To find the term 'underclass' offensive and to think teachers shouldn't be teaching students about it?

[Opalite]

I was talking to DD and she was saying how her teacher told the class about 'underclass, working class, middle class and upper class' we were watching TV and it mentioned middle class, DD said that we're underclass and her teacher had told her about it yesterday
Is it outdated? I find it offensive and I don't think it's right for her teacher to be telling them these things as if they're facts or as if they matter

Opalite, that's what I was saying in my first post, she could have used a different term, such as 'those less privileged' or words to that effect.

Definite and clear underclass today. Nothing to be ashamed of.

The word is used and has a meaning. Would you rather the teacher not make them aware of it because of political correctness? Just because she has told them what it means, does not mean she looks down on those categorised as underclass herself. For goodness sake, she's obviously teaching them and trying to talk abput context, save your anger for those who don't mark books or shove the kids a worksheet for 45 minutes.

It exists for sure and I'm not really sure what else it could be called. It diminishes the working class to lump the 'underclass' in with it if you ask me. However, I do think its not just to do with employment status, it's so complex.
So, I don't think the teacher was BU for teaching it.

YABU... it can only be judged in context. If the English lesson in question was studying Animal Farm or 1984, for example, a conversation about relative class definitions would be very relevant.

BTW... you just sound pissed off that your DD has decided you're in the underclass category.

I frequently have to teach about the underclass in my subject (not sociology). If I don't teach children the word and they don't know how to use it in context, they will not get the top grades (along with the other class definitions).

If it is relevant then the teacher is not being unreasonable, it is the technical term that exam boards will expect to see.

I am always careful when teaching it that I don't use words that can be emotive such as lazy as I am well aware of children in the class that could be categorised that way.

Lol. Teachers have NOTHING ELSE TO DO

There is an underclass and if it is relevant to the subject, and age of the child, they need to understand the term. I can't see it is desirable to pretend it doesn't exist.

When teaching certain books, I have used the phrase underclass before. I always teach from a sympathetic perspective about how society has failed certain people to enable an underclass to exist. I'm unsure what better term you think there is for those who survive outside the usual structures of our society.

So, if writing an analytical essay about Oliver Twist for example, how would you rephrase the following sentence?

Dickens uses the characters of Bill Sykes, Nancy and Fagin to represent the underclass of Victorian society.

However, why did your dd say that your family were underclass? That doesn't make sense to me.

Lots of relevant information comes up if you google 'underclass', it is a well know term.

Yabu.
It is not an insult any more than upper class would be an insult. it is a term used to describe a population of people within society, relating to their material conditions and economic standing. It is essential (all be it annoying) to segregate into classes to a certain extent so that when doing research all classes can be represented. It is a social strata, in sociology we study this in relation to other strata such as gender, ethnicity, age, wellness. These may seem offensive or sensitive to some people but that's not the intention, it is just a tool that can be used in social research and theory development. Actually, the more you study these criteria (particularly with class, age and disability), the more you realise that noone perfectly fits the mould for any of them. They are just rough estimates and 'ideal' types that make research easier.
I think where your dds teacher may have been unreasonable is to personally attribute your dd and family to a class (presumably) with little evidence to go on. Using assumption is wrong, but not discussing the 'underclass' in a lesson iyswim.

You can't teach An Inspector Calls or Oliver Twist without reference to class.

Social classes exist: they are possibly less rigid than they once were but it is a fact that we have one of the lowest rates of social mobility in the Western world. Your child is being educated (which has been identified as a crucial factor in enabling class mobility).

It's absolutely in the interest of the upper classes to keep us plebs believing that the class system is dead. Talk to her about it. How do you define yourselves?

Don't moan because a teacher is doing his / her job. Be angry at the right people!

www.suttontrust.com/home/

Oh and I'd be very surprised if any teacher said to a student "you're from the underclass" Your daughter my well have extrapolated.

If s/he did say that YANBU, otherwise YABU.

I have never considered this as an offensive term, merely a catch all term for people surviving in circumstances of the multi generational workless. It was around when I studied Sociology over 20 years ago.
Just because labelling people is imprecise, doesn't mean that there aren't structures in society and just because you don't like it doesn't mean you aren't part of it.
Describing me as middle class doesn't really cover my complex family history which includes extremes of wealth and poverty, but it'll do as a means to explaining the structures of society. It doesn't define me or the members of my family who would be described as underclass.
Perhaps it should be different to 'under' because of the connotations, where as many people are proud to be working class. I think it was to describe the 'otherness' of people living via a different system to the majority ie the employed, but perhaps it's now too large a section to be defined that way?

I think being called underclass is offensive and derogatory
.

Yabu

It has relevance in many contexts even if you believe it is outdated

Sociology, history, literature

It's education and could have started your and your DDs discussion about why some, including you, believe the class system is outdated

Although its alive and bloody kicking as far as I can see

I don't think the class system will disappear through breeding ignorance

Usual 'I think being called underclass is offensive and derogatory'

There is a difference between discussing the representations of the underclass in literature and the teacher saying to a student that they/their family is part of the underclass. From the OP it sounds like the former. Replies would be very different if the situation was the latter.

I can see why you dislike the term as applied to yourself.
The term "Lower Class" was once used to describe the working class. The reason we don't use that term anymore is because working class people themselves wanted to be defined by their positive contribution to society (their work) not their subordinate position in relation to other classes.

"Underclass" is like a return to that offensive language.

The existence of an "underclass" is controversial and sometimes built on unfounded negative stereotypes. For example- statistically there are just not enough families with multi-generational unemployment to make up a "class" of people in any meaningful sense.

I think its important that children are taught about the class system though. As posters up thread have said- its an important theme in a lot of literature.

Its also an ongoing social reality. I hear you that you don't want to feel defined by your class. I don't think anyone does and its a basic human truth that there is much more to all of us than just our backgrounds and circumstances.

However, its also true that peoples economic circumstances at birth still sets our life chances to a very large degree and understanding that process is what a theory of class is really all about.

What class are you if you live in a council house, receive NO benefits, both work and both come from parents who have always owned their home?
oh and we have no savings.

Actually interested

Class is referred to in lots of subjects such as English, History, Economics, Sociology, Gov& pol, Business, Media and Geography. I do not think a child can go through the education system and not learn about how people can be grouped within society.

You can always send your idea to Mr Gove and the exam boards. There are long lists of what teachers can and can't do. Unfortunately there will always be people who take umbrage at what is taught but I will not list all the stakeholders.

I don't know LST but certainly not the underclass. I would be very surprised if the teacher told a pupil they were from the 'underclass'.

OP what would you have this class called? It exists and class is an important concept for many subjects.