BBC LEARNING ENGLISH
6 Minute English
?Is being thrifty a virtue
This is not a word-for-word transcript
Neil
Hello This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English I’m Neil
Sam
And I’m Sam
Neil
Are you a saver or a spender, Sam?
Sam
Well, I’m trying to limit my spending right now because I’m saving up for a
deposit to buy a house
Neil
Saving money is not always easy - as we’ll find out in today’s programme, which
is all about ‘thrift’ ‘Thrift’ is not a simple idea to define It’s to do with living a
simple life free from the need to constantly buy the latest products
Sam
Today’s consumer culture encourages us to ‘spend, spend, spend’, but it hasn’t
always been that way The Victorians for example told people to ‘save up for a
rainy day’, meaning to keep some money back in case of unforeseen
emergencies
Neil
But before we discover more about that, it’s time for today’s quiz question If
you’re trying to save money you probably know how hard it can be So my
question is: what percentage of people in the UK, do you think, have less than
£1000 in savings? Is it
a) 5%,
b) 15 %, or
?c) 30%
Sam
Well, if I’m anything to go by I’d say c) 30%
Neil
OK Well, we’ll find the correct answer out later I mentioned before that ‘thrift’ is
a difficult idea to define, so here’s Alison Hulme, a lecturer at the University of
Northampton, explaining more to BBC Radio 4’s programme Thinking Allowed:
Alison Hulme
There are two dictionary definitions of thrift The older of the two comes from
the word ‘thrive’ etymologically, and described thrift as the ability to live well
and to flourish, so it’s that sense of human flourishing The more recent
definition is the one we’re probably more familiar with which is about frugality
All of that said, it’s been used historically of course by various people in various
moments in various different places in very different ways and they’ve often had
a social or religious agenda
Neil
It seems the oldest definition of ‘thrift’ has nothing to do with saving money and
is connected to the verbs ‘thrive’ and ‘flourish’ - meaning to grow or develop
successfully
Sam
It was only later with the Puritans - 16th century English Christians with a
reputation for strict discipline - that the meaning of thrift changed and became
associated with frugality - being careful not to spend too much money or eat too
much food
Neil
The Puritans believed that being frugal was a religious virtue and that people
ought to save money in order to give to others in need
Sam
Later on the meaning of ‘thrift’ changed again During the Victorian era, it was
connected to the idea of managing your own money in order to be a responsible
citizen
Neil
Throughout history then, there have been different versions of ‘thrift’, and this
may be because different religious or social groups had their own agenda - a
specific aim or reason for a particular group to do something For example, the
Victorian definition of thrift was based on a social agenda about being a
respectable member of society
Sam
Ideas about frugality and thrift changed again during the Second World War
when the public was encouraged to avoid waste so that every material resource
could go into the war effort
Neil
And in the post-war period, it changed again as people’s wealth and standard of
living increased Here’s Alison Hulme again:
Alison Hulme
It’s the idea that once people had enough to meet their kind of basic needs there
was this kind of moral slide into consumerism It’s not a view that I subscribe to
in a simplistic sense myself - I think there’s a very fine line to tread here There’s
no point denying that, certainly in the developed world, there’s been a rise in
consumer capitalism, that’s just a truism, but thrift hasn’t declined
Neil
In modern times, people’s motivation to save up and be thrifty declined once
they had enough to meet their basic needs - the basic necessities needed to
survive, like food, clothes and shelter and nothing extra
Sam
Alison mentions that once these basic needs were satisfied, people moved away
from thrift into consumerism, the desire to buy ‘luxury’ products which were not
absolutely necessary According to some, this created a moral slide – a decrease
in the standards of behaving in good, fair and honest ways
Neil
The rise in consumer capitalism we have seen around the world is an example of
a truism - something that is so obviously true it is not worth repeating
Sam
What is worth repeating is the quiz question, Neil
Neil
Yes, I asked you how many British people had savings of under £1000
Sam
And I said, c) 30%
Neil
But in fact, Sam, it’s b) 15%
Sam
So I guess I’m not such a bad saver after all
Neil
OK Well, today we’ve been talking about the changing meanings of ‘thrift’, an
idea connected to frugality - being careful not to spend too much money
Sam
The original meaning of ‘thrift’ was to flourish - grow or develop successfully -
but that definition changed as different religious groups, like the Puritans,
promoted their own agenda - aim or reason for a particular group to do
something
Neil
In recent times, people’s ability to meet their basic needs – the necessities for
survival like food and shelter, have reduced the importance of ‘thrift’, which
some believe has created a moral slide – a reduction in standards of moral
behaviour
Sam
And the associated rise of consumer capitalism is an example of a truism -
something that is obviously true and generally accepted by all
Neil
That’s all for now Join us again next time for more topical discussion and
vocabulary Bye for now
Sam
Bye bye
VOCABULARY
flourish
grow or develop successfully
frugality
being careful not to spend too much money or eat too much food
agenda
specific aim or reason for a particular group to do something
basic needs
the basic necessities needed to survive, like food, clothes and shelter, and
nothing extra
moral slide
decline in standards of moral (good, fair and honest) behaviour
truism
something that is so obviously true it is not worth saying
