The Higher Ground Revisted.

I'm starting to warm to Steve Eardley's column in Miniature Wargames, I dont know whether he does it intentionally or not,but he certainly gets you thinking a bit,throughout his monthly column. Not so much about wargaming,more about what makes each wargamer tick.
His latest column is regarding Solo Wargaming,which is great,some people have no option,others do it by choice,fine.
 But somehow he manages to introduce other elements of his theme about 'class'! and 'respect'?
This follows on from his last entry about 'elitism' in wargaming.
 All I can think is that somebody really must have p*****d him off in a former life.
Its very easy to criticise people who make the effort to put pen to paper [do we still do that?] and write something for a wargames magazine, but I dont think elitism ,class and respect are issues in wargaming. Or am I being naive.
 I may be wrong but his theme seems to be,that there is a wargaming elite,made up of people that have very large beautifully painted armies of very expensive figures,on wonderful terrain. No doubt they exist,god knows that if I won the lottery I would be commisioning like mad to create wonderful large armies.
 The first time I read Charles Grants book, the Wargame, I was so jealous of the figures and the set up,similarly when I went to the Wargames Holiday Centre,I came back pretty demoralised about what I would never attain. But you get over it, and aspire to do better. Look at Barry Hilton's wonderful games,I wouldn't call them elitist, more an ideal to reach for.
 I'm grateful that Mr Eardley has given me something to write about,because this thing about class has been circulating for a while,in Britain,especially in politics. The Labour party,batter the conservatives about their 'toff' backgrounds whilst conveniently forgetting that they came from the same elite system. It shouldn't be about, ''he's a toff,so he can't possibly know what the 'ordinary'people really aspire to'', it should be are these people capable of getting us out of the mess that has been created.
 I went to a grammar school,and was classed as a 'swot and a snob' by other kids from my village. I ended up a labourer in a brickyard, so much for the idea of privilege. Its he person not the background that counts.
 I did have to laugh when Mr Eardley stated that '' WORKING CLASS and proud of it, I refuse  to recognise class distinction.''  Well surely that's what he is actually doing by stating he is working class.
 I think you would be hard pushed to find an actual definition of working class in todays Britain. I have always thought of myself as working class, but I own a nice house and have nice things,so is it now measured by income,because if thats the case how much income. Do we define it by the figures we buy,or the scale we use,because I use all scales, and enjoy collecting Garrison figures,because they are cheap.  Its the person that should be measured not their upbringing.
As regards respect, I am totally at odds with his pronouncement that everyone deserves respect and doesnt have to earn it. My concept of respect,was by measuring the actions that an individual does in their lives. I have encountered people over the years,who couldnt spell the word and certainly didnt deserve it. Is that wrong,probably,but in the context of wargaming,I have yet to meet a gamer that didnt have something worthwhile to say,or have producded something that wasn't worthwhile per se.

 To reinforce how working class I am, I had to show units from my, Plastic, vintage Brettonnian army, bought unpainted for a halfpenny and a silver sixpence an eon ago [when I worked down the pits].

 Here's me praying for more inspiration from the wargaming elite,god bless them.

 Again apologies about the rant,but thanks for  'The Higher Ground'