How middle class are you?

[F.U.B.A.R.]

I have plain ole black farmer type wellies

Maybe I'm lucky but the folk I tend to work with come from a range of backgrounds, even upper class and those with professional qualifications are usually very good at what they do. Their personalities may have a lot to be desired for but generally they're fine to work with. They are also ok working with working class scum like me, I've actually found a few really interested in my tinky background! Lol

Class really isn't worth worrying about.

Agreed, class isn't worth worrying about (except for those who like to think of themselves as middle class - for them it's extremely important because that is their identity). I've met many upper class old money landed gentry types (you can't spend several years in the agricultural community in Cheshire without doing so) and I've always found them very pleasant and welcoming, if a little naive. It's all the company director types and their spoilt offspring that really get my goat, in their 5 bedroom Barrett houses with mock Tudor beams and hot tubs in the garden. Posh chavs...

 

[Eveleivibe]

Agreed, class isn't worth worrying about (except for those who like to think of themselves as middle class - for them it's extremely important because that is their identity). I've met many upper class old money landed gentry types (you can't spend several years in the agricultural community in Cheshire without doing so) and I've always found them very pleasant and welcoming, if a little naive. It's all the company director types and their spoilt offspring that really get my goat, in their 5 bedroom Barrett houses with mock Tudor beams and hot tubs in the garden. Posh chavs...

Come to think on that you've a point, you know, FUBZ... When I was working for the NHS we'd have endless n I mean ENDLESS of work nights out, basically going round the town n getting drunk... When I was working for them they bought me drink after drink, never expected me to buy them one though I'd offer. Anyway a while after I no longer worked there n was invited on a night out, not one offer of a drink, apart from believe of not the CEO who was really down the earth considering his position. He even once manned the phones for us to n join the party Christmas Eve.... but was strange that. I don't really like being bought drinks or people paying for me because I've been brought up to be independent - but on observing that I found it extremely fascinating the change in behaviour towards me when I was no longer a colleague.

I have plain ole black farmer type wellies

Maybe I'm lucky but the folk I tend to work with come from a range of backgrounds, even upper class and those with professional qualifications are usually very good at what they do. Their personalities may have a lot to be desired for but generally they're fine to work with. They are also ok working with working class scum like me, I've actually found a few really interested in my tinky background! Lol

Class really isn't worth worrying about.

I admire you for working I assume you're joking but you're far from "working class scum" you're an intelligent lady, who's battled mental illness n come out the other side and a good heart n sense of humour.

I agree with you on class, never really gave it a second thought we're all common as muck where I live hehe (in a good way). My Nain was poor most of her life but she said she was rich in her health and love she received from family n friends. She'd have over 22 people at her house every Christmas n it was only a small times but those times were the best. One can have ALL the money in the world but it won't bring them happiness, love, health etc.

Evey

 

[One Thousand Words]

Agreed, class isn't worth worrying about (except for those who like to think of themselves as middle class - for them it's extremely important because that is their identity)...

You could say the same about dyed in the wool working class wankers who make comments about someone just because they can afford a better car or take an overseas holiday.

In fact very few people actually acknowledge class these days other than a handful of soot covered counties in England. Most posh schools are filled with bastard sons of the elite mingling with those whose parents work two jobs and invested wisely in their youth. You are more likely to be excluded from a private club due to skin colour or what type of genitalia you pack than whether or not you have a lispy speech impediment and a family crest above your fire place.

 

[Eveleivibe]

You could say the same about dyed in the wool working class wankers who make comments about someone just because they can afford a better car or take an overseas holiday.

In fact very few people actually acknowledge class these days other than a handful of soot covered counties in England. Most posh schools are filled with bastard sons of the elite mingling with those whose parents work two jobs and invested wisely in their youth. You are more likely to be excluded from a private club due to skin colour or what type of genitalia you pack than whether or not you have a lispy speech impediment and a family crest above your fire place.

OTW I don't think he was trying to be rude towards you, just explaining his experience of things.

