Not to know what is middle class

[Goldchilled7up]

Inspired by another thread in chat, what does middle class mean to you?

I seriously don't know. Aibu?

MadBusLady, is £40K seriously top 10%? Perhaps you're right then...

I went to the theatre once and there was some strange play, set in Zurich that involved the cast of the Importance of being Ernest and James Joyce and there was this middle class TWAT who laughed uproariously at all the jokes to show us all how clever he was. and he had a really loud braying laugh which drowned out the next part of the dialogue.

There can be no definitive explanation of class because it is different things to different people, or it is nothing at all. There are too many grey areas inbetween the traditional ideas of class nowadays, so any judgment you make on anyones class is likely to be incorrect depending on which criteria you choose to use.

eh? what's wrong with a local uni and a council house?

Nothing at all.

I own an ex council house and there is (apparently) a particularly shitty university down the road.

But people have said they've heard owning your own home or going to Uni makes you middle class.

It's all bollocks.

Who'da thought this thread would of ended badly?

Just checked and I'm actually a bit out, it's £45k and that was in 2007/08.

But it's still much lower than you think, isn't it.

I think cultural capital is a much bigger part of class than money tbh. Though of course having money helps you get more cultural capital.

By university educated I meant from a traditional uni, not a polytechnic renamed as a uni. Sorry I didn't make that clear.

Due to circumstances, I live in what I would call a working class area. I just feel different to the people I meet when walking around. Does it make me middle class or just having a different attitude?

I don't feel the need to load my wheely bin with rubbish and the leave the other bags next to the bin for the foxes. I'm not one of the 60% of people who smoke around here. I don't feel the need to shout at my children in the local supermarket and swear in front of their face. I don't feel the need to have loud parties in the back garden and not give a shit about the neighbours. Or to have massive arguments for the whole street to hear.

I go to parent's evenings to see how DS is getting along. I worry about DS and talk to the school. I take him out to the library, to museums, exhibitions and National trust properties. I read to him in the evening and encourage his education. If he's misbehaving, he gets disciplined.

I don't know about class - it's attitudes and respect for self and others that I think are important.

Oh and being middle class has nothing to do with how much you earn!

nellyjob i think many people when referancing class with regard to people other than themselves use it in an insulting way.

i.e "how dreadfully working class" "how dreadfully middle class" and my old fav as i had bloody years of it at school "ohhh your a toff arnt you".

its stupid and makes no sense at all to me but then again i dont give a stuff if anybody has a lounge or a living room.i dont care how much of england your daddy owns or not,all that matters to me is that you are kind to people.

Having money does help you get more consumable cultural capital, however, when I'm skint I don't start listening to Lady Gaga and drinking Lambrini.

Money doesn't make you middle class though. For example a plumber could be earning thousands but still working class.

Is that what people who aren't middle class do trumpeter?

Yes scarlett I agree with that in principle, but I still don't really believe in a class system in the UK.

I live in a bedsit, on benefits. I'm university-educated, don't own a television, have hundreds of books, read a broadsheet and listen to Radio 4. What class am I?

England a classless society

We are so class ridden, but it is so subtle as to be almost beyond explanation.

To not believe in a class system as someone who lives in the UK is wonderful, and I salute you! Amazing.

Can you tell me how you do it please?

hang aroud plenty will come on and bore tell you about how mc they are yawn yawn

have not had a waitrose or john lewis thread for sometime that usually brings them all out :o

No, but I think how much money your parents had when you were growing up probably has an effect....i.e., could they afford ballet/flute lessons/a tutor for 11+ etc. This then might result in your not getting into grammar school/joining your town's youth orchestra etc etc.

I buy the pink lambrini when I'm skint sometimes. My friends all judge me but I love it, it's like slightly alcoholic cherry-aid.

I live in an ex council house went to 3 crappy unis and one OK art school have no argument with lambrini would choose lady gaga any day over coldplay think class is a dull and sad way to define people
anyone for pigs and foxes? apparently you are one or the other

trumpeter how can you 'not believe' in something that is IN YOuR FACE...
just walking around this small university town, the townies and the students might as well have those labels stamped on their foreheads.....

Also- ceebeebee, those things you have listed actually probably mark you out as being 'new' middle class- they are like a badge, but people who have for generations been middle class probably wouldnt bother. This is very evident at my daughters prep school, the long standing middle classes don't have 4 x4, and don't dress the kids in Boden.

"im pretty sure that if you are happy to say something like "oh bollocks who do i need to fuck around here to find some decent none french wine" in waitrose then you are probally not middle class"

I think you have to be MC to enter Waitrose, otherwise an alarm goes off

"but I still don't really believe in a class system in the UK"

That's like saying you don't believe in cheese. Or Manchester.