yes... i know i am but....................

[ilovearnold]

Yes i know im being unreasonable to start another thread re middle class ness!!! But there must be a reason why it facinates!!!

So what are middle class give aways.?..what behevoiurs and views....?

I get confused as some people think middle class is re money and private education - which id term as upper middle class cf to " normal " middle class which can mean ,to me , that you are broke but have mc view and lifestyle.....such as defered ggratification etc.

Some people seem to define middle class as two holidays a year but surley you can be well off in terms of cash... but not middle class.

Am not sure it comes down to proffesional status either as quite lot of middle class type folk i know can afford not to do stressful jobs by choice and do stuff like a bit of cleaning or gardening because they choose to and enjoy it opt for a simpler life - the person with little cash ,a good quality ancient jumper - just to set the scene- but enought money to not have any worries..

I am middle class by proffesion and education- if thats how you want to mesure it... but not " well spoken"- broke due to dd and ds hobbies and huge mortgage - i cant help but find it intesting stuff!!ramble ,ramble...........

This is my great truism: Middle class people don't display their DVDs on book shelves. They have books.

I am perplexed by the whole "class thing". As a Norwegian, we are all pretty equal.

On my road, living in a house similar to ours, we have a professor, a car mechanic, an accountant, a funeral director, an MD, we drive Volvos, or Audis. (Well, we have a Toyota). Class as you have it in the UK, does not exist.

But I had a sense of it when ds1 was in reception, and I found myself with 10 loaves of bread on his birthday party, cutting Jam Hearts, Tuna Fish, Ham Bear sandwiches with cookie cutters, for his party....

Mi mam grew up in t'caravan in pit 'ed yaard in 'aydock. 'er friend 'azel chivers were dead posh 'cos she 'ad ice cream, in a a glass borl on sundeys.

However, my mum was actually the posh one. She was brought up my my nana who's father had had his own company. The company went bust and Nana went into service and learned how the upper classes lived. When they eventually got a council house it had 'proper' wooden furniture, a chaise long etc.

Socially mum and her siblings mixed as equals with everybody else but Nana didn't. She was fair, non-judgemental, refused to gossip, everyone came to her for advice, or brought her the stray children that they couldn't cope with for a while... but her manner always marked her out as different.
Mum grew up with upper/middle class values in a very working class neighbourhood where they had less money than almost everyone else. Its not just about money. I think its mostly about manner and attitude.

In my experience the true middle and upper classes don't have to show off their wealth in the same way as the aspiring middle classes seem to think they have to.. A person can be sickeningly wealthy but live an ordinary life for most of the time. It's only when you visit their homes or NOTICE that the christmas jaunt to safari in Kenya is not a once in a lifetime trip do you realise that they are modest (as in don't shout about it) and loaded. People who feel the need to brag about their wealth or show it off constantly may have money but they don't have class.

I consider myself middle class because of private education, choice of job, area I live but MOST IMPORTANTLY I have an organic veg box and that's all that matters.

'Middle Class' is simply a stereotype. You can't pin it down to income or occupation and it usually ends up being some kind of comment on attitudes, manners and aspirations. Mostly a negative stereotype, since the MC's are despised by the UC's and the WC's alike :) 'Middle Class' is therefore equated with snobbery, oneupmanship, social climbing, ambition, acquisition, pushiness, condescension, 'new money', demanding.... you know it when you see it. Contrast this with 'Middle England' which is all about being solid, law-abiding, hard-working, mowing the lawn at the weekends, public-spirited, uncomplaining, polite.....

joric I think the reality these days is that much of the traditional middle class have no option but to remain modest about their financial situation...cos they're brassic .

People with wealth, as far as I can see, be they from whatever class, are happy to spend it. They don't see having a nice gaf, nice holidays, nice clothes or nice car as flash...and they don't buy things to draw attentuion to their wealth per se.

Chub- ooh a veg box!! def. The biggest indicator of middleclassinest!!! :) ( gets off the sofa so the cleaner can vac it and goes to book one in for next week..) ;) !!!

Word factory! Yes- the rich have to pretend they're brassic and the brassic have to pretend thy're rich !!!

Also agree with your second point too wordf. !

I'm with CurlyBoy. I especially do not understand why people feel the need to find distinguishing features.

I was always under the impression that working class was people who do manual jobs and arent particularly well off, or people who have worked up from this. Middle class would be people who have good education, do professional jobs and are comfortable - often their parents/grandparents were working class. Upper class is old money aristocracy. I think the middle class probably covers the most people. Although I do think people such as Katie Price are working class, her children will probably be middle class. Same goes for someone like Alan Sugar. I dont think it comes down to just money, I think it's rather subjective and depends on a number of factors.

I do wonder where the people who have never worked fall. Do they have their own class?

Underclass....

Ha cogito!

Middle class aside, it's the underclass MN loves to hate ... vicious dogs, tattoos on backs of heads, casual racism, perpetually nitty heads, fivedifferentkidsbyfourdifferentblokesCroydonfaceliftandsweatpants blah, blah, blah.

So,is is possible to 'slip' down a class?

I was raised middle class I guess?

I am now a SAHM, my husband supports our family on a wage from manual job.

My husband was also raised middle class,has done jobs within that 'class' and now does not.

I consider ourselves working class now ,mainly because of how we source our income.

But is that correct?

I have definitely slipped down a class!!! I was brought up in a very affluent area and my parents had strong values - things were done in a very traditionally 'proper' way! I suppose it wasn't until I started trying to make it on my own that I realised how much hard work my parents had put in to make their lifestyle so! I've not worked as hard shall we say!!