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Original poster

I am working class - ask me anything!

38 replies

workingclassgal123 · 22/03/2020 15:41

So I've been lurking on mumsnet discussion forums for quite a while now (not posting, just reading) and I've noticed there seems to be a lot of class cluelesness in many of the threads. People either are completely unaware of what life is like for the average wc person in Britain today, or even worse people actively hate/fear wc people or being perceived as wc. Since I am ever the optimist about human nature, I shall assume this hatred/fear comes out of genuine ignorance on what it is like to wc/not socialising with many wc people rather than sheer maliciousness, so I thought I would open up this thread so that we can have a more fruitful discussion about what it is really like to be wc in Britain today.

A few caveats before we begin. Although I am wc I obviously cannot speak for the experiences of all. I still had a number of privileges in my life including but not limited to:

  • Having two loving parents who were supportive of my education
  • An encouraging teacher
  • Not growing up in care/qualifying for school meals
  • Not having to deal with racism (I'm white)

Also worth noting a few stats to highlight where we are in Britain today:

  • Median household income is £28,000 (ONS, 2018)
  • The majority of people living in poverty are in working households
  • 4.1 million children are living in relative poverty (60% below the median household income)

Without further ado, ask away! Smile

OP posts:
AnneLovesGilbert · 22/03/2020 15:44

What are you having for dinner?

corlan · 22/03/2020 15:46

Have you ever eaten Quinoa?

IceKitten · 22/03/2020 15:47

What is your job?

fairynick · 22/03/2020 15:48

How much do you earn?

GOODCAT · 22/03/2020 15:48

What do you, your parents and any siblings and adult children do for a living?

AccidentallyRunToWindsor · 22/03/2020 15:49

How do you define working class?

FaFoutis · 22/03/2020 15:50

This is based on a very strange assumption. You are wrong about most MN users.

ArriettyJones · 22/03/2020 15:53

MN is heaving with WC posters. It’s heaving with MC & UMC posters, too, OFC, and some of the latter group post some batshit out-of-touch stuff sometimes.

You ju at have to humour them in the same was as you would if Prince Charles expresses confusion about cling film.

AnotherMurkyDay · 22/03/2020 16:12

What's on the TV tonight?

MrsGrindah · 22/03/2020 16:14

Did you live in a shoebox in the middle of the road?

TeachesOfPeaches · 22/03/2020 16:21

How often do you wash your net curtains?

lynxca16 · 22/03/2020 16:43

Are you either a politician/market researcher or journalist
If so, is this a great way to get free opinions
Why would I ask you any questions?

willowpatterns · 22/03/2020 16:44

Do you have relatives who insist that they are middle class when you know that they are not?

leghairdontcare · 22/03/2020 16:51

What does/did you dad do?

Did you go to uni? If so, we're you the first person In you family to do so?

Do you own any of the following animals?:

Whippet
Pigeons
Ferret

leghairdontcare · 22/03/2020 16:51

(the autocorrect on my phone is away with the fairies today but you know what I mean)

ChicChicChicChiclana · 22/03/2020 17:35

Are you actually going to answer any of these questions op or are you too busy polishing your front step with your hair in rollers?

Original poster
workingclassgal123 · 22/03/2020 17:56

Wow, I really didn't expect such a large response. Apologies if it came across as if I was judging all MNers, to be fair I have seen some people defend wc people and act as a counter to the 'chav' bashing. Ok so here we go.

  1. For dinner I am having a chicken and leek pie my mum made for me.
  2. I have eaten Quinoa, but only once. I bought some from Asda as a sort of 'aspirational' purchase but I have no clue what to do with it. Any tips would be much appreciated.
  3. I work part time in a shop as well as being a full time student, I also volunteer often for charitable/community causes.
  4. Combining my student finance and retail income I earn just over 11k a year.
  5. My dad works a manual job, my mother is (recently) unemployed however did some low level office work prior. My sibling works in a call centre.
  6. Interesting question, there are so many ways to define class, I know there has recently been a survey suggesting 7 classes which is better able to capture some of the nuances of our class system but for ease of use I still tend to stick to the lower (I hate this word), working, middle and upper. With working class occupations being routine/semi routine, low paid and generally characterised by lower levels of job security. No longer strictly manual labourers but also low level retail work, call centre work and admin work etc. The reason I am quite confident of my class is due to the number of access schemes, financial scholarships and socioeconomic 'diversity' schemes I am eligible for.
  7. I don't really watch TV but if I do it is generally the news/political programmes/documentaries
  8. I live in a shared student house, not quite a shoebox, but not far off the mark. I also don't have net curtains.
  9. I ma not a politician and the research I do as part of my degree is not related to this, I'm actually looking at trends in Higher Education.
10. I don't have any friends/family that insist they are middle class when they aren't. However, I have met many people (some friends) who insist they are working class in spite of many indicators to the contrary. 11. Yes I go to university and I am the first in my family to do so. Also I don't personally have any pets.
OP posts:
leghairdontcare · 22/03/2020 18:04

I went to uni with someone who thought she was working class because her dad did a 'manual' job. He was a mechanical engineer.

YeahYou · 22/03/2020 18:14

Why do some many WC people appear to have a weird chip on their shoulder about it? They go on and on about being working class, even in their 30s or 40s, but they don't seem to realise that no one really cares about it at all, other than them. Confused

Original poster
workingclassgal123 · 22/03/2020 18:15

@leghairdontcare hahhaha, this is what I meant, many people don't quite understand, not there's anything wrong with that, even sociologists get confused about class. My dad isn't an engineer or anything like that, I just used the term manual labour because I don't want to get too specific and want to remain anonymous.

OP posts:
Tippexy · 22/03/2020 18:15

Are you doing a PhD?

leghairdontcare · 22/03/2020 18:21

no one really cares about it at all, other than them.

no, middle class people don't care about class. Just like a lot of white people don't care about racism.

Original poster
workingclassgal123 · 22/03/2020 18:23

@YeahYou I understand why it might seem like that some times. But you have to think about how you would feel if you were in the position where not only are your life chances severely limited by factors outside your control, but also you and your community are being increasing blamed and stigmatised for your lack of upward mobility since many people believe that we still live in a meritocracy and if you cannot be upwardly mobile then you are personally blamed for it and looked down upon by others in society. Think about it this way, we do not judge middle class people for remaining in the same class all their lives or at roughly at the same income level and yet many in society feel entitled to judge working class people for their lack of progression.

OP posts:
MissConductUS · 22/03/2020 18:23

even sociologists get confused about class.

Class is so complicated in the UK that it's a complete mystery to me as a Yank. It's much simpler here - income and asset, period.

topcat2014 · 22/03/2020 18:26

OP not sure we have ever had an official "lower" class