Utter snobbery

[ScattyPenny]

This may be old news and I apologise if it's been done to death already. I know it's not a new thing.

My friend has a daughter who has just started at a prestigious Russell group uni. My son is at a regular uni.

My friend showed me pictures of her daughter wearing a T-Shirt on a night out bearing the slogan 'Your Dad works for my Dad'. It was for a student night out in which students from the local 'poly' and the 'proper' university were attending. Obviously it was an antagonistic slur on those attending the 'lower rated' university.

I'm from a working class background and struggled to get to university and I'm very proud of my achievements and of my son having got to where he is. I was the first in my family ever to get a degree and I went to a new university (old poly). I went to a state school and my parents worked hard but never in well-paid jobs.

AIBU to think that this smacks of class snobbery?

Many kids at decent universities will have got there through hard work and determination but many will have had the benefits of private education, middle class values and educated (and supportive) parents.

Personally I think it stinks. My friend however thought it was funny.

Sad as it sounds, the slogan probably rings true for many of the students. However, it must seem like a kick in the face in an 'I've got somewhere you'll get because you're poor' kind of way.

Sorry...just needed to vent.

[faeriequeen]

The T shirts I've seen have "Your dad works for my dad" on The front and "Your mum cleans for my mum" on the back. Sexist and crass.

[Robots1Humans0]

Well I attended a red brick (and left halfway through, hated it) and the local poly students would wear t shirts on nights out saying 'I'd rather be a poly than a c-bomb' (obviously wasn't printed c-bomb) and tbh I think I was at the wrong uni 😂

[Robots1Humans0]

Just saw your post @wijjy as a local lass I was definitely studying on the wrong side of the toon 😂

[MissEliza]

Anyone who wears a t shirt like that is an oxygen thief! I use that term very carefully but I think this is a definite case!

[Graphista]

Thanks op

Vive la revolution indeed!

[itsbritneybiatches]

Buy s T-shirt that says " your dads gonna be working for me"

[araiwa]

Wow its full fish and chips with mushy peas and mint sauce on shoulders in here. More chips than vegas.

[hooveringhamabeads]

The t-shirt is quite over the top yes. It’s quite common though - I graduated as a mature student in a city where there was one excellent uni and one way down the league tables. I was at the better one. It was common to ridicule the other uni, even the lecturers would do it!

FYI I was a leper as I was 20 years older than everyone else and therefore didn’t get involved.

[Graphista]

"Wow its full fish and chips with mushy peas and mint sauce on shoulders in here. More chips than vegas" which basically means those of us not amused by such a stunt are "overreacting" and "can't take a joke" hmmm wonder where we've heard THAT before in the retorts of millions of sexist/racist/homophobic twats who objected to being called the bigots and bullies they were

[HotSauceCommittee]

It’s a shame you didn’t retort, “you must be very proud of her” with an inscrutable smile when she showed you the picture.

[Aintnothingbutaheartache]

It’s not pleasant, it’s not clever and nobody’s laughing so stop.
Ha bloody ha.
We are talking about university students here, they’re all about painting statues, stealing buses to get home, sailing underwear etc.
It happens. I still maintain there’s a big difference in ‘universities ‘ it’s not snobbery it’s a fact

[Aintnothingbutaheartache]

‘Vive La revolution ‘ indeed.
have you read a history book?

[sproutsplease]

There are a huge difference in universities and the teaching you receive in different establishments. There is no excuse for wearing that kind of t-shirt, I attended a fantastic uni with great individual teaching support and challenge, what my father did or didn't do for a job had fuck all to do with my attendance there. Happily it wasn't just me that thought so, my Marxist supervisor would have told any knobhead wearing that kind of thing exactly what he thought.

[LemonAndLimeJuice]

Race cardriver. Nightmarish thought, we will go down the American route, where people are left to die from easily preventable illness and disease. As is happening now in the USA. There appears to be lots of real life stories on TV from the USA showing this at the moment.

And it would be a dreadful backwards step for our country, an idea pushed by the big insurance companies

[Crunched]

It’s not snobbery to rate the RG unis; it’s simply appreciating those places for the fact that they are rated as and regarded as better.
Will this fallacy ever end on Mumsnet? Some subjects/courses are rated and regarded as better. Many non-RG establishments are rated and regarded as ‘better’ (employability, inspiring tutors etc.) in certain areas. I know so many people say this on here, but some contributors just seem to never hear/acknowledge the fact.
Back to the crass T-Shirt. The rivalry between two major agricultural universities leads to one of them wearing T-Shirts saying “I Own it. You Farm it” whenever they meet in sporting events. I think this sort of thing is just part of student banter and has been for a long time.I would hastily point out I’m not saying it is a good thing.
Incidentally, my (privately educated) DD2 has just started at the less highly rated university in one of the cities mentioned up thread. DD has the same offer from both institutions but preferred the feel and modules at the ex-poly.
The solution is for students from the less established institutions to rise up to those positions of success and hopefully this situation will be proved ridiculous.

[SongsWithoutWords]

I don't like the T-shirt at all. I think the context is important though. I am pretty certain, it was worn 'tongue in cheek' during an event where both RG and Poly Students are encouraged to rip the piss out of each other and both sides really go for it. In a way, it is self mockery - in a 'I go to RG therefore I must be an arrogant wanker' way.

[Snitzelvoncrumb]

You should sell your t-shirts!

[wentmadinthecountry]

Can I just say (and by the way my dd never wore one, just told me about it with raised eyebrows) I believe they were paid for and distributed by a pub or similar, not the university and were given to students while on a pub crawl so probably not making the best judgements - not that that makes it any better. Dd1 went to a more "prestigious" (Rah)RG and they had similar with the ex poly in town (Bristol/UWE). I do think it's intended by most as a type of humour, albeit unfunny and offensive.

No wonder teachers struggle to persuade children that university IS for all classes/backgrounds.

[TuftyBum]

Wow its full fish and chips with mushy peas and mint sauce on shoulders in here. More chips than vegas.

Very true. Determined to be upset and won't consider context.

[Aaaahfuck]

My home city has 2 unis one a RG and this type of shit goes on all the time has done for years. I really think the university needs to do more to officially come down on it. It's disgusting.

[BlaaBlaaBlaa]

As someone who has dedicated my career to widening participation and social mobility specifically in relation to university this make me so angry.

I'm currently researching why non-traditional students, in general, don't choose higher ranked, higher tariff, selective universities. Undoubtedly, behaviour like this contributes to the feeling of ' I don't belong here'

Absolutely disgusting

[BlaaBlaaBlaa]

@crunched it not as simple as saying those students from less established universities should take the more prestigious job. There are a whole raft of cultural, social and structural barriers. Shit like this contributes massively.

[BlaaBlaaBlaa]

@araiwa clearly you don't understand the deeply ingrained social inequalities surrounding higher education 🙄

[IAmAllAsttonishnent]

The middle classes are the worst for snobbery. It’s quite comical really- trying to breach the ranks of the ‘rich’ by flaunting their mild privilege and wealth.

An old friend of mine’s family own one of the biggest brands in the world, he grew up in a prestigious boarding school, went to a top 5 university, own several companies himself and has more money and priveledge than most could dream of - he also has a bloody good down to earth grasp on life and would roll his eyes at, and actively avoid your friends daughter - if he were in the country right now...which he is not.

He’s 25 so very little age difference.

[Nenic]

Inverse snobbery is just as bad as snobbery but on here, you’re allowed to be an inverse snob it seems