Cultural Differences in the status of effort in the UK vs US

The UK education system emphasizes both attainment and effort grades, where achieving an 'E one', the highest effort without much actual achievement, is perceived as the best. This cultural norm reflects a lack of seriousness, care, and belief in oneself. The speaker attributes their success to not being influenced by this culture, stating that in the UK, there is a trend of not trying, lack of creativity, innovation, inspiration, and leadership. They criticize how figures like Boris Johnson embody this 'E one' mentality, where the appearance of accidentally achieving success is celebrated. This mindset, prevalent in government and business leaders from elite institutions like Eton, Oxford, or Cambridge, promotes succeeding without putting in visible effort.