody duke, Marquess, Earl, Baron etc....
@krishnavyas313 I think that is true but it very, very rarely happens.
@@krishnavyas313 technically they cant, because you dont just get made a duke, you get made a duke of "insert territory here". there are only so many of those "de jure" territories you can hand out before they start to overlap. the current system is a complete patchworks of "appointed in name only" to "large landowner" of those regions. and still largly those titles are inherited so they don't get given back to the crown to hand out to someone else. and thanks to the labour government basically selling off unclaimed titles in the 90's there aren't many free ones left for the monarch to hand out. most of the titles that change these days are special titles like "prince of wales" that is given to people depending on their position in line for the throne etc.
Random aside but thats also the reason why prince Harry's children weren't allowed the prince and princess titles when they were born but can use them now since the death of the queen, because they moved up in the line of succession.
Can I just give a little depth to the Royal debate. Back in the 1990’s, I was an Army diver in Belize. The Royal Yacht visited for a week, and Belize went mad for hosting the Queen and Prince Philip. But as the Yacht sailed away, in came plane loads of British business executives, and their job was to trade off the very pro British feeling left by the Royal visit. This goes on everywhere the Royals go. The Royal Yacht was a floating money making machine. But along came Labour with its politics of spite (just like now) and the Yacht was binned because it cost whatever to maintain, without a thought for the vast wealth it created for Britain plc. If we lose the Royals, we lose so much more than the pomp and ceremony, which is so valued by the rest of the world.
"We're hungry for ritual"
I did pick up on that heavily when I first got to America not too long ago
Nope
Yep@@TheRealDeadhorse
@@1979Rosco Ok. Rosco. I’m not and I don’t know anyone who is.
@@TheRealDeadhorse we ritualize everything including sports events so you’re a dirty liar
@ how DARE me!? I don’t mind so much when I’m a liar, but when I’m a DESPICABLE liar to such an upright and conscientious citizen as yourself, DbT, well, that’s simply beyond the pale! I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!
I would explain to Americans, that the monarchy isn't the Royal family. A monarchy is a system of state. The whole thing is a monarchy, hence why the word Kingdom is in the name. So to be a true republic there would have to be significant structural reworking. Significant. That might make Mao's cultural revolution look like a picnic. Now that may be worth it, however any politician with the 'vision' and the power to fully implement that? Probably shouldn't be trusted. Please remember Americans we did try getting rid of the Monarchy in 1640. And whilst certain values from that experiment are important, the implementation was.....prone to hijacking by fundamentalist political ideology. Starting history from Year Zero isn't necessarily fun for the people involved.
Yeah I remember reading about how England changed from a monarchy to a parliamentary system and it didn't seem like much happened structurally really. It almost seemed like they just said, "Ok we are keeping the same structure but now instead of a King wielding all the power, the aristocracy will wield it."
Maybe I'm getting that wrong but that's what I remember.
@@michaelanthony4750 That sounds like you're describing Magna Carta in 1215. The other time in the 1640s the King (who was a particularly rubbish King tbf ) got executed, the aristocrats were killed or fled, and a hyper religious sect of Puritans ruled. So the country was a republic for 11 years. However the new regime proved hugely unpopular with the public because the Puritans were basically sort of a Protestant Taliban. So they banned Christmas, theater, make up and sport. Then went around smashing up churches and statues and burning art. About 500,000 people got killed in total. The masses got so fed up that after a decade they restored one of the young Prince back as the new King. We did dabble with republicanism before America was born.
Constitutional monarchies are pretty stable, although from what I'm seeing the UK could do with WAY more robust freedom of speech laws. And yes, "The Crown" isn't especially the persons in and of themselves. In essence they're actors of a sort, albeit of a much older form of theatre. I could actually see China restoring it's Monarchy in time, albeit under a rigorous constitution. God knows they would LOVE the pageantry.
@@michaelanthony4750Ya you’re getting it wrong. Kings or queens don’t have power to make laws. No more “off with their heads”
@@paxnorth7304 I agree, if I could change one thing structurally in the UK it wouldn't be anything to do with the Monarchy, it would be to add the First Amendment to our constitution.
Speaking of Americans thirsting for ritual and tradition, its a fascinating dive into when George Washington was made President. They had not thought upon how exactly to do that, how an inauguration would be held, how long they would serve, even what word to use when referring to the leader of this new Republic.
