What makes a person 'common'?

[Karlwho]

In your opinion. Just interested.

[SmiledWithTheRisingSun]

Putting giant eyelashes on your car headlights.

[Hassled]

According to my late mother (who was very definitely not of posh stock but who married well, as in upwardly), putting ketchup bottles on the table, putting milk bottles on the table and using doilies (back when that was a thing) = common. Also, weirdly, Barbie dolls were common but Sindy dolls were acceptable. And ITV - ITV was dead common.

[AnnabelleBronstein]

Men who take their shirts off in public
Making visitors take off their shoes in your house
Giving your kids cutsie or ‘unique’ (ie misspelled) names
Brawling in the street
Shouting at your kids/husband in public
Smoking while walking
Drinking out of cans
AstroTurf
Package holidays
Caravans
Having your ring fingernail painted a different colour to the rest
Being overly houseproud

[summerofladybird]

Barbie and Sindy dolls were common, Pippa dolls were socially acceptable though. Tiny Tears was a working class toy apparently.

[Eliza9919]

Smoking or eating in the street
Not having nets or something so ppl can see in
Not opening your curtains in the morning
Shouting and swearing in the street and/or at your kids
Fighting
Bad manners
Pointing out someone else's manners

[Serin]

InsertFunnyUsername But what if it's a Gregg's vegan sausage roll? Do they still count as common?

I'm very common.
Don't come to the A and E unit where I work either as all my colleagues are dead common too. Tattoos and baseball caps on consultants! Cupcakes! Teabags, crap coffee! Lots of swearing.
Yeah best all go private.

[CherryPavlova]

Needing to ask, perhaps?

[AnnabelleBronstein]

dipping bread into mint sauce

I think the question was ‘what makes someone common’, not ‘what makes someone the anti-christ’.

[Jenasaurus]

I associate people wearing caps with common

[GorkyMcPorky]

I'm describing myself here (these are the traits that I know my snooty and and my cousin's colossal snob of an ex-husband judge me for):

My dad rents and works in a factory.
My parents left school with an O-level between them.
I'm overweight and couldn't put a stylish look together if I had a thousand pounds to spend on an outfit.
Happy for my kids to eat tinned hot dogs, drink fizzy pop and have sweets now and then.
Our garden is pretty unkempt.
I have a regional twang and flat vowels
My DH also works in a factory.
I swear a lot (including sometimes in front of the DCs who know not to copy my bad example).

I couldn't give a rat's arse though. Being common is not something I worry about - in fact one of my bigger issues is that I don't fit in because lots of people at school and ever since assume it snooty because I can't do small talk!

[Jsmith99]

Bad manners, boorishness, rudeness. Inconsiderate, selfish, discourteous or disrespectful behaviour.

Being rude to shop workers or waiting staff is common.
Dropping litter is common.
Not holding doors open for people is common.
Boasting is common.

[GorkyMcPorky]

My snooty aunt

[katseyes7]

Tattoos, Northern accent.....
Oh, hang on. That's me. As you were.

[Fresta]

'Common' is having poor taste, no class, unsophisticated, etc.- think Katie Price, Wayne Rooney, Kerry Katona and the like.

[katseyes7]

SmiledWithTheRisingSun Every time l see those l get an almost overwhelming urge to set fire to them.

[Sukeyb]

Ketchup on a roast dinner

[fantasmasgoria1]

I was bought up in a middle class household, have a degree and many tattoos! Tattoos don't make a person common.

[FrancesFryer]

@ScreamingValenta

Ah, see, I'm too common to read Jilly Cooper.

[InsertFunnyUsername]

But what if it's a Gregg's vegan sausage roll? Do they still count as common?


NO! Not common at all, in that case it would be just terrible fucking tastebuds

[wichitalinemanswoman]

Tans
Tattoos
Smoking
Swearing in the street
Tracksuit bottoms
/football tops unless doing sport
Pjs outside

[echt]

When I was a girl (60s):

Tattoos
Eating in the street (ice creams excepted) I still can't bring myself to do the latter

I was well aware later that living on a council estate and having a northern accent made me common in the eyes of some others.

[RichPetunia]

Swearing, especially kids swearing.
Use of the 'c' word.
Spitting.
Boy racers are common.
People who think wearing very few clothes makes them sexy.
Fat mums in leggings.
Drug addicts.
Chavs.
Beer bellies.
Loads of tattoos.
People who let their kids have the run of the streets when they should be in (like now).
People with no regard for the police, fire brigade etc
People who blame the way their lives have turned out on everyone else whilst doing nothing to change it themselves.
Drunks
Fighting in the street.
Mohican haircuts
Kids with stupid patterns shaved into their hair.
Wearing football tops on holiday.
Being loud.
etc etc etc

[Snowy111]

common = judging people without bothering to understand them

Not true. That’s snobbery I think?

I think most people do judge. They judge behaviour that is impolite, inconsiderate or offensive to others. And I think that’s now extended to being judgy about showiness of big TVs and hot tubs, people who don’t recycle etc. Because they risk the continuity of quality of life of those doing the judging. I’ve never studied sociology but I suspect it’s a natural thing for societies to do.

I don’t think it’s about being poor. Salt of the earth characters who might have poor table manners and shoddy clothes and are working class but proud - you’ve got to admire them. Entitled people who take more than they give - less so.

Not sure why tattoos used to be considered common but I don’t think that’s true any more, there’s so many people have them - they’re quite common really

[Ivegotthree]

Loud vulgar behaviour
Tattoos
Being grossly overweight and wearing bad clothes
Not caring if your behaviour adversely affects others. This last more than all the others.

[NoSauce]

Anyone starting a thread on MN asking “ what makes a person common “