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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to think that MN is descending into class war?

392 replies

Hullygully · 08/06/2011 20:54

Today I have read a comment that someone's potential home looks like "a council house on a sink estate," seen a debate about "chav fashion," vile comments about "Poor Kids" etc and seen numerous threads over the past few days where people fight to gang up together against the infesting lower orders with their bad grammar, poor articulation, txt spk and poor spelling.

WTF people?

It is snobbery. Nothing else.

OP posts:
K9999 · 08/06/2011 21:29

Beesimo, are you a Show woman, 'in brick' traveller or Romany by any chance? :)

usualsuspect · 08/06/2011 21:29

I've argued long and hard that its a chat forum ,not an English exam, but I never get a lot of back up ever

coloursoftherainbow · 08/06/2011 21:29

from reading the judging - it seems to come from both sides of the fence. Not nice at all. I have felt sorry for the OP on some posts who has asked an innocent question .....

CeliaDeBohun · 08/06/2011 21:30

I think it's worse now, it's become acceptable.

I haven't been around long enough to know whether it's a recent trend or not but was quite surprised to see comments on a thread the other day, using 'common' and 'lower middle class' as put downs (though I guess 'common' has never been a flattering term, to be fair!). Not something worth getting seriously upset over but, as an uneducated lower middle class type myself, it did seem a little bit rude Hmm

smartyparts · 08/06/2011 21:30

Couldn't care less about so-called class or perceived wealth.

But I do hate bad spelling, grammar and text speak - although I don't comment on it.

I'm one of those saddos who texts with punctuation and expects my 13 year old ds to do the same!

boysrock · 08/06/2011 21:31

The attention to spelling and grammar definitely disadvantages me though as a slow typer. The threads moved on a page by the time I type out a post.

Mind you it stops me being mistaken for Cod i suppose.Grin

MadamMemoo · 08/06/2011 21:31

A lot of people are starting to show their true colours. I've clicked on a few threads and been amazed by who the poster is!

petisa · 08/06/2011 21:32

Well I detest textspeak and I'm currently a single mum on benefits. So what does that make me?

I don't want to read it and I hide friends on facebook who use it in their status updates.

Nothing to do with class.

However, there is loads of snobby classist shite on here, and I have always hated it.

Beeismo, sorry, that has gone way over my head, what are you on about? Are we supposed to know? Who's "we"?

petisa · 08/06/2011 21:34

Och there have always been threads on this is common, that is common, saying pardon is common, saying toilet is common, shopping at chavsda is common, etc etc.

AandK · 08/06/2011 21:34

I feel that there is always that snobbery no matter where you go. we all know that parent at school that looks down on everyone because they think they are better. unfortunately for them as they never bothered to actually get to know anybody they'll never know how brilliant we all are Grin

pickgo · 08/06/2011 21:38

txt spk is quick and perfectly intelligible 2 ny1 wiv hlf a brain

GreenEyesandHam · 08/06/2011 21:39

I don't like text speak because I find it hard to understand what it's supposed to be saying most of the bloody time, but that's all.

Funny that no one ever seems to get their drawers in a twist over the IMO's, FFS's, TBH's, BTW's though.

Live and let live I say, and all that jazz

GreenEyesandHam · 08/06/2011 21:41

What an unfortunate x post with pickgo there Grin

At least I understood it though

animula · 08/06/2011 21:41

working class/poor does not, automatically = poor spelling, poor grammar.

BUT

using it to attack/laugh at others does = nobbish.

Why? Because our language is still used as marker of access to power and privilege - a quick signifier. And that means the ability to use "proper" English, when you want to, is both a useful tool, and saturated with power.

One of the reasons it is such a power-saturated signifier of access to power and privilege has to be because access to the means to learn "proper" English is limited, and is also power-saturated.

Yes, the above is a huge simplification. And I'm sure that someone is going to come on and give the usual thing about "well, the answer is that we should learn to embrace all forms of English". And that, of course, is true. But it is also true, that the liberals among us (such as myself) can do all the embracing they want, but still, there is a huge power issue involved in access to knowing different forms of English, all of them, including the high-status ones, and being able to use them in appropriate situations.

So, to go back to the earlier point - laughing, just mocking poor spelling and grammar is not OK, because you really are mocking disadvantage. Though surreptitiously.

That doesn't mean you have to love it.

petisa · 08/06/2011 21:41

Oh I see what you mean Beesimo, I'm being thick, you mean you and your dh. Don't think much of Catholic schools, not being Catholic, sorry. I'm totally crap at sewing, do you think there will be any need for translators? Grin

petisa · 08/06/2011 21:42

Argh my eyes pickgo!

NormanTebbit · 08/06/2011 21:46

Animula I agree

But as I said earlier, this is a poxy chat forum not a job application.

I feel like using text language just to piss people off. But I don't know it ... Well I know Gr8

Some of it's pretty ingenious

meditrina · 08/06/2011 21:52

There's a difference between MN jargon (a characteristic of the site), and textspeak which isn't welcome. But I don't think either of those can be mapped reliably onto class.

beesimo · 08/06/2011 21:53

petisa

I think anybody in danger of losing job needs to be acting quick smart now.

No they won't be any need for translators.

If you are made redundant don't act soppy and think I am posh therefore I am entitled to career and loads of money those days are going. Open your mind then open your eyes and see what is actually avaliable and go for it. Supermarket,petrol station, cleaning then you can build up again.

Don't sit on your backside going oh but I am brilliant at coporate fannying about!

gapants · 08/06/2011 21:54

Cannot stand text speak, makes my eyes hurt. Do not think it has anything to do with class, but on the threads that I have been on and the content of those threads, text speak has gone hand in hand with some bloody dumb assertions.

I then assume that that person is pretty uneducated, whether they are MC or WC. Not too sure how class fits in.

I would never use the word chav, it is very nasty. It shows you have no class Wink

gapants · 08/06/2011 21:55

beesimo no need for translators....and your expertise in this area is? Confused

beesimo · 08/06/2011 22:04

Gapants

I was joking with Petisa because she can't always understand me I dunna knaa why not!

I am sure you will still have a living if that is your job

Please don't start telling me off in foreign thankee

tethersend · 08/06/2011 22:07

I think Shiny Dave has got what he wanted.

While everyone is busy blaming Jeremy Kyle guests for the recession, the top earners continue to take home to an offshore account eye watering pay rises year upon year.

But no-one notices because that cunt down the road isn't as poor/humble/downtrodden as he ought to be. The cunt.

When people have things taken from them, they rightly look for people to blame. This government is making damn sure that they blame the wrong people.

gapants · 08/06/2011 22:09

beesimo thanks for clearing that up.

I am not a translator, can barely get by in English Wink

AandK · 08/06/2011 22:09

I don't even like the abreviations we use on here DS DH MN etc I didn't have a clue what half of them meant when I first joined.

I often find myself deleting the full word and putting in the abbreviation! Why on earth do I do this??? I just want write "my son" why is that so wrong. I don't think I've ever actually physically used the word darling in my life so why do I abbreviate it on here? ridiculous!!! Confused

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