Didn't they also want to make him king at first? But he turned down the opportunity. That's why I as a Eurooean find him fascinating (apart from having lead a successful revolution): he said no to absolute power in an age of kings and queens, proving that he's the best guy to lead a country.
@@manwiththeredface7821 As I recall, yes! Its been a while since I studied that, I would love to see Chris do a dive into it with an historian.
@@manwiththeredface7821 Hey American here: what we were taught in school is that a sizeable minority of people wanted Washington made King, so that our country would have the same "standing" in leadership as other countries at that time. But Washington decided to go with the group that wanted a President, and later he decided to voluntarily step down from the Presidency after two terms in office. Which is why for 150 years until Roosevelt no President ever served more than 2 terms because it would be seen as the ultimate hubris of trying to be greater than Washington, and why we now have the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution limiting the Presidency to 2 terms.
We Americans got incredibly lucky the same guy who was the top General of the revolutionary war armies was also not obsessed with holding on to power.
They, and I believe Madison in particular, studied the Dutch Republic from which they almost copied the DOI, but they were not impressed. And rightly so, it was made up on the go during an 80 year independence war, it still had semi heriditary powers, the document preceeding the republic was still the de facto constitution allthoug never designed to be one, and of the Dutch states/provinces kind of doubled up as one province and the framework of the united provinces.
So they wisely decided to start from scratch, and not grow into a compromised system, make a clean, clear, principled set up of a federation of states.
@@manwiththeredface7821 100% The founders wanted to make him a king, but Washington did not care for that idea and wanted to create something with a limitation of power. Also the reason that the US presidency is two 4 year terms is cuz he legit got tired of being in charge after 8 years and told everyone he was done. To add on, after this when two people would run for the presidency the person that came second became vice president. I think that changed after Thomas Jefferson or John Adams
posh is supposedly an acronym for "port out, starboard home", describing the most expensive and exclusive cabins on cruise ships travelling to and from the UK and India
Nope.
early 20th century: perhaps from slang posh, denoting either a dandy or a coin of small value. There is no evidence to support the folk etymology that posh is formed from the initials of port out starboard home (referring to the more comfortable accommodation, out of the heat of the sun, on ships between England and India).
@@markovull You’re right. Also WOP “Without Passport” to denote Italian immigrants.
The cigarette story reminds me of when the Oasis boys used Mick Jagger as an ashtray, if but briefly...
Lol..
The good old days....
Dude! It feels like last time I saw your content you were just starting out and then 5 minutes go by and you have over 3 million subscribers! Congrats on the success, well deserved. This is a great take btw, I love Matthew!
Hey Everyone 🤠
Find the parts that interest you:
0:10 - Learning about British culture
2:21 - Americans' blindness to class
4:36 - The importance of cultural rituals
Chat with videos via Bumpups 🌲
Delightful interview!
watch the tv show Sharpe if you want to really understand the difference between the classes back when it was peak.
The ash on the rug story shows that "posh" is a mindset; in the U.S a guy rich AF like Matthew McConaughey cherishes his wealth but does not take it for granted; he would NEVER disrespect his stuff by ashing on it because its expensive. The Posh Brit will because its replaceable; That is POSH.
Yeah the class system in Britain is about WAY more than just money
Someone who flicks ash onto a rug is more likely to be nouveau riche.
Old money people tend to look after their inherited rugs and furniture. The late Queen was known for her frugality and ‘waste not, want not’ attitude.
@@gilly5094 True. Aged heirlooms and threadbare rugs are a signifier of old money and the upper class. There is an appreciation of old things, so can't imagine it would be a thing amongst that group to flick ash around.
That is NOT posh. Posh people are very discrete--someone truly upper-crust would slowly start moving towards the ashtray (thinking ahead) and casually drop the ash there when the time came. The impostor in MM's story just wanted to show he has servants to clean up his mess. That stinks of "no class."
The idea the rich are super discrete is just part of their propaganda as part of their infight against New Money elites. Go to a horse racing match and see Old Money elites there and hang around the Home Counties, Mendips, Bath, Oxford or Peak District and you will see old money richers have no problem chucking their money around and dressing like elitist prats while they force you off the road in their blinged out Land Rovers SVs they drive in the middle of country roads because how dare a offroader 4x4 tyre ever actually touch curbside dirt.
A lot of people really don't understand the significance of the monarchy in the UK. Anti-monarchists see a priviledged family and believe it's a waste of tax payers money, or like Chris says, the term highness, as in higher than what?
