Fuck! Apparently I'm The Elite!!!

[hopefullyhelpfully]

Genuinely a bit confused. At a Halloween party tonight when a friend of a friend who I know vaguely said that I was part of The Elite and so would automatically be biased towards maintaining status quo. She was sort of joking but not IYSWIM?

This is news to me. Do I get a badge? Is there a T-shirt? A handshake?

I suppose I'm interested in other people's opinions. Does the Elite now encompass the well off middle class whatever their background? I don't know anyone with any influence nationally....
In context I'm from Manchester, went to a bog standard Comprehensive. DH from Luton. Our parents are respectively a printer, teacher, nurse and warehouse manager. We both benefited enormously from free university education (Oxbridge and Imperial) and the house price boom (we're late 40s) and are in lucrative jobs London living in an expensive house. We privately educate both children for secondary but not for primary.
This makes me the poshest person I could ever have imagined as a child BUT surely not this nebulous Elite???
I'm honestly interested in how other people see this...
(DH just laughing. He's now drinking a cup of tea in his dressing gown and a bow tie!)

To me and my circle yes you are, but probably not in reality?

I'm established middle class, average age 46. Wow.

It's all money/ asset questions really . Not value questions. No questions about debts.

I see myself as quite bohemian, hanging on to what I've got.

Back once again
You're making me laugh!! 💐

Told you...here they are. You’re a pleb and so wealthy you don’t get it 

Well I'm pissed and cross and thought Mumsnet would be a good place for nuanced class debate

It seems fairly elite from here.

I guess if your social circle is people whoa are similar wealthy, good jobs etc with privately educated kids it will seem "normal."

It is a v small section of society who are ex oxbridge, can afford a house in london, kids privatelg educated , well paid jobs. You really do live a different life to most people I know (although I used to move in that world.)

Would "very privileged " work better for you? I mean you really are. Nothing wrong with that but its mucb easier whne people acknowledge it and are aware its not how most people live.

I was bemused when after saving for a bazillion years we had our kitchen redone and had a big peninsula put in (with breakfast bar) my somewhat snooty but very normally lovely friend came over and said 'ah not quite enough room for an island then so you had to anchor it to the wall'

I didn't realise it affected my place in society

I don't think liberal elite is seen as a compliment these days, but I'm not sure.

Tbh I live in a very naice area of London & it's definitely a bubble. I think elites are often accused of being in those types of bubbles.

What dies the Elite even mean?

I wish there was a like button. Some lovely funny people!

The elite are imho "powerholders" but not public faces. So they can influence politicians / law / money markets / global business.

You're just well off.

Pregosaurus9 has it nailed!

I think there is privilege (whether deserved or not) to being able to assess your life and know that you'd survive a recession. Can you survive a recession?

Hopeishere
Exactly! I know no one with any real power.

Op, don’t get upset. “The elite” is a moving target.

Someone at work regularly says the same of me. Yet I come from a family of 7 on free school meals, my car is more than 10 years old and I’m a single mum but apparently none of that is relevant.

It’s all a load of divisive nonsense. .

How many boden dresses do you own, op? How many!? I bet it’s like 2 or even 16. I bet you even buy their god awlful trousers in jazzy colours with strips down the side. And wear them with pony skin boot while you sip your ‘humous’ and drink fizzy water. You posho!

I thought we were just where we are due to age+luck+degrees in STEM subjects but that our essential selves are still the same...

I think that this can be true and you can still be part of the "Elite". However, IMO the Elite hold political power, rather than just being well educated high earners.

When looking at London it's hard to define elite just by salary. There are plenty of normal people in multi million pound houses loving great lifestyles that today's 30 something on 150k won't be able to achieve.

If you privately educate your child I think you are the elite. Doesn't mean you're a bad person though.

No badge, no t-shirt. Just the obvious blissful oblivion to what life is like for the vast majority of people living in London.

sip your ‘humous’

Would that be in a martini glass?

No wonder non English people are confused.

So I may be elite due to the presence of kitchen island, big house and private education. But I'm probably just boringly well off as I don't know anyone with real power and all my furniture is new.
But it's ok because being elite isn't necessarily bad. Unless it is bad and I'm in a liberal bubble...but that can still be ok if I'm aware of my privilege.

Wiki says:

In political and sociological theory, the elite (French élite, from Latin eligere) are a small group of powerful people who hold a disproportionate amount of wealth, privilege, political power, or skill in a society.

You have disproportionate wealthy. Power is not essential though wealth opens doors to power which sometimes it hard for the privileged to see. Definitely elite therefore regardless of which farrow and ball colour you painted your kitchen island!

(Not dissing, btw, just surprised you don't get it).
Sums it up nicely.

Did the person not just mean the ‘elite’ category from the BBC quiz determining your social class (across seven new class categories) from a few years ago? It seems curiously easy to be ‘elite’ on that, because I am.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22000973

I think to be truly truly elite you do have to have a crumbling house, red trousers, really messy hair and probably have a bit of an I don't care attitude, maybe even swear a lot for good measure, whilst maintaining the belief outwardly that you aren't actually posh.

But pretty much what you just said.

To be elite I think you need a household income over 100K after tax and substantial savings. I wish that were easy.