What class are you? Poll results/discussion

moggylover

luxor4t wrote: »

My grandmother had her own measure of a person's 'class':
- Radio Times or TV Times ?
- sober or a pub-goer?
- clean driving licence or not?
- butter or 'marg'?
- leather shoes or synthetic for the children?
- regular dental appointments?
- correct use of the letter 'h'?

I think we all have our secret system!

I like that one as well! I'm probably the same age as your grandmother:eek:

ceridwen

luxor4t wrote: »

My grandmother had her own measure of a person's 'class':
- Radio Times or TV Times ?
- sober or a pub-goer?
- clean driving licence or not?
- butter or 'marg'?
- leather shoes or synthetic for the children?
- regular dental appointments?
- correct use of the letter 'h'?

I think we all have our secret system!

Couldnt resist this:D

My mother defined people according to whether their children were "brought up" or "dragged up" - hers were obviously "brought up" (some people have probably been doubting that ever since;) ).

ceridwen

I guess that for most of us the "is there a class system or isnt there" thing really only tends to come up is if we feel someone is trying to lumber us with something unfairly ......at which point its one of the things we use to make it plain "up with this I will not put".

99% of the time my attitude is "so what?". The 1% comes out when I feel threatened by the loss of something I take for granted - I'll come out with every argument going (rational or otherwise) if anyone pushes enough that they think I should work outside normal work hours, live in rented accommodation, eat junk food as a regular diet, put up with noisy surroundings or whatever else I think its unreasonable for ANYONE to have to put up with. But then...we will all use whatever argument we can think of to avoid unfair treatment....errrr....some may not be very good...but if they're the only "ammunition" on the table..;)

<slinks off rapidly stage left still muttering "This isnt what I expect...this isnt the norm...this wont do">

mummytofour

Gangstabird wrote: »

We are all working class really as we work.

I dont work, so I cant be working class!

Welshwoofs

Grimbo_Green wrote: »

mmmm... I thought you grew up extremly poor, without a bathroom... etc etc

Ahh here we go again. You've spewed venom about single mothers and immigrants on other postings and now you've come to pour scorn upon me for my background?

Cluebat for you Grimbo - coming from a titled family doesn't mean necessarily you are rich. That is why I said in my first posting that there is a difference between economic 'class' and social 'class'. Yes, I did grow up extremely poor, in a small damp cottage in a Cotswold town with my 'posh' Mummy and her family heirlooms.

Sorry that doesn't tie in with another one of your generalisations

Obe1

I don’t think its anything to do with manners; the filthy rich are always being rude when they are having a fun, so to speak.. What about that guy on that TV documentary, with his manor house, he swore all the time. I suppose people on an average wage, with a mortgage and 5 credit cards think they are middle class too LOL:rotfl:

olly300

Welshwoofs wrote: »

Ahh here we go again. You've spewed venom about single mothers and immigrants on other postings and now you've come to pour scorn upon me for my background?

Cluebat for you Grimbo - coming from a titled family doesn't mean necessarily you are rich. That is why I said in my first posting that there is a difference between economic 'class' and social 'class'. Yes, I did grow up extremely poor, in a small damp cottage in a Cotswold town with my 'posh' Mummy and her family heirlooms.

Sorry that doesn't tie in with another one of your generalisations

Welshwoofs I think you are being cruel. Grimbo Green obviously lives a very sheltered life where she hasn't mixed or met people from different social backgrounds so lots of her information is gained by the media.

One of the things about living in different parts of the country (and world), getting yourself educated and doing different jobs at different ends of the wage spectrum is that you get to mix with all kinds of people. From Princes, Lords, top politicians and to people who claim they are gypsies from all over the world.

Welshwoofs

Obe1 wrote: »

I don’t think its anything to do with manners; the filthy rich are always being rude when they are having a fun, so to speak.. What about that guy on that TV documentary, with his manor house, he swore all the time. I suppose people on an average wage, with a mortgage and 5 credit cards think they are middle class too LOL:rotfl:

Oh the 'F'ing Fulfords' - they were hilarious. I remember him coming up with a master plan to save their family estate..which involved going round the grounds with a metal detector. From memory they got a few pence :rotfl:

fatbelly

robin_banks wrote: »

Been to university, reasonably well paid job.
Read the Gaurdian and the Times, recycle and freecycle, shop at Waitrose.

You mean The Grauniad.

CFC

Welshwoofs wrote: »

I tend to think that economic class is a completely different thing to the tradition definition of 'class' and the traditional definition is based on a mixture of ancestry, education and social customs but not money.

Welsh is absolutely right.

There are traditional views associated with each class and it is just not a question of money.
For example, traditionally the middle class have valued education and the working class have not. Hence traditionally the middle class (esp the lower middle class and middle middle class, the upper middle class could be as thick as they wanted because they would be sorted anyway) have stayed on at school where the working class have left at 15 or 16 and gone into the world of work, perhaps an apprenticeship or whatever.

The middle classes are said to have understood the need for 'delayed gratification' while the working classes have been said not to. What is true is that there are distinct points of view which are not necessarily political which tend to be broadly common amongst the classes.

There are all kind of subtle indicators of class. and money doesn't really come into it at all. We all know instinctively when we are with our own class and when we are not. Class is still alive and well and living in Britain and I think this will always be the case.