The reality is the monarchy is a symbol. The UK is an anglo-celtic land, and has had kings and queens for thousands of years. It is part of British culture. The monarch is a conduit which is supposed to represent British values in human form. Basically, uphold and display them. The monarch remains politically neutral, unless a political party threatens the survival of the country. That is why the British military swear allegience to the monarch. The monarch is essentially a failsafe in that regard, which makes a coup in the UK incredibly difficult to achieve.
As an American, I really appreciate it being explained so clearly and succinctly. That makes alot more sense. Thank you!!!
Your explanation is precisely why I support monarchy.
And why I want to get rid of the monarchs.
The monarchy is not only a symbol, it is a personification of a criminal regime. Political neutral? Seriously? How naive are you?
I LOVE our monarchy. They are born into their roles and trained throughout their lives how to be ambassadors for our country and diplomats. When we have important guests arrive in our country it’s the palace that entertains and connects with them. They have centuries of experience of dealing with foreign guests (including other royal families) and their customs. The benefits of their chosen charity works are undeniable and the tax they pay is voluntary and over the odds. They cost us approximately £1.50 each a year and from that budget they have to take care of pretty much everything.
They do a cracking job and they are our living history personified and our family. I could add more but I’ve got shit to sort out. 😜
This is a good explanation for non-Brits. Thanks.
I’m from Texas, USA. In America we associate class with the way you present yourself and treat others. It has nothing to do with wealth or lack there of.
That’s not the type of class they’re talking about. You can be “classy” and not upper class. Social classes in America are almost exclusively based on wealth. We pretend thry don’t exist but they do.
In TX you also have no idea what someone's net worth is by looking at them or how they act. I know a guy that has hundreds of thousands of acres with lots of oil that was literally building barbed wire fence when he was handed a $100MM royalty check, then went straight back to it after the company left. 😂
@@fabsmaster5309I disagree, it is the same type of class. Class as we use it in Texas is very much the same word, but the difference you’re hilighting is how people here started using it explicitly as a rejection of traditional class (having high social worth) being based on birthright and instead basing it on your values and social decorum.
POSH - A popular folk etymology holds that the term is an acronym for "port out, starboard home", describing the cooler, north-facing cabins taken by the most aristocratic or rich passengers travelling from Britain to India and back.
POSH: Port Out, Starboard Home. It's a nice explanation of the words origin, which I think McConaughey would have appreciated.
I really admire Matthew McConaughay! He’s proper cool!
No Matthew, SOME Americans are hungry for ritual. Not all of us as a culture. Plenty of us have no interest in ritual, no trouble finding and adopting ritual, or we already have it.
"Cricket is a working class sport in the UK, it's not necessarily upper class"
HA!!!
yeah right!
Cricket is more of a middle-class/upper middle class sport in England. Football is the sport of the masses- the working class
Cricket is more middle class. Upper class is more golf/tennis
@@davidc4408 golf and tennis are still middle class pursuits. Polo is purely an upper class sport.
@@apebass2215 I would say middle class/ upper class as many royals etc either play or watch major grandslams. Yes, true upper class would be polo, fox hunting - vile and yachting.
He’s not wrong, yes a lot of upper and upper middle class people play it, particularly down south but there are lots of working class communities up north that still play it.
The origin of the term dates back to the great age of passenger ships.
"POSH" means "Port side Out, Starboard Home."
On a trip to India, the broiling sun was on the ship's opposite side.
Port out, starboard home, posh with a capital P-O-S-H...
For up from the ashes, up from the ashes, grow the roses of success!
And SHIT comes from "Ship High In Transit" to avoid methane build up below deck from shipments of manure. Sounds plausible, but untrue.
@Jack93885 what was the point of your comment?
@@JayKayKay7 your comment reminded me of the film "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" and in particular the song by the grandpa, "Posh!" so I shared an excerpt of the lyrics in the hopes someone else would recognise it and share in my reminiscing.
It's cool if you don't care about this piece of classic British children's cinema, someone else might and that's who I left my comment for ✌️
@@Jack93885 didn't get it.Sorry!
Port Out, Starboard Home - POSH was stamped on tickets of the upper classes who rode the large boats on The Nile. The ticket designated that by being on one side of the boat on the outward journey and the other on the return you'd always be in the shade. The hot sunny side was for the poor!
