It does not include such instruments of the Establishment as:

1. the police (they’re just following instructions);

2. enlisted military men (they’re just following orders);

3. Conservative voters of limited means (they’re just following tradition);

4. taxi drivers (they’re just following their instincts – and probably ‘that car’).

In a Brit-society so cruelly divided into ‘winners’ and ‘losers’, they do not have a genuine stake in the ‘winners’ side.

Amer-Establishment

AMERI-THINK: In one sense, virtuallyeveryone in America is THE ESTABLISHMENT, with the possible exception of migrant workers and people on welfare. The Consensus Society is full of people with a personal stake in the system; committed to making it bigger and better, then taking a hefty cut. If you want to increase your equity (and average Yanks do), increase the market.

To this extent, trade unionists are the Establishment. Farmers and stockbrokers, artists and writers are the Establishment. In the Ramborized Eighties, students were certainly the Establishment.

With political dissent virtually absent, all participants expect a piece of the action. Of course, Yanks will admit that some get a bigger piece than others ... and, though billed as ‘the classless society’, America has a large – and growing – Super Establishment. This is the Power Elite – the people who call the shots; who have the money and influence to make elected leaders responsive to their needs. In short, they’re the ones who Have It All. Here’s how to recognize them:

America’s Haute-Establishment – Anyone who:

1. is unduly pre-occupied with the latest rulings on tax-shelters;

2. has stopped buying ‘how to’ books, and started writing them;

3. has ever played golf in the Bob Hope Classic;

4. buys drug items at regular price;

5. toys with the food at yet another $1,000-a-plate fundraising dinner, then eats an omelette at home;

6. has homes and cars on both coasts;

7. is racking up ‘frequent travellers’ miles’ with three separate airlines;

8. has a nutritionist, a broker, an accountant, a lawyer, a shrink, a housekeeper and a personal ‘trainer’, and is considering a press agent;

9. owns several furs, but spends half the year in hot climates;

10. operates a McDonald’s franchise;

11. has personal and corporate AMEX platinum cards, and gets letters of congratulations for frequent use;

12. lost money with John DeLorean.

Comprehension

Exercise 1.Make up 7–10 true or false statements about the text to check comprehension.

Language practice

Exercise 2.

a) Give the meanings of the words and phrases below, comment on their register and expressiveness and suggest synonyms of various degrees of formality. Think up appropriate contexts with them:

cut, n / entrenched, pp / bill, v / unduly / tax-shelter, n

b) Look up different words combinations with the words ‘bill’ and ‘shot’ in a recent English-English dictionary, explain their meanings, illustrate and practise them with your classmates.

Exercise 3.Point out the cultural things and cultural information in the text and comment on them. An up-to-date dictionary on language and culture or any reference book will help you do it better.Note: you are expected to be able to sort out factual information from the author’s emotional attitude and evaluation.

Exercise 4. Phrasal Verbs Practice.

Write out all the sentences with phrasal verbs, look them up in a recent dictionary and write out more sentences with them. Translate the sentences in writing, possibly with a number of options for different speech situations.

Exercise 5.What other language from the text would you like to select for intensive study and why?