To consider myself working class?

Do you speak with a noticeable regional accent? It's usually a fairly effective way to denote one's class.

You went to University and went travelling, have five figures in savings, live a bohemian life style. That is almost textbook middle class!

The fact you are so casual, and "it'll be what it'll be" about money, and your financial situation, is what defines you as middle class.

(I'm the exact same, so it's not a criticism at all!) But there is sort of an in-built sense of "things will come right in the end" and "I've always managed well enough, so there's no reason to worry." Middle class is a mentality as much as anything.

Working class grow up with that constant nagging worry of "there's not enough and it won't be alright", and that continues throughout life.

Your friend is right. You're MC.

I don’t think the traditional explanations of class work anymore. Regardless of that, I wouldn’t call you working class.

You had a privileged background and education and freely chose a career that was financially insecure… that in itself is privileged.

Zombie thread but nice to have a laugh again.

Not even a ting bit working class! Thanks for the laugh.

Total wind up

This is a joke, right?

It all sounds terribly complicated

It is. It defies analysis. Yet here we all are. 😂

I think this is an interesting discussion. When it comes up on MN it always makes me think the class system doesn't apply anymore - I certainly don't know where my family fit in.

I strongly agree with a previous poster that whilst you likely still are MC, had you had children, they would probably be WC. I don't think your current financial position has dropped your class, but it definitely would have done so for your DC as they couldn't have the MC upbringing that your parents gave you.

That said, we will never know as you might have changed occupation if you had children and you may have bought a home, your life might be completely different. As it stands, it sounds like you have a wonderful life.

Thanks for an interesting discussion anyway.

You had the luxury of pursuing a passion. You’re not well off or rooted to one particular home, but that’s through choice.

Entirely middle class.

I always thought that "underclass" meant people on the margins of society who are not active in the official economy - benefit claimants basically. I agree that this is divisive as well as just plain pejorative, and drives a largely imaginary wedge between working and non-working members of the precariat. It obviously suits the powers that be to have all the insecurely renting, exploitatively employed and/or benefit claiming classes fighting among themselves like rats in a sack over who is more "privileged". The good news is that it's no longer taboo to say so, as an ever larger segment of society finds themselves getting screwed over by neoliberal policies.

Class to me is based on your upbringing, not how much you earn. I don't think you can change what class you are, it's something that is ingrained throughout childhood.

If Prince William decided he didn't want to be king and went to work at Tesco he wouldn't suddenly become working class.

You can describe yourself how you want but I would not consider you working class.

Yes, it was a feeble joke.

I'm also one who was the first to go to university and whose dad was born in a council house. There were absolutely people in society who were worse off than us (as well as a seemingly larger number of people who were better off) but my upbringing was culturally working class. This caused no end of problems when I was at university and my resentful parents forced me to work to the detriment of my studies, while the dons made no allowance for this and my 100% public school course mates shunned me totally for being "common". So I'll damn well call myself WC if I want to as I've had enough sh*t in my life as a result of actually being WC. In reality, I don't want that label hung on me as I don't associate it with anything positive (YMMV of course).

Just as I can call myself WC because I've lived it, the OP can call herself WC if she wants because she's living it now, at least as far as her rented housing and gig work situation goes. She is right to prefer "precariat" as that is a more precise term and not as culturally loaded with 20th century class markers which may or not be relevant now.

OP's first sentence is 'I'm fully aware this doesn't matter'.

You sound very middle class. Curious to know why it matters so much though?

“do fuck all as an 'artist'”
what do you mean exactly by this @Gothambutnotahamster ?
I’m curious, if it pays the bills and functions in that respect as every other job does why do you assume it is simply a matter of ‘doing fuck all?’.
Not just in the op’s case but in general, do you consider all artists just sit around doing ‘fuck all’, musicians, performers, etc etc? Where do you believe art comes from if all the artists are doing fuck all?

@nonheme That's just unkind, people have different circumstances, that's life!

@nonheme I can't believe someone actually said that! What ever happened to compassion for one's fellow man, don't they know that everyone rich and poor is still human and capable of suffering? People like that know no peace because they are always keeping score.

And you sound rude and pig ignorant. Why have you put artist in quote marks, when that is clearly how the OP makes her living?

I have been a waitress, shop worker, cleaner, admin. I put myself through art school when I was in my 30s, whilst still working as well. I then made my living solely as a painter. It is not easy, it is not 'wafting', it is not a hobby job any more than my other jobs were. Art is a skill and it is hard work.

Plumbers and builders who are employed or self employed with a very small team are always wc. No matter if they earn 100k. Same for taxi drivers etc. If they start a business and become medium size say employ 50 to 200 people I'd say mc. But really you don't change class, your kids do. So my kids are mc but my husband will never be. If you had a child now they might be upper working class but you are always mc even if destitute. The uc remain so even when living in a derelict Palace in debt.

No that's more the underclass and very low working class. They bought a house near London 55 odd years ago!