I mentioned about the CEO still buying me a drink when I was no longer an employee n how he manned the phones. Not everyone who is rich is 'stick up' etc. And from watching the likes of Dowton Abbey; well those were the times in Britain; people did not know any different. Nowadays we are less ignorant and more accepting of one another.

OTW I know you're well off and I happen to think you're OK in you're own little way. I enjoy your adventures, your trips etc n hearing your opinions. I think, from what I've read on here that most people are in agreement that class means bollox so no point arguing and hitting out at each other when, personally, I find most of you fascinating because your lives are different. I love hearing your adventures, experiences, aspirations, annoyances etc. Fascinating - not something to be shunned fought over

People are fascinating.

Evey

 

[One Thousand Words]

You are confusing wealth with social classes though evey.

The class structure is a predominantly English phenomenon. Outside your borders it really doesn't exist in the rest of the world. Sure there are VIP clubs and those who clean them but there is no way Jay Z and Beyoncé would be considered a toff, yet in New York they are Queen B and her beau.

The closest thing that exists outside the Cotswolds is the caste system in India, which again is another level of class struggle that makes what this thread pertains to look like a party.

Middle class in the truest form does not exist. You either have to get up for work come Monday morning or you sign papers for your children's trust account. There are simply shades of grey from the homeless to the manor born

 

[Vurtual]

But isn't 'social class' that you speak of (as well as the caste system) the long term ossification of the economic relationship to wealth and means of production which is present in every country. The marxist idea of class is the only one with any analytical value - but as said before it only works in the general, not the particular (ie tells you nothing about an individual)

 

[One Thousand Words]

The caste system has little to do with material wealth and more to do with religious history. It is near impossible to escape ones caste once born.

In western society economic success isn't as unattainable as it once was. Careers and professions are not usually predetermined at birth. Even politics are a achievable profession for someone from a working class background. I'm not saying just anyone will become prime minister, but the pathway into parliament is not a foolish dream if you apply yourself early in life.

 

[Eveleivibe]

Yes it was very much it. Books like Jane Eyre (written by Charlotte Bronte) and Withering Heights (written by Emily Bronte), illustrate class and struggles with it, well. Interesting that they were sisters - Jane Eyre appears a part-reflection of Charlotte Bronte's life. Hmmm fascinating I want to read more on these two. Wikipedia is a useful tool. Always loved these two stories.

Evey

 

[Vurtual]

The caste system has little to do with material wealth and more to do with religious history. It is near impossible to escape ones caste once born.

In western society economic success isn't as unattainable as it once was. Careers and professions are not usually predetermined at birth. Even politics are a achievable profession for someone from a working class background. I'm not saying just anyone will become prime minister, but the pathway into parliament is not a foolish dream if you apply yourself early in life.

But the caste system nonetheless has a strong economic element, though relflecting a more feudal society than ours. While the brahmins became more 'spritual' they were pretty much a bunch of aristocratic violent thugs at first (like our chivalric knights, or the samurai).

The presence or otherwise of social mobility has no real bearing on the fundmental definition of class for me. Whether i attain position through 'meritocracy' or through generations of inheritance, i'd still have the same tendency to favour my class in my thinking and actions (or with the vigour of the newly converted, the 'nouveau riche' may even prosecute their class chauvanism with extra elan). This class chavanism is the same whichever class i'm in, with obvious differences in outcome.

 

[mydrugbuddy]

You are confusing wealth with social classes though evey.

The class structure is a predominantly English phenomenon. Outside your borders it really doesn't exist in the rest of the world.

What about India where the caste system is far more predominant and deeply ingrained than even the UK. Might be the former colony thing to blame for that

Having traveled to Australia a couple of times, apart from the notorious Bogans, the country feels far more classless than the UK, maybe because im an outsider but i cannot immediately jump to conclusions about anyone as to whether they are working class or middle class or w/e. I daresay much the same applies to the USA. Maybe its largely just an accent thing that stands out so much in the UK. The UK is getting there though imo, class demarcation lines are becoming far more blurred. But there is very much still in evidence an Elite class, and then all the other "plebs" scratching out a living at their behest.