*Catholic me laughing, “oooohohooooo do we have some rituals for you!! 😎😏😉
lol yep 🙌
Abusing children?
😂😂😂
For Americans (I am one) there's a bright line between curious "heraldic rituals" and subservience to royalty. We fought a war over this, and won. As Alan Jackson would say, "I bow my head to Jesus and stand for Uncle Sam." Always.
They are so intertwined though. The ritual and cultural heritage aspects of the monarchy is what makes them a unifying force. Look at how divisive America becomes over their head of state in the last few weeks alone. Would you not rather a head of state that serves everyone and is beholden to noone?
There is honour in being subservient to a king if said king is legitimate under God. I'm not sure the British Royals fit that criterion.
I’d rather have a monarchy any day of the week than politicians being head of state.
Bow your head to Jesus? 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Yeah, we haven't been "subservient" to them really since Cromwell, they are a figurative head of state with no political power of note, personally I could do without them, however they do support themselves in terms of tourism, a bit like a historical Disneyworld
And that was very not what the war of independence was about...despite Mel Gibson...it was largely about bankrupting France, being able to buy tax free cotton and tobacco while washing hands of slavery and allowing colonists to expand despite British indigenous treaties.
I know what you're taught, but a handful of farmers don't defeat the most effective military force on the planet at the time by losing more battles than your opponents and then sueing for peace before any big sticks got pulled out of the cupboard.
I Graduated from West Point.. we didn’t realize at the time but,, a reason for ceremony is important !! A reason to dress fine and use table manners.. There is a time and place for everything 😊
The comment about using “posh” once a day in primary school is a great overstatement. Perhaps in your experience in your time in the 1980’s or 1990’s certainly not in all primary schools in various times and areas in the UK.
Posh is an old naval term for Officers leaving and returning to the ship.
Port - Out - Starboard - Home
Wow
My understanding of the origin of the word posh was that long before ships to the far east had air conditioning, The rich passengers could afford to book more expensive cabins on the left hand side of the ship that were in the shade on the outward journey and on the right side of the ship on the return journey as that side would be in the shade. This ensure your cabin was always in the cooler shade and for that you paid a premium and on the outside of the ticket the instruction ‘Port out, Starboard Home’ was abbreviated to ‘P.O.S.H.’ Only the very wealthy could afford to do those, hence the abbreviation became associated with having great wealth.
@@commuterbranchline8132 This is an interesting point about the cooler side of the ship. I thought it was always about the best view, looking at strange new lands vs. constant sea. It might be a combo, I don't know.
The word itself can have a specific origin, but I'm hoping you understand that a word can have totally different meaning but the same spelling. Context is key.
@@DaneofHalves the context of the comment: where the word originated from.
It is not a compelling argument it is entirely ignorant, a constitutional Monarchy is proven to be the most stable form of government, plus our Monarchy give the economy far more then they take, our economy would tank without them, they also bring about a sence of unity and pride that comes along with the culture and tradition, but you get hurt feelings at your highness 😅😅 i personally have no issue with your highness, without the Royal family and it's lineage we would not have this glorious country of ours
Something over 25% of tourist visits to the UK are to see monarchy bits, royal castles etc.
Very helpful to the economy
You obviously don't read the news.
UK Government is not stable at all lol. Also the Monarchy don't actually help the economy because you can't actually see all the Royal stuff because it's private and gated. If they were booted out, Buckingham and the estates would become public trust museums and actual tourist destinations.
Germany and France don't have nobility anymore and their royal/aristocratic/castle stuff makes the UK look pathetic in comparison.
Loved "The Gentlemen"! I enjoy everything Mathew and Guy do in each of their films.
Americans had tradition in the late 1800s and 1900s, New York society , some brit expats.The British Blue bloods that had titles but no money were married off to the rich industrialist daughters eg Vanderbilts . Debutants is still a ritual. Fascinating era to learn. Oh and i could listen to Matthew McConaughey all day.
Also, the British nobles had lost quite a few heirs in WW1, and had lost money, so US businesses were drafted in to shore up the finances and the family.
I'm American & I would be very against the idea of having a monarchy here, but I would also be against England ending its monarchy, despite my dislike of Charles. As Matthew said, America is starved for rituals & you guys have that deep history full of these traditions and rituals which are very important for society imo.
