What class are you?

bunty1957

What defines CLASS? I come from a typical working class family, I am educated and have a reasonable job with a good salary. I own my own house (paid for) by sheer hard work and determination! I have two cars and three children, all who have been brought up by myself! They all have savings accounts for their future and we have a good standard of living, no debts and we do have savings!!!! what class am I ? WORKING CLASS and very proud of it!!!

bunty1957

House share and debt??? Sounds like working class to me!

happyinflorida

I think it's very sad to see that 140 people have voted themselves as "underclass".

In my opinion there is no such class but I think this reflects on the media today and how they and this government are putting the message out that some people are worthless and that is wrong on every level.

I am disappointed at all the classes listed in this question - when I grew up there was only upper, middle and working class - now it appears that there are far more and we must be becoming a very classist society. What a shame.

This means the UK is becoming almost like India with the religion that has a caste system - I remember meeting a girl, many years ago, who told me about this system and belief and I found it horrifying that people could be made to live like that with no chance of getting out of it!

Are we becoming like this in the UK? I so hope not as that doesn't make for a good, caring, compassionate society and we need to do more in the UK to change this.

Lagoon

happyinflorida wrote: »

I think it's very sad to see that 140 people have voted themselves as "underclass".

In my opinion there is no such class but I think this reflects on the media today and how they and this government are putting the message out that some people are worthless and that is wrong on every level.

I am disappointed at all the classes listed in this question - when I grew up there was only upper, middle and working class - now it appears that there are far more and we must be becoming a very classist society. What a shame.

This means the UK is becoming almost like India with the religion that has a caste system - I remember meeting a girl, many years ago, who told me about this system and belief and I found it horrifying that people could be made to live like that with no chance of getting out of it!

Are we becoming like this in the UK? I so hope not as that doesn't make for a good, caring, compassionate society and we need to do more in the UK to change this.

The way I see it, class gives people a general idea of what someone's lifestyle and situation is like, but everyone has their own opinion.

You can see that just in this thread. I wouldn't consider bunty1957 to be working class by a long shot, but that's what she considers herself to be.

To me, she'd be very firmly middle class.

Then you have the people that think you can't move from one to another. I think you can, and I do think 'underclass' is a real thing.

I grew up in a household where we were in poverty, starving, with not enough money to eat (though enough to buy alcohol!). We slept on the floor, lived in a caravan for a while, moved from rough property to rough property and didn't pay our way. We were surrounded by drug addicts, and by criminals.

To me, working class defines those that work as supermarket checkout operators, or do other similar 'low skilled' jobs, often on a wage rather than a salary, and perhaps taking benefits to supplement their income. Or, the unemployed with good reason. Usually they're renters, privately or through the council, and they have little spare income. Underclass is more, to me, about living in an incredibly bad environment, having no money and doing nothing about it.

I think people can move up and down through the classes, but more importantly I think that, ultimately, it's just a definition and doesn't matter.

bristol1831

I find too many devisions and categories for class confuses the whole thing, what point are we really trying to make when we talk about class. I agree having 'upper' for everything and an 'underclass' is counterproductive. The idea of an 'underclass' is something created to demonise poor/working class/unemployeed people.

If you google 'bristol afed class calculator' you can do a quick check which is far more straightfoward than the one the BBC did awhile back , and it cuts right to the heart of the matter with an economic definitiion of class.

No definition is perfect, and you can make a million different classes and still have people who don't neatly fit into one or the other, but class is about power and thats what the above test analises.


I consider myself working class in case you were wondering!

Robg_2

In theory, everyone who's working could consider themselves working/upper working class. I'm a Police Sergeant, semi-detached house, can afford food, excursions and petrol (just)! I voted for upper working. I think it's all a state of mind and as usual, the media and society pressurises us to attain a status that isn't always achievable or affordable. The result, lots of debt and unhappiness :-/

Robg_2

Lagoon wrote: »

The way I see it, class gives people a general idea of what someone's lifestyle and situation is like, but everyone has their own opinion.

You can see that just in this thread. I wouldn't consider bunty1957 to be working class by a long shot, but that's what she considers herself to be.

To me, she'd be very firmly middle class.

Then you have the people that think you can't move from one to another. I think you can, and I do think 'underclass' is a real thing.

I grew up in a household where we were in poverty, starving, with not enough money to eat (though enough to buy alcohol!). We slept on the floor, lived in a caravan for a while, moved from rough property to rough property and didn't pay our way. We were surrounded by drug addicts, and by criminals.

To me, working class defines those that work as supermarket checkout operators, or do other similar 'low skilled' jobs, often on a wage rather than a salary, and perhaps taking benefits to supplement their income. Or, the unemployed with good reason. Usually they're renters, privately or through the council, and they have little spare income. Underclass is more, to me, about living in an incredibly bad environment, having no money and doing nothing about it.

I think people can move up and down through the classes, but more importantly I think that, ultimately, it's just a definition and doesn't matter.

.


Unfortunately, Lagoon, in my experience/job, the Underclass is the rising social class and I don't see it getting better anytime soon, despite the soundbites of the government of the day.

stevemcol

I always try and cling on to working class in these discussions. There are just too many middle class pointers though. I did that thing on the BBC website recently http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22000973
and got between Techincal Middle Class and Established Middle Class depending how much I bent the truth.

bristol1831 wrote: »

If you google 'bristol afed class calculator' you can do a quick check which is far more straightfoward than the one the BBC did awhile back , and it cuts right to the heart of the matter with an economic definitiion of class.

Doesn't really work if you compare a company CEO (a wage earner) with a corner shop owner.

lazer

I firmly believe I am working class - I come from a typical working class family, Dad was a factory worker, mum sewed stuff and sold it to up our income.
Holidays were all in Ireland (I am from Ireland), lived in a rented house, drove old battered cars etc.

I went to grammar school, university and have a professional qualification and now own my own house, and I have worked hard for everything I have - so that makes me working class. (Although my Children will be Middle Class - as I will hopefully be able to help the out with some savings etc in life)

I think class is mainly about your background and how much you have given to you by family, or how much your family backround gives you opportunites etc.

An acquintence of mine used to be annoyed that I thought I was working class when I had a good professional job (Evening though my earnings are not that high - or at least weren't back then), and claimed that she was working class because she didn't have a degree and worked in a call centre
What she failed to realise (IMO) was that she had a house that was given to her by her parents, regular holidays to her father's apartment in Spain and her income topped up by her family. She had also went to University and dropped out so didn't take advantage of the opportunites she had, however still claimed that having a unskilled job made her working class.
I am not bothered by class - and don't really car how people see me, but the girl kept telling me how lucky I was to have such a good job etc and how I was so priveleged to have had the opprtunuty to get a good job etc, it wasn't luck, it wasn't opportunity - it was sheer hard work.

MrsE_2

Lagoon wrote: »

To me, working class defines those that work as supermarket checkout operators, or do other similar 'low skilled' jobs, often on a wage rather than a salary, and perhaps taking benefits to supplement their income. Or, the unemployed with good reason. Usually they're renters, privately or through the council, and they have little spare income. Underclass is more, to me, about living in an incredibly bad environment, having no money and doing nothing about it.

I think people can move up and down through the classes, but more importantly I think that, ultimately, it's just a definition and doesn't matter.

To me working class is simply that, people who work for a living. I have no idea what upper or lower working class is.
I am educated to higher education level, I have a professional qualifaction & a management position in the public sector - I would consider myself working class, along with your check out operator.
Underclass I guess means those on benefits, who cannot be working class as they dont work.