What is being spoiled?
Something adults seem to forget is what a Lord of the Flies-like experiment in social Darwinism school actually is. The slightest weakness will be picked upon and utilised mercilessly by your equally insecure and cruel peers.
So it was with Cecil Smallpiece. That's not his name, But, frankly, it may as well have been. The real one wasn't much better. If you're a parent and your surname suggests that you have small genitals, I strongly advise you to ensure that your children are able to fight from an early age.

This was a mining town in the early 1980's. Don't believe the Billy Elliott-style poor miners with a tin tub in front of the fire image depicted - miners were bloody well paid for a hard job, and when that ended the shock was the harder for it.
Cecils parents weren't hit by this. His dad was a councillor and quite senior in the union, and as the rest of the town slipped into depression, their nest stayed feathered. He was the first person I ever knew to get a computer (A mighty ZX80!) and a video recorder (watching The Empire Strikes Back on someone's TV not in the cinema remains a powerful early memory of mine). Everything he asked for, he got - and his classmates promptly stole or broke. He had the biggest collection of toy soldiers of any child I ever saw. When the Dungeons & Dragons craze was at it's height he had *every* book and figure and game and add on and...you name it.
His parents told him he was talented and gave him lessons in four different muscial instruments. He had a private french tutor.
Everything he wanted or asked for, he got. He got stuff even when he didn't want or ask for it. He was spoiled rotten.

And I think he would have given every bit of it up to be liked. His name was a good starting point, but the obvious material wealth of his family bred resentment and the bullying never stopped. He kept up a facade to his family, but if school is the Serengeti, then he was the antelope who ran too slow.
He never hit back until it was too late, because well-brought up children didn't do that - and when he did his victim status was so well established that it just made things worse.
Years later we found out that his home life wasn't much better - it turned out that his dad had a nasty temper behind closed doors and would hand out beatings without provocation. A lot of the presents were guilt gifts.

Looking back now, I wonder who was spoiled. The kid who had everything? Or me, who didn't get much in the way of presents but who had parents who didn't kick me around? Him, who had private tuition in everything, or me, who had parents who encouraged me to be interested in stuff and learn what I enjoyed doing? Him, who would go home with his brand new games kit covered in mud and scabs after every games lesson and tell his mum how he scored three goals, or me, who wore my brothers old games kit but didn't have to lie about anything to make my parents proud?

Perhaps the reason adults forget how harsh school is is because we want to forget what we were like, and what we did to the "spoiled" kids.
(davywavy, Thu 16 Oct 2008, 10:51, 10 replies)

Wow.
Great post! I hate it when I'm expecting to laugh, then have tears in my eyes at work by the end. Well, not hate it, but you get what I mean.
*clicks*
(ice9, Thu 16 Oct 2008, 10:55, closed)

*cries*
Poor Cecil, he just wanted to have a friend.
( Bert Monkeysex is waiting for the mods to delete him, Thu 16 Oct 2008, 10:56, closed)

I use the expression "Poor little rich kid" when describing such people
It was the kids of rich parents at my school who took up drugs & dropped out or failed their A-levels.
( Colonel Dracula Two manky hookers and a racist dwarf, Thu 16 Oct 2008, 10:59, closed)

Probably because
they don't see the need to work towards getting something. If everything is handed to them from an early age then they might come to expect that as being the norm for everything.
You'd think such people would learn that home life is different to school life, but perhaps they don't.
The 'rich' kid I can remember from school, who aspired to be a surgeon like his father (he only aspired by saying "I'm going to be a surgeon." rather than studying or realising his limits without study) ended up repeating Alevels and what not after changing subjects a few times.
I think he's bringing Jesus to the surfing youth of Oz now. So perhaps he wins? But then again... he's doing it for Jesus. So I win there.
(tweebianmonkey Should be known as Widget, Thu 16 Oct 2008, 11:25, closed)

Yes
also they were given a large weekly disposable income to spend on drugs.
( Colonel Dracula Two manky hookers and a racist dwarf, Thu 16 Oct 2008, 11:35, closed)

specifically
to spend on smack?
"Here you are my sweetie. Now you make sure you don't get any more of that bad stuff from Jimmy The Gun, he doesn't cut it pure. Mad Gerald always has the gear in March. Off you go poppet."
(tweebianmonkey Should be known as Widget, Thu 16 Oct 2008, 11:45, closed)

Not smack
but dope, acid, e's...lots of dope and lots of acid.

One poor little rich kid ended up in the funny farm at 17.
( Colonel Dracula Two manky hookers and a racist dwarf, Thu 16 Oct 2008, 11:47, closed)

Nice post
Well worth a click of anyone's money
(Che Grimsdale Best before:, Thu 16 Oct 2008, 10:59, closed)

Spoilt or spoilt
There is a difference between people like Cecil and people having so much that what they have has no value and rubbing it in people's faces.

Poor kid.
(BearWithLittleBrain, Thu 16 Oct 2008, 11:21, closed)

Nice.
Not for Cecil, clearly, but well written, etc...

Have yourself a click for yourself.
( Moey, Thu 16 Oct 2008, 11:21, closed)