Q. Sometimes, when meeting new people at parties, I am
taken aback by their reaction to the news that I have a son who boards at prep school. 'Well, I think it's barbaric to send children away to prep school!' they say. 'I would never send mine away.' The syllogism is: 'It is barbaric to send a child to prep school. You have sent your child to prep school. Therefore you are a barbarian.' To
call someone you have never met before a barbarian seems to me to be overtly aggressive. I do not feel that I should take the insult lying down. How should I respond?
S. T, Chiron, Wiltshire A. Smile kindly at your interlocutor and reply, 'Yes, people often get angry when I say that my son is at prep school, but I always say to them, "Don't worry. It's a little-known fact that there are plenty of bursaries and grants available to help people on low incomes to pay fees for a top-of-therange education. You should never feel guilty that you can't do the best for your own children. It's just a matter of knowing where to look." '
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