The class that dare not speak its name

[sparky71]

Ive been having a very interesting discussion with friends and familly on which class system we come from. Most of my friends think im from the middle class because of my education and background when in fact I class myself as Working class because that is how my parents brought me up and thier parents were working class. My Dad used to work in the steelworks and my mum a school cook. Although my Dad went on to make a lot of money and we eventually had a comfortable life I still class myself as having a working class childhood whose ideals still stay with me now. Be interested to know how other people define their class system and wether you think we can ever truly leave our class. My mum insists im middle class. But dont most working class people aspire to be middle class? And a lot of the middle class wanna get down with the common people(To quote Jarvis Cocker).

[fredv3b]

Don't have a answer to your specific question. But here is an astute observation that I read recently.

The middle class is one one single homogeneous class from their (our) point of view. If you wonder whether your are lower-middle, middle-middle or upper-middle class then you must be middle class.

[fjp999]

I believe that I was born in the lower class here in the USA... but we never went without the necessities.

We may not have had the Christmas presents advertised on TV that year but the year before.

Neither of my parents got to high school and I was the first to graduate from uni.

I got any part time job I could find at a pretty early age. Self-taught magician who was booking semi-pro jobs during Jr. High... Did pretty well in high school. Did really well at uni - becoming a student leader (film chairperson) winning a number of national poster design awards. Became an assistant manager of a movie house (Rocky Horror Picture Show), got one of the few paying internships (Columbia Pictures) and eventually graduated a happy camper.

Back packed thru Europe in 1984 (OMG, thank you Europe ) and then eventually moved to Tokyo to teach English conversation... and the lower class kid from New Caste PA keeps on ticking...

oops, back to topic. I most def consider myself from the lower class and am often puzzled by people who think I am educated or from another class but honestly I would not have it any other way and feel that all in all things worked out pretty well...

[marshlander]

Curious subject.

I think I would mostly prefer not to think about class.

Because I qualified as a teacher and taught for many years I assumed that if I had to hang a label on myself it would probably be "middle class". However, I was taken aback when my dad said to me a few years ago, "You've done really well for a working class boy."

I would be proud to be able to claim working class credentials, but "working class" is not really how I feel. Even when I worked as a labourer for a couple of years (my first job when I left school) my workmates didn't accept me as one of them because my dad paid their wages.

I haven't a clue where I fit really. Maybe I should study this sketch from the 1960s by John Cleese, Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett. I'm sure most of you will have seen it before.

[CardShark]

I dont understand the class system.

Anyway if someone tried to label me as one I would get rather frustrated, I generally don't enjoy being labeled.

[sweetlad86]

Card your middle class if you don't understand it lol!

I'm lower class, as most of my family are on or below the breadline..

[fredv3b]

I don't think class is about money per se (although obviously there is a strong relationship). I've met people who although clearly upper class had fallen on hard times and working class lottery winners don't suddenly stop being working class.

[marshlander]

... and working class lottery winners don't suddenly stop being working class.

Oh, you know West Norfolk's lottery-winning "celeb" too?

[Seraph]

I think the concept of "class" as something which defines who and what you are is decreasing in influence these days. With the rise of celebrity and instant fame you can, for example, see multi-millionairess Katy Price all over the tv and newspapers - obviously a very rich person, sucessful business woman in the glamour, fashion and perfume industry, properties dotted round the globe...but how would you define her social class?

There certainly seem to be less social barriers to movement between "middle" and "working" class and a blurring of boundaries as to what constitutes underpriviledged families - what is an essential item these das? Washing machine? Car? Satellite Television? Central Heating? A holiday every year? However, there does seem to be an increase in the division between the business classes and the rest of us. The sense of entitlement shown by bankers and politicians over here highlights the gap between "them" and "us" far more starkly than any class based comparison.