By Harvey Vickers

I’m 22 years old. In historical terms, I was born yesterday. But even in my short time on this planet, and quite small about of books I have read, I’ve grown interested in the human psyche.

There is a specific mindset that is often sneered at. You hear it whispered about in disparaging terms—”chav culture,” “sink estate mentality,” or the more Americanized “ghetto mentality.” It’s characterized by a rejection of education, a hyper-focus on the present moment, and a deep, cynical fatalism about the future.

The standard narrative—often pushed by the tabloids—is that this is a moral failing. That people are just lazy, unaspiring, or feckless.

I would like to argue the opposite. As a writer, I look at character motivation. And when you look at the economic and systemic reality of the UK, in 2025, those “toxic” mindsets start to look less like laziness and more like rational adaptation.

If you’re trapped in a burning building, you don’t plan your retirement; you look for the nearest exit. Millions of us are living in a burning building, and we’re being judged for not sitting down to write a five-year plan.

The “Rationality” of Hopelessness

Let’s look at the history. Fifty years ago, in the industrial heartlands (London, Liverpool, Manchester), there was a “Working Class Contract.” It wasn’t perfect, and it was often grueling, but it offered a narrative: You learn a trade, you join the union, you work the job, you get the pension. There was a timeline. You could see a future.

Today, that timeline has been shattered.

The data (and the reality we live in) shows a massive shift from industrial stability to the “Gig Economy.” We have replaced careers with “gigs.” When you are on a zero-hours contract, you cannot predict your income for next month, let alone next year.

In this context, Short-Termism isn’t a flaw; it’s a necessity.

• The Flaw: “Why do they spend money on flash trainers or a night out instead of saving for a mortgage?”
• The Reality: Because the mortgage requires a deposit that is mathematically impossible to save for on minimum wage. The “night out” provides immediate dopamine and social connection in a life devoid of long-term security.

When the future is structurally blocked off, focusing entirely on the now is the only logical emotional response.

The Crab Bucket and the Siege

This brings us to the darker side of this mindset: The Crab Mentality. The phenomenon where, if one crab tries to escape the bucket, the others pull it back down.

In our communities, this manifests as “getting above your station.” It’s the mockery of the kid who reads too much, or the person trying to start a business. It’s ugly. But again, let’s apply some critical empathy.

If a community feels under siege—abandoned by politicians, mocked by the media (think of Jeremy Kyle or Little Britain), and squeezed by the economy—solidarity becomes a defense mechanism. If you try to leave the “siege,” you are viewed as a defector. You are rejecting the shared suffering that binds the community together.

It is a toxic solidarity, but it is born out of a need for protection.

So, politicians won’t save us. What do we do?

I am a member of the Green Party because I believe in systemic change. But I also look at Westminster and feel the same fatigue many others do. Legislation is slow, and the disconnect between the political class and the working class is vast.

We cannot wait for a white paper to fix this mindset. If we agree that this “siege mentality” is useful for survival but terrible for thriving, how do we—regular people—break the cycle?

Here are three ideas I’ve read about. I want to know what you think.

1. Reclaiming the “Third Place”

Sociologist Ray Oldenburg talks about “third places”—spaces that are neither work nor home. Pubs, working men’s clubs, libraries, parks. These used to be the engines of community. They are where we learned to debate, organize, and support each other.

The Action: We need to physically show up in our communities. Not online. In person. Join the failing cricket club. Sit in the library. If we let our physical community spaces die, we lose the ability to organize. Isolation creates fatalism; connection creates hope.

2. The “Micro-Union” of Friendship

The breakdown of trade unions didn’t just hurt wages; it hurt our psychology. It took away the feeling that “we are in this together.”

The Action: We can replicate this on a small scale. Form “financial accountability” circles with friends. Share resources. Use libraries. Babysitting circles. We need to move from “Crab Bucket” (pulling down) to “Ladder Building” (pushing up). If your friend gets a win, that’s a win for the circle. We have to consciously reprogram that jealous reflex into a supportive one.

3. Narrative defiance

As a writer, I believe in the power of stories. The story told about the working class is one of deficit (what we lack). The story we need to tell about ourselves is one of resourcefulness.

The Action: Reject the “Poverty Porn” media. Stop clicking on it. Stop watching it. But also, reject the anti-intellectualism in our own heads. Reading, learning history, and understanding economics isn’t “acting posh”—it’s arming yourself. Knowledge is the only thing they can’t take away.

Let’s Argue (Politely)

Please tell me where im wrong, or where you disagree in the comments.

Sources & Further Reading
The Precariat: The New Dangerous Class by Guy Standing (For the economic context on the gig economy and loss of security).

Chavs: The Demonization of the Working Class by Owen Jones

The Tyranny of Merit by Michael Sandel (For the critique of meritocracy and “internalized blame”).

The Great Good Place by Ray Oldenburg (For the sociological concept of “Third Places”).

Office for National Statistics (ONS) (For the labor market shifts and housing data).