Why do some people feel the need to describe themselves as ‘middle class’?

[lottieandmia22]

I met a man who said

‘I am incredibly lucky. I’m a middle class, white, straight male which puts me at an advantage’

Frankly, this made my teeth itch. I thought ‘what a tosser’

Why do people feel the need to do this? I couldn’t care less which class I am.

Class is not really fluid at all, thats why class is so entrenched in the uk. Briefly, post ww2, it became possible to move upwards as well as downwards (which had always been the big fear), but class is re solidifying
Tbh who does it suit most if we are all conditioned to think we are a classless society? The rich of course. Raising class consciousness is a marxist aim.

I have just looked up this guy's job. He's a Vending Logistics coordinator. I have no idea what that actually is tbh.
He passes on the jobs to the people who go out to mend vending machines. He thinks this makes him "management". I'm coming round to OP's view.
Poor chap. His job is a prime target for automation.

PaintingByNumbers, people thinking the society is classless would be suit everyone. It would bring better social cohesion. Why would you think it’d be just in the rich people’s interest?

I disagree that class is not fluid. Either that or there's such a huge overlap between middle and working class that it's not significant any more. I don't fit into either working or middle class stereotypes - very mixed with regard to interests/attidudes/education etc.

And I don't know why people say there's little or no social mobility because that's not my observation at all. I posted this example on another recent thread on the subject:

^I know a couple where they probably have a household income of around £150k in public sector jobs in northern England. Both are management level and experts in their field who travel the world speaking at conferences etc. Neither have a degree, but they do have extensive professional qualifications.

They live in a naice house in a naice area and both their DCs are at Mumsnet approved universities doing MScs.

Both parents were born on council estates to families who worked as miners, barmaids, cleaners etc.

So what class are this couple and what class are their DCs who have well paid professional parents and grew up in a good area and went to a good school and have MScs from top 5 universities?

Good grief, this thread is ridiculous.

He didn't mean that he had a fancy job and was therefore working class. He meant that he came from a middle class background which had given him privileges - food on the table, a good education, the chance to go to university maybe - and he recognises that he's therefore been put at a natural advantage. I've never heard ANYONE say the phrase in the OP without it essentially being a way of saying "a lot of the good things in my life are because I was born into a fortunate situation". It's the opposite of bragging!

So is this job high earning? Is that why he thinks it's middle class?

Either way it just annoys me that people have to define themselves 'just in case you were wondering, I'm better than so and so' urgh

No peach. He didn't go to university. He left school and was a sales assistant in car phone warehouse. So why does he need to look down on other people?

It depends what you were talking about when he said it really.

Because being born a white, straight, middle class man does give you loads of advantage in our society. So he was lucky that he was born that way.

I'm middle class. I'm the child of two parents who were teachers My parents are both teachers but I wouldn't describe myself as middle class. If both parents were consultants or barristers, fair enough but not teachers.

Middle class to me is being easily able to afford private education, second or third home etc.

Well obviously if you're talking with friends about people's background and the impact on their lives that is one thing. But in this context I think it just shows he's a snob.

Gromance - I agree with you but it seems obvious that people have differing ideas of what middle class actually is.

OP, if nothing else, it’s quite sweet that he feels privileged despite not having been to uni and working in Carphone Warehouse and now servicing vending machines

But I wouldn’t go on another date either with someone with this sort of chat. Why he chats what he does I don’t know.

BarbaraofSeville The couple you describe are from the window of opportunity which is now closing. It's now much more difficult to do that. The greater university participation simply means that even entry level office jobs are now appointing graduates, "Mumsnet approved" (lovely phrase! - know exactly what you mean) universities are harder to get into without a conventional MC background, jobs are increasingly dependent on unpaid internships. And simply the number of jobs is decreasing from which it is possible to launch a career.

How did the subject come up?

I would probably describe myself as middle class (though I'm not financially at the moment). My parents both had 'middle class' professions, but both I and they would say they were working class if anything. My grandparents were miners and dockers so def working class.

Class is so weird in the UK. So many little indicators that people notice and used to allocate people into little boxes mentally. I had no idea that round cut carrots were working class until I read this on MN recently, for instance!

Middle class to me is being easily able to afford private education, second or third home etc. Yes, that's increasingly what MC is taken to mean nowadays. But "easily affording" private education puts you into about the top 10% of household earnings, which is hardly "middle"!

I don’t see anything wrong with what he said . As a white middle class male of course he has privilege. The fact he can recognise that is good, surely?

You’ve given no context as to where the comment came from.

"Middle class to me is being easily able to afford private education, second or third home etc."

Social class is not about money. A middle class person who went bankrupt would still be middle class.

My MIL would always think of herself as upper middle, private school educated, had a career in the arts, reads all the right things etc, radio 3, house seems v. middle class, but it's all too earnest, says loo, knows Debretts cover to cover, has boho friends but she is still prudishly lower middle class to me.

"Today 09:47 meredintofpandiculation

Middle class to me is being easily able to afford private education, second or third home etc. Yes, that's increasingly what MC is taken to mean nowadays. But "easily affording" private education puts you into about the top 10% of household earnings, which is hardly "middle"!"

Class isn't about earnings. Socio economic grouping is a marketing tool and very loosely relates to the class system which has been entrenched in this country for Century's

There is no reason to think a teacher, or a couple earning £150k, are middle class.

But "easily affording" private education puts you into about the top 10% of household earnings, which is hardly "middle"!" Most people are working class. They just don't like to admit it as they associate 'working class' with poor people down't pit! DH and I have a joint income of around £100k but I know people that are middle class & I am certainly not like them.

Couldn't agree more Gromance.

I am 40. Everyone my age has been to uni. Many people earn very good salaries. I'm in one of the professions labelled here as middle class and obviously as a result know many other people in that profession.

It has nothing to do with being middle class.

There are a number of posts on this thread of someone vociferously not caring to hear that someone is middle-class. I find it telling that so many of these posters think/assume that the people saying they are middle-class are boasting. If the speaker is middle-class they are just relaying a fact about themselves, there's nothing intrinsically boastful about it. Hearers who interpret it as a boast are not people who don't give a fuck. Someone who truly didn't give a fuck wouldn't start threads or post that they didn't give a fuck.

Obviously we weren't there, and it does depend on how it was said. But, in general, if you think "twat" when someone describes themself as middle-class, that probably says more about you than them.

ETA- for our generation it's a hangover from the blairite "we're all middle class now" years