For crying out loud, I'm not snobby! Or am I?!

[NoBreakNoProblem]

I moved to this area a year or so ago to be closer to work. It's a predominantly a working-class neighbourhood (nothing against the working class, BTW, my parents were ones - it's just a description). Except I tried so many times to be friends with the neighbours and other parents at my child's school. Everything goes perfectly fine and pleasant until they learn about what I did for living.

It usually goes like that: what do you do? Ah, well...I'm an academic researcher/university lecturer. Then, almost every time, a deafening silence follows! Almost always, they try to avoid speaking with me afterwards. Some even stopped saying 'hi' - including the parents of my child's best friends (they came to my house a couple of times before).

For the love of God, I'm not the 'elitist' snob they think I am. Take for example this, the other day the plumber came to fix something in our house. We were chatting and having a laugh for nearly an hour. As soon as he learned what I did, his attitude changed completely and started to stonewall me by being 'too formal'. It's either they don't understand what I do, hence the silence, or think I'm that educated snob similar to those posh snobs who have driven the country's working-class into the gutter. Then again, why the stonewalling and the avoidance? I don't really speak philosophy or political science to them.

I never ever experienced this before - until I moved into this area.

Please tell me what's going on?!

[Message edited by MNHQ]

What Elton said. I work in a top UK university and faculty here tend to describe themselves as teachers or by their speciality (I'm a mathematician, I'm an English teacher). I'm working class BTW and I'm not in the gutter. So jog on!

We're all in the gutter- some of us are looking at the stars.

@NoBreakNoProblem

Not read the full thread - can't be arsed, but suffice to say OP, that if your parents are working class, then so are you.

Whether you like it nor not.

Olive that is also rubbish as its saying there is no social mobility in the UK at all

Well, there's a full spectrum of opinions on class here from:

Anyone who works is working class

To

If you're parents are working class, then so are you.

I don't think either of those are true.

Anatidae Thu 14-Dec-17 12:12:01

"What if you're from overseas? Where would you fit into the class structure or would you just always be on the outside?

You fit into the ‘forriner’ category. Subcategories are: exotic, suspicious, nobility, megarich or cheerfully harmless."

As usual, Anatidae sees me through. I can stop worrying about whether I'm going to shock people into silence or fill them with pity over my lack of career progression: I'll just get on with being cheerfully harmless. Sounds all right.

I'm just myself and refuse to be put into a box and labelled.

Olive that is also rubbish as its saying there is no social mobility in the UK at all

Born working class. And you stay working class.

People who are born working class think they are middle class coz they get a degree and have a £400K mortgage. But that is bollocks.

They are still working class.

That seems really odd. Maybe a better way is to say "I teach x at the uni". It's an obvious conversation opener to "that must be really interesting" or "my cousin does x" or whatever.

Olive, you originally said if your parents are born working class then you are.
You've changed your argument.

No I haven't.

Your parents are working class, so you are by default born working class. Not that hard to figure out. And you STAY working class, no matter how much you think you are middle class if you get a degree and earn £50K.

I do love to take the piss out of the faux middle classes though.

Quite a few of them on mumsnet.

I probably agree that if you are born working class, you stay working class, no matter where work, education or money takes you, but I also think that there is so much overlap that few are fully working or middle class.

Maybe we should emulate other countries who don't have all this class angst?

Wow, I wonder what kind of back-story there is for someone to come out with that kind of thing.

Presumably Kate Middleton is your typical w/c girl then. And of course her children, Prince George is w/c too.

By that rationale, Kate Middleton is WC, Meghan Markle is a slave and lots of us are mongrels, olive

Kate was born middle class.

Nice try though PMSL!

X post Humps

That girl Toff in I'm a celebrity is your average working class girl of course.

Kate was born middle class.

Look, concentrate. If EVERYONE stays the class they were born, there is NEVER any movement between classes, no matter how many generations go by.

I probably agree that if you are born working class, you stay working class, no matter where work, education or money takes you..

True.

Once a working class person - always a working class person.

I think at a push you can MARRY into middle class. But you are still a working class person deep down. But if you marry into middle class, your kids will be middle class. Sorta like Carole Middleton/Kate Middleton.

Most people on here are working class though. Lots of people think they are middle class. They're not. You can just tell.

@oliveinacampervan I'm sorry, Oliver. But you're not making any sense. What you say is suggestive that the country is rigid and socially immobile. I don't see myself within this class system, BTW. It's just a label and isn't worth a squat. You are who you are and what you achieve. Bearing in mind, of course, the restrictions one might face due to his/her background. Prejudice does exist and it has so many forms.

Today 17:54 oliveinacampervan

Your parents are working class, so you are by default born working class. Not that hard to figure out. And you STAY working class, no matter how much you think you are middle class if you get a degree and earn £50K.

Today 17:55 oliveinacampervan

I do love to take the piss out of the faux middle classes though.

So you're just trolling?

Also, Oliver, have you heard the saying: "tyrants are made by slaves" ?