As for your friend with his "higher than what" argument, you live in a monarchy, they are chosen by God like the Pope is, but I am not a monarchist, so I'd recommend you turn to one of them to get a proper argument in favor of the monarchy.
He’s referring to Alex O’Connor and I’m pretty sure he has given a compelling argument for the abolishment of the monarchy.
@@dwayneriedel I’m sure there are compelling arguments to the contrary
The rituals mostly from the fact that England is a very old country. The end of the monarchy would not necessarily mean the end of those rituals, as some are connected to civil society, not the monarchy. The ones related to the monarchy would end, but not other ones.
Why you dislike Charles?
He has done so much for society and UK.
That kind of exists for regular folks too but only if you went to a pub. It used to be the done thing to just drop nubs on the carpet in some venues and the cleaners would just deal with thousands of butts the next day. It was slowly being phased out and then the smoking ban ended it almost completely.
The pomp and ceremony is cool because it feels magical, it feels special, it feels old and it binds us to our ancestors. Why do people get dressed up for the Oscar’s or for a wedding? It denotes it as a special occasion, as having import.
One of the poshest people I know drives a beat up old Volvo estate and wears a jumper that has more holes than a colander. He also has a family tiara and can trace his line back to Arthur’s auntie. My point is I wouldn’t define money as posh, in fact in a lot of cases it’s a clear indicator of not being posh especially when flaunted.
It has a lot to do with the people you have around you, and your friends.
I don’t think we’re hungry for ritual here in the U.S., we’re hungry for Jesus. Too many have moved away and have no structure, no beliefs, morals, etc.
We are hungry for a return to the ways of our ancestors BEFORE Jesus
Americans need ritual. Americans also need Jesus.
No
In answer to Matthew's question, yes there is the distinction between 'new money' and 'old money'
Absolutely. There is a definite distinction, nicely summed up in the novels of British writer Terry pratchett, in his character of lady Sybil vimes. She is old money, dresses any old how but has breeding. I've known quite a few people like her. I live in an area where lots of Normans settled when William the conqueror was king. And the riffs know it. The nouveau rich...anyone who settled after that (!) quickly learn their place.
The audiobook of greenlights is a great road trip listen
From what I heard POSH stood for Port out, Starboard home. In a time when you had to take a boat to travel. The higher class people didn't want a sun tan. This is a way to help not get a sun tan.
Not true 😊 But a fun story!
Amusing and Meshing.. "En-meshing"... interesting new work created 0:05
America needs more traditions. Something to bring us closer together. If you think around the holidays, how more positive and welcoming strangers are to each other. It seems that with a common holiday time, not religion, we have something to connect with.
Just loved this whole exchange. Thank you so much Mr. McConaughey for doing this interview. T'was fuggin' awesome. 😂❤❤❤
The Parisians had a tremendous ritual for the royalty. It included a guillotine.
I've never been a royalist or into any ceremonial BS, but I have to agree; like it or not, it is an identity. I do wonder what the world will look like when we're all one in the same.
There’re plenty of people who are angling to find out.
Don't think the Brits will get rid of the ceremonies & pomp any time soon.
The weddings & funerals are still big events.
People all over the world engage in being fans of the Royal Family.
Here in Germany there is a big group of people following the Brits with a bit of envy. 😂
Nobody does it better with all the uniforms and costumes and embroidery and and and.
People love a good show and some traditions will definitively be kept!
All the best! ✌
Very true. It is something of an identity.
Go to Brazil. You’ll see and recoil in disgust.
McConaughey needs to read up on the history of Britain, the people of British Isles ushered in the Industrial Revolution, the best education system in the world, impacted to stop the slave trade, brought everything that is proper and democratic to the western world. The UK needs to be acknowledged more as the great strength it is. The Monarchy is the soft power that is sorely needed in the world today. Those who dismiss it are ignorant about history and the impact of history, customs and rituals on the people of the country. It's time to compare countries who have this and those that do not and rate the quality of these countries.
As I understand it, from John Lydon, that the British pay a whopping lot of taxes to keep the Royal Institution. So I, as an American, wonder at the practicality of "The Monarchy"..... Your country so do as you like.
But.. ugh!.., a barn in Texas? That's going to be miserable starting in May and will remain so until (maybe?) October.
