Post Factum

The English-Language Discussion Club

While walking in the centre of Moscow you can pass an inconspicuous two-storeyed building where Anglia British Bookshop, is situated. But it is not only the books that attract people to this place – there is also the English Language Discussion Club here. Usually twice a month – on the second and fourth Thursdays – many people come to the Club to listen to very interesting free public lectures, to take part in discussions on various topics, and just to meet other people, because the atmosphere is really friendly and pleasant. The members of the Club (they neither pay any inaugural fees nor get any membership cards, but just come and feel at home) not only have a wonderful opportunity to master their language, but also to enlarge their knowledge in the fields of culture, business, history and many aspects of life of the UK, the USA, Russia…

The cheerful host of the Club, the charming enthusiastic Stephen Lapeyrouse, is a brilliant organiser of all those lectures and discussions; he is also the assistant editor of the newspaper English. The need for a club which could unite not only those learning English and interested in language practice, but also those willing to find out more about world history and cultures had been obvious. Lapeyrouse managed to fulfil this idea about a year ago. Today the Club is both very useful and popular, people of different ages and professions come here after their work or studies and enjoy.

I would like to tell you about the last meeting which took place on March 23. It was John Brown, Culture Attachй at the US Embassy, who delivered a lecture on a very actual topic: “The Work Ethic in America”. He was a guest of the Club for the third time already, his previous lectures being “American Culture” and “Re-inventing Oneself in America.” If we are lucky we will be able to meet him in autumn and listen to his next lecture “Gestures and Body Language in America: A History.”

This time he set two questions: “Why do Americans work so hard?” and “What do they expect from their work?” and answered them tracing “various periods in American history during which the climate of opinion at the time emphasised a particular aspect of the work ethic.” To make his talk more descriptive, Brown handed out some helpful material where he included extracts from American newspapers and books and his own research on the subject.

It was interesting to learn modern statistics: almost 90% of American workers say it is important to work hard, 78% indicate an inner need to do their very best, and 80% would opt to stay employed even if they inherited money to live well. “A commitment to hard work” (Brown gave it as the definition of the work ethic) has produced a phenomenon of “workaholism”, now 80% of the workers in the USA born between 1945 and 1974 consider themselves workaholics. It is easy to prove, as the working time has noticeably increased. Now an average American works 8 weeks a year longer than an average western European; the USA has slipped past Japan to become the longest-working nation in the advanced industrial world. The pace of work has also become more varied and intense, as many people hold several jobs and most families are now two-income ones (where both a husband and a wife work). All this leads to the reduction of leisure time and the time spent with one’s family and friends. The situation really seems to be challenging … that is why John Brown found it necessary to analyse the changes in people’s motivation and their attitude to work during five main periods.

Within the first period, Puritan America, 1620–1730, Pilgrims under the influence of French theologian John Calvin settled in the New World. They wanted to create a “Plantation of Religion” in the area they settled, which became known as New England. The Puritans held the thought of the predestination of man’s fate, people threatened with damnation and hell by the “stern” God, suggesting only one way out: restless business, rational self-control, and ardent work could save one from constant thoughts about the future. In that case one could reach the rewarding result: the divine calling.

During the following period, Colonial and Pre-Industrial America, which lasted from about 1730 up to 1830, the idea of gaining satisfaction in this life grew. But how to reach this goal? By industry and frugality, which would bring more opportunities to develop oneself and lead a virtuous life. Benjamin Franklin, the American Deist and bon vivant philosopher, stressed the idea that you could work hard without worrying about damnation in hell. Just do your business well and honestly (Puritan virtues), and you will be rich – and happy.

The next period, Industrial America (1830-1930), characterised by Civil War and America’s economic and geographic expansion, gave way to such businessmen as John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie, who managed to become millionaires due to their ruthless enterprise and monopolising other industries. The approach to work became more materialistic: man wanted money (by the way, not forgetting also about giving some to charity) and tried to make a fortune, with which, he hoped, he would achieve success in his life.

After that there was the period of Corporate America (1930–1960) with the Great Depression of the 1930s, the vanishing of many fortunes, and massive unemployment. In that situation, where selling and not just producing goods was of utmost importance, not only were your technical skills important, but also your personality and connections. Great interest was raised by Dale Carnegie’s book How to Win Friends and Influence People (1936) where he gave ready-made prescriptions of “right” and successful behaviour. His message was clear: “Dealing with people is the biggest problem you face, especially if you are a businessman.” It was really true in the business world, among working people. Brown stressed that at that time one obtained success by working to win more friends and to get a kind of magical power to influence people.

The last period started in 1960 and is still going on. It may be called Post-industrial America. Nowadays employees “who have most flexibility and the capacity for further learning are best suited for the present type of work environment”, as John Brown explained it. People “look for challenge and autonomy”, wishing to fulfil themselves. They have become very particular and want to become “their own boss”. There are two ways to achieve this: to work “outside the box” (not to do things the old way, inventing new methods) and/or in a team.

So, Brown managed to give a bright presentation of the development of the work ethic in the USA, illustrating it with convincing examples. Artistic, emotional, enthusiastic and sociable, he found common language with the audience very easily, and formed a wonderful atmosphere. It is quite natural that such a deep and fascinating idea met with good response and interest in the thoughts and feeling of the grateful listeners. Many questions followed to which the lecturer gave exhaustive answers. Some persons gave examples from their own experience, spoke about values, the place of work in the life of a man stepping into the third millennium, his/her work addiction, which may even lead to nervous breakdowns and other serious illness… Participating in such a discussion one can ask oneself: isn’t this a global problem? Doesn’t the whole mankind face it? And how does one try to solve it? I hope that it will find its reflection in one of the following discussions of the Club. In spite of the differences in historical perspectives, common wishes and goals unite all people regardless of their belonging to one or another nationality.

Time… How quickly it flies! And how much still remains unsaid! I think that each of us leaving this hospitable house is already looking forward the next meeting with the club and its inhabitants…

Join us! The English Language Discussion Club is situated at Anglia British Bookshop, 2/3 Khlebny Pereulok, Metro Arbatskaya. For more information, call 203-58-02.

By Oksana Danchevskaya