To think this website only represents at best 30% of the country.

[morry1000]

This site seems to be representative of a small proportion of society. The views seem to be that if you have not been in higher education you are a failure. The fact that less than 30% of the population have a degree shows how divisive some of the posts on here are.

The way many posters talk down to people less fortunate than them particularly in (Education) this is a game of Top Trumps . The equivalent of someone boasting about living in a 5 bedroom house only that is a Oxbridge Degree on this site . These same people look down and make nasty comments to people who despite having a inferior education have in many cases achieved more than them. On this site on many occasions certain posters use intellectual snobbery to put people down who may have achieved at least equally to them.

Yes, defo the best 30%

MN's not snobby

some posters are but they're far and few....

that's not meant to be a pointed comment, genuinely I can't think of any

I accidentally posted on a thread about boarding schools. It was a mistake I'll not make again.

Aside from that experience I have no idea what you're on about. I think there's a diverse range of people on here.

Yanbu. I've experienced this kind of snobbery firsthand. Apparently we're not allowed to talk about the social divide in the UK on MN.

They're too many rich bitches on here IMO.

Having a degree in this day and age isnt that impressive.

I have been on here for around three years now and in terms of being diverse, it's improved.

I don't see that much of education snobbery and those posters that are stuck up their own arses, when it involves "correct" grammar and spelling etc, get shouted down.

There was more a a "middle England/chattering classes" feel to the site when I first came on here, but I think that the demographic has broadened.

I see a lot of North/South divide and some people are just bizarre (I can't get over some of the names suggested on the Baby Name thread).

The "people I couldn't be friends with" thread, was interesting. It's useful to know not to get complacent, there are still lots of small minded people, in places you wouldn't expect.

"Know your enemy and all that."

MyMIL

Please point us in the direction of all these 'rich bitches'.

Otherwise, DFOD.

I agree with you OP.

Not having a degree is seen as failing on MN.

As is working in retail etc.

Everyone has incredibly bright children too.

Nah, I've been on here for almost 7 years and have never come across what you're talking about. I've also never been looked down on because I don't have a degree (or A-Levels), or because I'm working class (well I suppose I'd be classed as underclass atm because we're on benefits). So you're talking out of your ringpiece IMO.

I think that those of us that shave all our bits, are happy to give money as presents, enjoy a good fancy dress booze filled weekend away, didn't consider how many high court judges had the name we considered for our children etc, should make a commitment to keeping the tone lowered on here.

OP, stay put.

I've never been looked down on for not having a degree in rl or on MNet. What I do find on MNet is an extraordinarily high number of people with degrees from very good universities who appear to be living on or below the breadline and that I do find an interesting demographic. It does, however, triangulate with the life experiences of my SILs.

I've been lowering the tone on here for the past few years.

I agree that the most elitist and embarrassingly pretentious posts on Mumsnet are to be found in the education topic.

I mainly ignore it, occasionally get sucked in.

I can verify that what usual says is 100% true

"They're too many rich bitches on here, imo"

How charming you sound, myMIL.

I've seen loads of your posts recently. I'm starting to feel sorry for your mil .

The education topic is like a parallel universe to my life.

Poppcock.

If you consider the age group represented on here, having a degree is probably restricted to even less than that proportion of the population. Along with all the other demographic skews, I don't think mumsnet can claim to be very representative, but then I don't think it does.

Are you going to find it patronising if I talk about confirmation bias? I suppose so, but IDGAF actually, so here you go: probably what's happened is that you've seen one or two comments which were a bit sneery (feel free to include mine if you like, I've got a PhD and I am paid sodding peanuts so you can also use me as an example of people with lots of education who have 'not achieved much' if you like, again idgaf), and combined them with your own feelings of academic underachievement, and come up with a sense that 'everyone' is saying snobby things about people without degrees. Then you've ignored all the comments which say 'well I know people who've got a PhD and are paid crap all' because they don't fit with your belief about what other people believe. It's easily done- I tend to do it wrt benefit bashing threads, of which there is about one a week, and even though the majority of people are sane and want to support those who are suffering illness or poverty, you get one or two trollish types who are all 'fnarr let the weak die, how dare they have children'. If you find that upsetting you tend to then go off and think 'god they are all like that' even when it's a tiny minority. One thing to do is count the number of commenters on either side to get a more objective picture. Usually the extreme opinions are minority ones.

As it is, I think the UK in general has a bit of an anti-intellectual culture, as typified by people saying things like 'well I earn £5000000 and failed all my exams so feck off all the clever people who work as poorly paid researchers/teachers/nurses/librarians etc', and taking money as the only indicator of personal worth rather than seeing that education and knowledge have intrinsic value. But that might be my own confirmation bias.

I would like to be a rich bitch

I think I have the bitch bit sorted

It the rich bit I'm struggling with

I don't think I've ever been on the Education topic, maybe I don't want to. I've been here a while and haven't seen the intellectual oneupmanship you refer to. I think MN is pretty diverse really.

Could people furnish some examples of the kind of educational or other snobbery being referred to? I've used Mn forth relish years, and I would have said that it's primarily lower-middle-class, though incomes and education vary much more widely.

Having said that, I've never looked on Education.