The main difference I see is the adoption of “high culture” denoting more of the “socio” aspect socioeconomic status among posh upper class Brits. Think studying the classics, intellectualism, Latin, orchestral music, history, opulent food/drink culture. I see it as a carry over from the Romance/Latin cultured Norman-French elite who the upper classes historically descend from. Americans did away with this class of people in 1776 by kicking out the monarchy/nobility, hence we have a more working/middle class culture seen as consistently low brow across all income levels.
Yeah you make no sense whatsoever.
Who is old enough to remember the sitcom Keeping up appearances 😂?
M keeps using the word “class” to describe “posh” and C keeps subtlety responding with the phrase, “well-to-do.” I’d include “well-bred.” Using the word “class” is unclassy😂
Dr Seuss wrote a book about the Sneeches. It pretty much summed up this issue and the human experience.
We do like our rituals. But only to a point. Recognize they are just a show and don't give permission to be too pompous. For example if someone we like get knighted, we'll cheer and clap for them. But if some stuck up twat gets a knighthood and thinks it makes him better than the rest of us, you can believe the genral public will put him in his place. Nobody is above this ridicule as prince Harry is finding out.
"We further conclude, then, that the acronymic theory of the origin of the adjective posh is simply a modern invention." Merriam-Webster
It's not your highness, your majesty
1:38 😂
I served my parents table time.
Port Over Starboard Home. The origin of the acronym
Matthew McConaughey has always fascinated me, just like Woody Harrelson, LOVE THEM both - depuis toujours, bisous du coeur 🥰😇😍
3:06 Tries to explain class consciousness
3:14 "Mercedes tho bro"
literally Idiocracy
Re: ' Your Highness - never confuse the individual with the office they hold. It is the office that we show deference to, not the flawed human being.
The class system is so wild looking in from the outside. The ceremony/ritual seems interesting, but the looking down on other people for not adhering to arbitrary rules and behaviours is just sad.
I still can't fathom why so many people put celebrities, actors, singers etc. on a pedestal and actually pay attention to the things they say and do outside of just entertainment?
I’m an old girl and have been around for many years, I find the young of old money, old values, well educated and courteous people do not behave like brats. A lot of new money, well taught but not well educated - remember, teachers teach while parents educate. Behave appallingly
An acronym deriving from the phrase 'Port Out Starboard Home' which came to stand for the wealthy shipboard travellers who could afford to travel in this way.
Class is class, and it can’t be bought, handed down, or faked.
If there is anything I hate more than the English class system, it’s people who sit around finding ways to make it sound nice.
How much have you engaged with it?
Posh Spice would like a word.
I'm sure there's plenty of primary school children in England that didn't use the word posh today, they might have all mentioned fortnite though.
Posh Port Out Starboard Home wealth deserve the sunrises
POSH comes from Empire days prior to air conditioning where wealthy Britains traveling to India by ship through the Suez and went ‘Port Out and Starboard Home’ to avoid the worst of the sun.
Not all English posh upper-classes are classy, but those who are classy are memorable.
POSH is derived from ship journeys to India from the UK. If you had money, you could afford to be on the shady-side of the ship, which was "Port out, starboard home". So being described as "posh" is as much an insult towards the nouveau-riche as it is a recognition that you have certain standards. It has nothing to do with being a gentleman, and in fact implies that you are otherwise.
Haha love that he came across poss people. A lot of us Londoners don’t relate.
I wouldn't say flicking cigarette ash shows class. It's the opposite. There is a phrase here 'you can't buy manners' - I think sometimes it's us ordinary folk that have the manners and etiquette sorted!
I wonder if there’s some data on the cost of the British Monarchy vs the cost of the American prison system. The price of keeping kings vs the cost of criminalizing poverty.
Matthew was right in what he asked. I point repeated about Rishi Sunak was that he was "Richer than the King!"
But he doesn't have breeding. The Tories used him because he has money, but sunak was and is, considered crass. As are those like Cameron and johnson. Cameron married into a lower stratum of the top tier, and as one noble said when Johnson was running for PM...he's practically American, for God's sake!
Jeez! Interesting people you met.
RE: Monarchy.
Read Polybius Constitutional theory.
British Constitutional Tradition (Monarchy) is founded upon the principle of balanced structures that prevent the rise of an oligarchy and Mob Rule.
That failed completely when Life Peerage was introduced. The decline in appreciation for monarchy is a direct result of the the decline of the Peerage as an active force for traditional and inter-generational scope of governance.
I read years ago that posh was a reference to the Orient express. It meant port out, starboard home. That way you were always protected from the sun.
