What makes a person 'common'?

[Karlwho]

In your opinion. Just interested.

Popping

My partner does that! I find it so embarrassing. Along with a fair few other things mentioned on this thread.

We had quite different upbringings.

Following 'Mrs Hinch'.

Owning a French Bulldog.

Tattoos.

Over use of the exclamation mark!!!!!!

1nsom

French Bulldogs are going the way of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier - ending up in dogs homes (because the original owners don’t understand what the breed needs) and being rehomed by a different sort of person to the sort who would buy them from a breeder. Generally speaking.

Having silver ‘Live laugh love’ stickers adorning your poorly painted magenta pink wall

Having any written slogans/mottos on your walls/mantelpiece. Worst of all are family rules

I have just googled Mrs Hinch ... utterly terrifying

@findingmyfeet12

I’ve got a Michael Kors bag but the pendant thing is quite small...am I ok?

Badly dyed hair, especially blue and plum.
Wearing nightclothes to the supermarket.
Slouchy saggy old tracksuits.
Big hoop earrings
Bad teeth
Vulgar language in public
Toddlers with pierced ears

Ilovemypantry sorry, it's too late for you.

It's heartbreaking really but these things just creep up on you if you're not careful.

So being 'common' or 'chavvy' is when the working classes exhibit behaviours which get them noticed rather than being downtrodden and knowing their place in society

I guess I'm not very common then?

I don't smoke, don't like eating in the street, have no tattoos, don't wear sportswear unless I'm intending to actually exercise, don't swear at my dc, don't drive a big white car, don't spit, don't wear leggings, I'm not grossly over-weight, don't have a scouse or geordie accent, I don't drink beer in my (tidy) front garden, my spelling and grammar are good in three languages, I use headphones for my music, I have one TV that isn't very big but I do have too many books for my bookcase, my house is never spotless, I don't like salad cream, you couldn't pay me to stay in a static car and I don't go out in my pj's.

But I grew up half in a backwater town in Ireland with a notoriously awful accent and half within earshot of Liverpool fc's grounds and am in fact about as common and ordinary as they come.

I really don't understand the whole class thing I find it very bizarre.

Saying "sat" instead of 'sitting'.

People who do that are as common as muck.

So first we have to establish who is actually common.
Rule 1. It's not me
Rule 2. Tick off a list of looks and behaviours that are ' common'

In rule 2, though, which and how many attributes need to be counted, one, three, ten?
Also do any 'posh' attributes counteract any 'common' ones? ( if you had a Boris J accent, but revelled in ignorance for example, would the accent trump the ignorance, swearing, drunkeness etc?)
Also does each attribute have the same weighting? We could have 'common TopTrumps!

Then, once one has established that an individual is.' Common' what are we to do with this information? Feel superior, tell them off, move away ,join in?

This is not an innocent post, OP, it's petty and unkind . By all means don't have a slogan tattooed on your face whilst smoking and screaming obscenities at your kids. But name and avoid poor behaviours rather than label someone as common for liking salad cream.

@SemperIdem

Me and my DP also had different upbringing, his parents family are polar opposite too. His father's side is the definition of this thread, ticking almost every box, lovely people though!
His mother side are much more.. prim and proper? Very traditional.

My family, especially my grandparents are very traditional, somehow I escaped that and found myself here with my Michael Kors bag with the logo on

Doesn't it get cold up there on that pedestal? Looking down your nose at people you deem lesser than you, for whatever reason, is worse than any of the ridiculous shite mentioned on this thread.

I thought the thread was lighthearted enough. Everyone is going to have different opinions of what is 'common' hence it being an opinion.

Noone should take it too seriously as I can guarantee we all carry traits and habits mentioned here.

For example, I smoke (or did before I was pregnant) in public all the time, I was fully aware of how common it looks but it's an addiction

I also gave the logo printed MK bag..

I've lived in a council house (due to mum divorcing but nevertheless)

I used to wear leggings until they all became see through and my teenage Lacey underwear has become mid twenties comfy pants that noone wants to see.. although being up the duff I may start wearing them again.

I swear like a sailor, although never st work and I try to taste my words before I spit them out when in public.

It's just a thread, noone actually cares, surely?

I work with a lot of “common” people. The most astonishing thing is, in that context “nice” people assume they can behave how they wish. The behaviour and abuse they feel comfortable directing at me and others I work with is astonishing.

Give me a “common” person over someone who thinks they can verbally abuse someone just doing their job, every time.

@semperldem

I agree. I work in a place where the majority of people are very wealthy and posh.

I find older people are also very rude. Ive met much nicer and down to earth council estate people than I have gated community elderly people. Not speaking for all of them though! I think its all dependant on how you were brought up and how you've been treated

FaceTiming in public! Especially on the bus - hate it

@origamiunicorn totally agree with your assessment of common. You just described my neighbour.

Where one keeps one's fruit bowl is apparently an indicating factor as to one's class.

There was a thread about which room it should be kept in, a couple of years ago. It caused hilarious anxiety as hundreds of posters scrambled to post that their way was the right way, and any other way was common.

It was on and off the top of AIBU with another thread, called something like "Would you judge me for this?" Of course, everyone swore that they would never judge anybody for anything.

Epic AIBU.

Do tell @BadLad. Where is the correction fruit bowl position?

I wear mine on my head like Carmen Miranda.

Don’t like the word common, but my affluent area:
Orange and skinny women
Kids dressed head to in JD sports
Women not working
Bad driving (no indicators)
Brexit

No idea. The battle lines were drawn, but the thread was inconclusive.

Worried I might be common, I guzzled the contents and then threw my fruit bowl in the bin.

Yes most people will have a mixture of ‘common’ traits and ‘middle-class/posh/whatever’ traits, there’s not neat boxes that everyone fits into.