 

[One Thousand Words]

MDB what would you consider the Elite in this day and age? Money does not give you class, and holding a title and by deed a mass of land doesn't necessarily make you powerful. There is plenty of nouveau riche in London from Russia who despite their humble communist birth, weird more power and political might than Lord Bottomly and his twead duffle coat.

Often it is not the top of the heap that holds the working class down but rather their own customs and predjudices. A sense of shame in wanting to leave the unclean masses is more likely to come from your own home. A bit like teenage girls playing dumb so as not to stand out from their social group as caring to want more than their a lot.

 

[mydrugbuddy]

Mostly the Old Etonians going back generation after generation who hold all the positions of power. Something like 5% of the population went to these kind of establishments, but they hold something like 80% of all the top jobs. That is sometimes nothing to do with talent or abilty, but far more to do with having good connections, and being drilled on how to get on in life, with access to contacts and information that the less fortunate could only dream of. Even being in the same school class-room as someone you might have known 20 years ago would pull a few strings to help an old boy out.

I completely agree that money has absolutely nothing to do with class.

 

[One Thousand Words]

All that is saying is the classrooms of Etonians encourage political thought compared to the banter about liverpools next match that you might find in a working class school. Next you will be telling me that the English rugby side is picked by the elites for exactly the same reason. School ties are strong but that doesn't mean the doors of power are completely shut to everyone else.

There is nothing stopping an average joe from raising to the top of the labor party other than boredom. Politics needs to be grounded into a person at an early age for it to be considered a valid career choice. The only positions that are impossible to attain are ones held by the monarch

 

[THECATINTHEHAT]

I drink early grey tea and live on the road that inspired the jm barrie novel quality street (which the chocolates are named after).

 

[weekend addiction]

Ah, yes. They developed a process to blend butter with axle grease, with no noticeable difference in flavour -- it tastes just like pure axle grease .....

Part of the joy of real butter used to be in the getting it ready for spreading. Leaving it out of the fridge for awhile beforehand to soften, or deliberately warming it up by rubbing it through the paper with your hands. All this was part of the build-up to The Sandwich ..... But we're so desperate nowadays for instant gratification, that we would rather sacrifice the unreplaceable taste of real butter (and by the way, away from the glyceride backbone, saturated fats are basically paraffins; chemically stable, with no awkward, easily-dislodged atoms sticking out, they don't react with much) for the ability to spread straight from the fridge. We can't wait for the butter to soften, we have to have it right now or it's no good.

Next are you gonna write a post about the joys of watching paint dry?

 

[BigG]

I live in a fairly shit rented flat and drink whatever I find in the cupboard at work (very occasionally contributing to the tea fund but often "forgetting"). I would say I'm working class I don't think that automatically makes me a worse person than someone a higher social class. I do a worthwhile if not highly paid job have two university degrees and do my best to help others whenever I can. Its what you do with your life and your actions towards your fellow man that determines your worth not your social "class" IMHO anyway......

 

[THECATINTHEHAT]

Don't worry I'm sure your job is better paid than mine and it's certainly more worthwhile!

 

[F.U.B.A.R.]

In reference to the OP, I've got a Tassimo coffee maker. However, it has totally failed to elevate my social status as I'm not prepared to spend a fiver on refills which make 8 (tiny) cups of coffee. Plus it's a total faff to use. I like my coffee instant and in a big fuck off mug. If that makes me lower class peasant scum, then so be it

 

[BigG]

Don't worry I'm sure your job is better paid than mine and it's certainly more worthwhile!

I wouldn't bank on it Owen mate the bastards keep making "deductions" that I don't understand and seemingly neither do they but I never see the money back.

Anyway your still a young lad you'll go far in a few years and be raking it in.....just don't considering doing what I do cos it isn't worth it

 

[ponch]

Tassimo? Wouldn't touch that with yours mate.