Port and starboard are seafaring terms not train ones?
Posh comes from the saying:
Portside Out Starboard Home
When the British citizens started to visit Africa. So that they would always have a view of the land, from their room on the ships. These rooms would be more expensive
Not true, no evidence supports this. It sounds and is too good to be true, like most simple etymologies and explanations.
None of these theories that reduce the meaning of a word like that to an acronym are ever true.
America is definitely looking for identity. We had it, but we let in too many dissimilar people, thinking it was a great idea, and it is for a pirate ship, but not a nation. We can’t agree on anything important and have nothing cohesive nor unifying to hold us together, silly customs or not!
Yes, it’s more an issue of identity than the empty rituals themselves - which will mean nothing in England once the population no longer resembles the native British.
Being posh is more than just being rich. Lots of very common and commonly behaved people have loads of money.
There are trees in America older than your country too
Your king has sausage fingers..
Yeah, trees are a bad example. I guess a better example is that Britain has universities that are 700 years older than the US. All love though, I like that there’s a “younger country” on the block. It’s like an Osiris and Horus dynamic.
@@FreelanceSaul That IS a good example, sir.
There's a pub in my town that's over a hundred years older than the first settlers of America
@@leecoates3674not really, their trees alive that are older than the UK. Keep in mind the UK monarchy and government isn’t some eternal thing. They were invaded and conquered multiple times establishing a new monarchy and redoing the whole country. There is trees that predate when England was a colony of the Roman Empire. That predates England as a unified country or UK as a unified island. That is why it’s a poor comparison. Even then infrastructure says something because there is old countries that have no old buildings. You ask how, it’s called invasion follow up by a massive civil war. Go to South Korea, Korea who has history that predates texts from England. And their oldest bakery is only 100 years old because the Japanese stayed away from that area, and the Korean War didn’t hit that place as bad. That whole country has been rebuilt and if you go there you would never guess the devastation that happened 70 years ago. Europe has had a lot rebuilt because of two world wars, and places people have been that have changed countries multiple times in the last 150 years. That their are pubs older then America, building in Rome and Greece that are older then the UK. That is history, but history has been re-written and stuff has changed so much that the modern climate of the world for the past 30 years was unique. It’s going away now. Be prepared to see sovereign countries end and not by civil means.
Posh has so many levels in the UK, you get people who don’t understand the entirety of it thinking posh is a car or house etc.
Whereas it’s so much deeper. At its purist it’s about old money, family ties, status within certain industries or public sector.
For example a person who became a self made multi millionaire but was still authentic to who they were ie- spoke with their accent, dressed how they wanted etc etc, would struggle to reach a certain economic standing still due to the system of people who may not have more money but look down on people, using their positions and power to put barriers up or close doors.
Most accurate thing I’ve seen that shows how the classes of people can mix at those levels is in The Gentleman.
In America class is more, but not exclusively, on what you’ve got. In England it is defined on how you dress, speak, behave, your traditions and employment, and what you do socially. It still has a lot to do with money though.
The respect of others > posturing by flicking ash onto someones carpet.
Class in England is not treating others how you would like to be treated. "Noted & Saddened to see."
You are better than others so you can treat them how you want.
They don’t have “all men created equal” as a culture.
@noelsonkwa & isn't that sad. I have the approach of "be nice till it's time to not be nice." -Roadhouse.
Euh. Class has nothing to do with money. Class has everything to do with good manners and education.
So yeah. The word "posh" has obviously turned everything upside down. Sad. Very sad.
2:29 you step out trained
Others assume it was an easy learning curve.
Americans are beginning to appreciate old school ways, especially presenting themselves to world as more polished taking heed to their appearance. Throw away clothes are being replaced by finely made wool suits. I rather buy one experience suit than having a closet full of polyester cheap looking clothes.
What a lot of people don't seem to understand is that doing away with the monarchy would not mean doing away with our culture. We can still have the pageantry at university, in our town halls and in our special events. Next time someone becomes a proud British citizen, they could swear allegiance to the people of our country, rather than to an unelected king. Would that make their commitment to our country any less valid? I would rather have an elective monarchy, instead. The first elected king and queen should be David Attenborough and Jane Goodall. Anyone with me?
McConaughery (tough name) is just very likable, love it.
As a child I remember thinking only posh people could afford to eat at Macdonald's...
Because me and my mum certainly couldn't..