What makes you middle class?

Well that's a bit of a generalisation! Maybe they sneer at the person who has all the gear and no idea!

A fool and his money are easily parted and all that.

Earlier in the thread, I commented that I think I've got a foot in both camps with wc/mc. But either way, I'm quite well spoken, as were my parents. And this frequently results in derision from wc people, whereas a mc person would be very unlikely to say unpleasant things about someone who sounds 'rough.' I get fed up with it.

@Springtime43

I once brought a £19 bottle of wine… it was passed around the entire table for 10 minutes with each person making their comment and sneering about it, then a whole fuss, flourish, commentary whenever I needed a top up…. Also there was an issue that I had bought a fat face dress (in the sale), rather than primark.

In my family had I brought a £4 bottle of wine there would have been similar distain but nobody would have said anything because they would have been too polite, instead they would have covertly swapped my cheap plonk out for something better or have offered me something ‘better’ repeatedly until I said yes…

I once bought a primark coat and pretended to my Mum that it was from Karen Millen, she spent 2weeks complimenting it, the quality, style and material… eventually I told her and she looked crestfallen as if she had failed as a mother with me shopping there.

It’s all nonsense isn’t it.

It’s unsurprising that people stick to their own ‘tribes’ as a result of snobbery and reverse snobbery (moral snobbery? I’ve found that it’s very often dressed in the robes of virtue) really. Why wouldn’t you gravitate to those with shared life experiences, where conversations don’t have to be navigated for potential land mines?

Yes, wc people will frequently sneer at anything/anyone they perceive to better or more expensive. Its not attractive!

@Springtime43

Inverted snobbery my least favourite thing about dh and his family.. find it embarrassing.

All the ‘we don’t have anything’ competitions and ‘we bought the cheapest’ and being openly resentful and putting people down in the family if they better themselves or want to buy a bigger house… just uuughh

My family - how fantastic they’re going to grammar school, oh yes you must get a bigger house for more space, why aren’t you booking more extracurricular activities, the X brand car is rubbish buy an X brand, don’t buy cheaper than £8 wine - aim for £14+, holiday in centre parcs, buy craft gin etc etc

I also married 'down' and regretted it (as my mother annoyingly predicted). His family turned out to be inverted snobs. They loved to be included in things with my family that they wouldn't otherwise have got to do, but were really nasty behind closed doors because I was 'different' and they took that as some kind of deliberate insult!

Inverted snobbery is rife with some wc people. Its a really nasty trait.

I also married 'down' and regretted it (as my mother annoyingly predicted). His family turned out to be inverted snobs. They loved to be included in things with my family that they wouldn't otherwise have got to do, but were really nasty behind closed doors because I was 'different' and they took that as some kind of deliberate insult!

Hard agree on showjumping.

You have missed out:

• driving at top level (ie driving trials) can be either UC (Prince Phillip) or MC but either way lots of £££
• showing can either be WC or MC with a tiny smattering of Upper C
• Show jumping even at top level is mainly WC and at lower levels (unaffiliated and low level affiliation) just chavvy. Even the wealthy SJs are usually WC (yes even the Whitakers)

That was horrible what your mum said. I don't particularly like the class system. However, I do identify within it. I identify as middle class as that was how I was brought up even though I am skint now. I mix with people of all classes, have equal respect etc. But I do find I have more in common in terms of background with those from middle class backgrounds.

I found it quite hard when I was younger to fit in with my exDH's working class family. I remember being invited to a buffet at his uncle's. I took some brie and olives. They looked at me like I was crazy and noone touched them.

We’ve actually found the high level eventers and polo players to be the least snobby of the bunch as they have nothing to prove. We are by no means rich but our local polo club has been incredibly welcoming + generous to teen DD who is learning to play after a bit of a break from horses in general. It’s the predominantly MC livery yards where all of the fur coat no knickers cat fights are!

This has already been mentioned, but isn’t class in Britain a purely Anglo Saxon thing? If you’re a second generation Italian/Indian etc etc, you’re basically classless. You might have grown up with parents who were manual labourers, but in a family where education etc was much encouraged. It gives one the freedom to mix with anyone.

Deeply. I bet there's a lot of grey crushed velvet around as well...

I'd say you watch too many influencers on You Tube and Insta.

I would think that’s lower middle 😂

@keepyourcatsinladies I completely agree with the fact that some mc parents get completely pissed off when working class kids do better than theirs academically, musically or in other extracurriculars.. They cannot bear it & up the ante immediately!!

😂😂

Sorry - just catching up on thread but oh dear me, this post! 😂

Right with you!

In the horse world there is a definite heirarchy, so not all horsey people are MC/UMC. This may be a bit dated and I don't wish to offend anyone as there are always exceptions to the norm. This is my take on it but would love to hear from anyone else who thinks differently

UC - Polo, eventing, and a few racehorse owners (landowners' private yards)
UMC - Lots of eventing, dressage and a few wealthy showjumpers at high level competing nationally (Full livery or own private yard)
MC - Have a go at everything locally, but largely happy hackers as can't afford to compete at high level without a lot of sponsorship (Usually DIY or part livery)
WC - Coloured cobs, hacking (DIY livery), racing, showjumping (a few privately owned SJ yards with traditional working farm owners/tenants)
LWC/UC - Driving coloured cobs (Grazing verges or common land)

The Haribo factory is a modern marvel on a par with Roman engineering but I will not be saying this in order not to entirely ruin the experience. Hoping for a careful explanation of how they make Tangfastics

Both are fantastic, but DC probably prefer the Haribo factory, regardless of the sociology.

I’m deeply middle class and I would be all over that Haribo factory visit.

Not lower middle 😀