self entitled middle class??

[sweetsoulsister]

As an 'out of towner' can people explain why the middle class in this fine city of London feel they are so god damned righteous?

I'm standing in a queue with my children at the local swimming pool, and judging by the car park, it's busy. We go in and join a long queue. A couple of the families in front of me take their turn at the counter, turn around in disgust, and pace back and forth, argue with each other and work themselves up into a frenzy. Assuming they are going swimming I ask what has happened with the pool. One of the ladies says, 'The pool is at capacity and if we want to go in we will have to wait until someone leaves,' her voice rises another octave and she continues, 'This is completely unacceptable!!'

Really? Unacceptable? If you were the first family in the pool and it got too crowded because they let everyone in would you just suck it up because it's unacceptable to let everyone in?

This is not the first time I've encountered this outrage and it always seems to be what I've deemed the 'self entitled middle class...'

Explanations please???

[sweetsoulsister]

Feelancegirl - you are correct, I can see how my post could get people's backs up, and Jassy, I am interested in my part in it, and I have read up on the class system, I was interested in what the MN crowd had to say in response to what most of my experiences have been although I only gave one example.

[Philoslothy]

To be fair to the OP I think that often you can guess if someone I middle class, based on their appearance, their accent, their conversation and other social queues. You won't always get it right but I suspect often you can.

I guess the problem is that there are propel around like me who just don't fit in and thighs that used to be seen as middle class are actually now quite common.

[MrsKoala]

Has anyone else just checked to see if they have common thighs?

[sweetsoulsister]

Thanks volestair, I hear what you are saying.

[Bogeyface]

I have fat thighs, is that WC because we must live on crap, MC because having help and dont do any house work, or UC because of a luxurious diet?

[Mimishimi]

Middle class thighs = long shanks ?

[Pigeonhouse]

The U in 'U' vs 'non-U' stands for 'upper class', not middle-class! The Mitfords would have died in a panic to think someone had mistaken them for middle-class types!

OP, I am also a resident foreigner. I come from near the bottom of the class ladder in my home country.. I mean this in the nicest possible way - shrieking about someone's behaviour being middle class, then admitting you have no idea what you mean and getting angry when people don't respond to your demands for elucidation on the UK and glass? None of these are recommended as ways of understanding class in this country.

[MrsKoala]

The UC have them because of all the horse riding Bogeyface.

[Philoslothy]

Lol.

I have muscly thighs, must be from working down the pits.

[freelancegirl]

Sorry to repost your quote but you in the nicest possible way you can't be THAT interested in class traits if that's what you think the middle class stereotype is because you are way off the mark.

[thinking101]

I thougght the U was for Underclass when I skimmed thread, that'll bloody teach me then yeeeaaaeeessss.

[sweetsoulsister]

pigeon - sorry you mistook my post as 'shrieking', hope you can see from all my comments that I am asking for some enlightenment, and i'm not sure why you thought I was getting angry when people didn't respond??? Not at all, just looking for some enlightened insider information.

[JassyRadlett]

I think responses have been coloured by the fact that whatever reading you have done doesn't seem to have left you with a full or accurate picture of how the class system is broadly understood in Britain. People have responded to statements that make it sound like you don't have much idea about it.

I'd posit, however, that you are more likely to notice behaviour you find objectionable than behaviour you think is fine - and thus a few out-of-the-ordinary occurrences can cause you to think 'this class/nationality are all entitled complainers/violent shriekers/rude/et al'. Mass generalisations are usually inaccurate and on MN in particular tend to elicit negative responses. Accuracy and specificity are helpful to productive debate.

[Mimishimi]

What enlightened 'insider' information are you expecting though? That someone from the middle class will know exactly what was going on in the head of some random at the swimming pool and identify with her behaviour as being especially representative of their class? My DH would be very offended if I believed that the rude behaviour of some Brahmins (and I have seen quite a bit) was representative of his whole caste and rightly so - some people are rude and some are not, class and money notwithstanding. That's about as enlightened as you can possibly expect to get.

[perplexedpirate]

Instead of posting pissy messages of a parenting forum, why don't you try reading a book or two, if you're so desperate to learn about the British class system.

[Bogeyface]

The U in 'U' vs 'non-U' stands for 'upper class', not middle-class! I did know that, but my post was ambiguous, so for that I apologise.

Instead of posting pissy messages of a parenting forum, why don't you try reading a book or two, if you're so desperate to learn about the British class system.

Why dont you tell her yourself? Or stop posting your own pissy messages to someone who is not from the UK and made a mistake?

[Bogeyface]

And Perplexed given that most books currently available about the british class system have been written by Julian Fellowes, even if she did "read a book or two" I doubt she would become very enlightened.

[HanSolo]

Am I the only person struggling to understand what 'self entitled' means?

Is this just entitlement?

sweetsoul- what you describe is 'nouveau', not mc, however their behaviour was just rude.

[sweetsoulsister]

Which books do you suggest perplex?

Thanks mimi and jassy, I can see how I have jumped to conclusions, although I still have questions as to why I encounter this on a regular basis. And this is not to counteract your argument, I am just curious.

[Bogeyface]

Yes Hans you are.

For fucks sake!

The rudeness on this thread is absolutely astounding! OK so the OP worded her thread a wee bit unfortunately, but she isnt from the UK so can be forgiven for that. She doesnt understand the class system here (which to be fair, most of us dont either!), so she can be forgiven for that.

ARe you all proud of yourselves for sneering at the stupid foreigner?!

[HanSolo]

What about Kate Fox's Watching the English?

Might be a good start sweet.

Where are you from btw? Just wondering what your class system is like...

[HanSolo]

bogey- it's Han, as in StarWars!

I wasn't being rude. I see 'self-entitled' all the time on MN, but don't understand what that means, and am checking f it means 'entitled'. WHat's wrong with that?

[Bogeyface]

My apologies. As you can see, I am a bit wound up but that was no reason to be rude to you. I am sorry.

FWIW, I think you are right in that it should be "entitled" not "self entitled".

[Bogeyface]

And I do know it is Han not HAns, and the fact that I made such an elementary SW mistake has pissed me off even more :o

"I love you"

"Fuck Off" :o