To be irritated when people confuse 'middle class' with 'super rich'

[Echobelly]

Obviously, this is not an issue that will cause anyone to man the barricades, but I do get annoyed when people talk about 'middle class Arabellas riding their ponies' (that's not middle class, that's posh! though I know in rural areas having a pony might be more ordinary) or the Mail yesterday had a piece claiming that having a second home in the UK and a third abroad was 'the ultimate middle class hat-trick'. Uhm, middle class people are often struggling to afford one house, let alone 3. You're thinking of people of 6-figure City salaries who get million quid bonuses!

I suppose there is a slightly more serious side to this in that posh politicians like the Osborns and Camerons of this world always liked to claim they are 'middle class' - presumably in their terms this means 'not everyone in our family has a title'. And if they think middle class = multiple homes and kids in private schools, they won't understand actual issues for large swathes of the population. They won't understand that middle class people can't just sell one of their homes if they're in a spot of bother, or don't have a trust fund and might be finding it hard to save for good pensions or savings in general on top of living and childcare costs.

But I don't get the point of this media misrepresentation - just to sow more envy amongst people by making them thinking everyone else must be doing better than them, and that sells papers?

[MaudlinMews]

Just did the bbc class survey and came out as Elite. I went to a comp, didnt go to university and I dont have any proper qualifications. If I’m elite then what’s Boris Johnson?

[BeesAndMist]

Ooh, I’m elite too! My socialist father will be turning in his grave. Feeling very smug that the bbc consider me to be elite.

[MaudlinMews]

I think the BBC may have an agenda in making us all feel better off/ of higher social status than we actually are.

[Jupiter15]

You don’t have to be super rich to have a pony

[Gin96]

I know people who are poor who have ponies

[ReanimatedMuse]

I don't know why people describe themselves as middle class regardless of the job you do if work for a living, your working class

There are plenty of people who work for a living who could never be described as working class, and would I suspect provoke a degree of ire from those that actually are if they claimed to be.

[midnightmisssuki]

Only in the UK does class matter so much - im from asia (and aside from India) i have never in my life seem such emphasis placed on 'class'. Why? I dont even know what class we are - we are just normal people i suppose - when speaking to my mum about this, i asked her what 'class' we were as a family - she said normal class. So. Normal it is.

[mummabearfoyrbabybears]

We have a horse (15.2hh Connemara if anyone's interested) , 6 bedrooms and my husband is in the top 8% of earners in the UK. I think we are middle class but I don't really say that and just think we're really bloody lucky!

[Xenia]

Travellers have ponies so I doubt that is a key indicator. The bbc tool is a bit of a blunt instrument www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22000973 but not surprising it says I am "elite" (awful word). (And despite all that I only have one home by the way)

I do see a problem in the UK with people suggesting those on about £50k and one on £30k both working full time being verty rich when if you look at their £20k a year childcare bill and their erent or mortgage they can often have a net monthly income less than people in other parts of the country on less so what looks like a massive sum once you strip out travel costs, childcare full time etc etc it is isn't a massive difference.

[ChazsBrilliantAttitude]

Jeremy Corbyn is solidly Middle Class - prep school, grammar school and living in Islington with professional parents.

[Racecardriver]

I think that they mean upper middle class which is generally what the other middle classes aspire to. What you describe is very upper middle class.

[megyn678]

Class and income are not related.

Our household income is about £300,000, our kids are privately educated, we have several holidays a year and a very nice house (just the one), but we’re definitely not upper class.

Upper middle class yes, upper class no.

[Mousefunky]

I think there’s different degrees of middle class. Some people are middle class by default due to their degree and job but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are rich. For example, I am a teacher and my DP is an engineer. Both of us have degrees therefore I suppose we are middle class but we are far from ‘well off’. Upper middle class is a thing and they are the sort who have a grand piano, huge house, possibly a holiday home and keep horses plus pay for private school, private healthcare, probs own a big flash car or three. They’re very rich but not necessarily upper class. To me, the upper class are elitists that haven’t worked for what they have. They were born into it.

[bringincrazyback]

Everything's relative. From the perspective of someone who has no money at all, for whom every day is a struggle, people with a middle-class income and lifestyle do appear to be rolling in it.

Also, 'middle class' covers a pretty broad income spectrum.

[astormontheway]

You cannot 'buy' into the upper class, it is far more to do with pedigree and lineage than big houses and flash cars.

[Gwenhwyfar]

"I do see a problem in the UK with people suggesting those on about £50k and one on £30k both working full time being verty rich when if you look at their £20k a year childcare bill and their erent or mortgage they can often have a net monthly income less than people in other parts of the country on less so what looks like a massive sum once you strip out travel costs, childcare full time etc etc it is isn't a massive difference."

I don't really agree with that as the childcare is still an optional expense. Like a rich person saying 'but once you take out the rent for my yacht and my BMW I'm no better off than anyone else'. And if you have a house in London, that's an asset.