To think lockdown has revealed a glaring class difference?

[TexanBlueNeck]

Filled in a survey & read some of the latest "lifestyle" columnists in UK (digital) newspapers.

No, some people are not using lockdown to browse around buying clothes and home accessories or patter about experimenting with new recipe ideas from inventive food combinations or try out a new food box delivery service.

Some of us are at breaking point between juggling childcare duties, supporting vulnerable or elderly relatives and neighbours, working from home or not at all, using the last tin of smartprice tomatoes that could be bought at an empty supermarket shelf (in person, because full-time worker parents aren't a priority group). While worrying about job security. Not whether to buy new sofa cushions while the cockpot experiment cooks!

I honestly think some commentators' experience of lockdown isn't even on the same planet as a huge portion of the rest of the (working class) UK

They're lifestyle columnists. People read them as light relief. They don't want to be told how to feed howling children a tin of sardines while holding down a job.

It's not class, it's the format of the media.

People on higher incomes are worried about homeschooling, losing their jobs, and empty shops too. They might have a bigger financial buffer but it's not fun times for anyone.

YABU - I'm squarely middle class but my experience of lockdown is what you describe in your "struggling" paragraph. Do you think only working class people have elderly relatives, children to look after, or worries about job security? You are being ridiculous and starting a class bunfight for the sake of it.

Agree this is more circumstances and income than class. We have no children and no elderly/ vulnerable friends and family to care for. My husband is currently on annual leave and I’ve just had to close my business. We haven’t been shopping online but we have had a lovely week pottering about and spending quality time at home. I’ve been spending much free time baking and making delicious meals and trying out new recipes, because I have more free time at the moment due to not working. Of course I’m concerned about my business but there’s absolutely nothing I can do about it now so I’m trying to unwind as much as possible, as well as make our food stretch as much as possible, to avoid unnecessary trips to the supermarket. None of this bears relation to what class I am in

'Not whether to buy new sofa cushions while the cockpot experiment cooks!'

That's a hell of an experiment, OP. Did he agree or just annoy you too much?

I agree, but thank you for "cockpot experiment" because that has unexpectedly lifted my spirits on a very stressful Saturday!

This is my estate.
As you can see tenants are having to use lifts with blood, faeces and spit in them. It's an obvious infection risk.
Even if they were properly clean, sharing lifts walkways and stairwells with multiple people puts you at greater risk.
The people you see here, agitating about the issue and talking to journalists will be among the most privileged that live here. The poorest have even more immidiate concerns

It's got fuck all to do with class

Of course it has to do with class and by extension security of income. If you're living paycheck to paycheck you're going to be more worried about the implications of a long term lockdown than if you have a lot of savings and a nice house.

The higher up the class scale you are the more likely you are to have a garden. Those of us who live in flats have to rely on our daily exercise to get some air.

And then there's individual circumstances for sure. Like if you're a single parent and therefore only have one income. Or if you have young kids to drive you crazy. Or if you are self-employed.

So not everything to do with class, but certainly not "fuck all" to do with class either.

It's the snotty "hey city riff raff don't come to our idyllic countryside to exercise" dressed up as concerns for Not Following The Rules that makes me roll my eyes. The rules need to be followed it's true but the underlying outrage that our perfect village/fields are being spoiled by the great city unwashed is very apparent. MN has always been a bit of a middle class bubble but the lack of understanding or indeed care that others might not have the same spacious home and garden to lock down in is irritating, especially when it's accompanied by drill sergeant type orders to toe the line and "stop killing people!"

In some ways I think you are right @TexanBlueNeck. DH and I are both medical, had good salaries, large house and garden. The kids are definitely not particularly cooped up and we have plenty of varied food and activities at home...

But there is a massive downside, which is that we are keyworkers and expected to put our kids in the allocated keyworker childcare hubs. The info we have had so far is grim, not to mention being an hour away from my work. So we are going to spend all of this time working longer than ever, with our day and travel extended by new childcare arrangements, and too exhausted by everything to do anything nice as a family...while others are filling soc med with all the family activities and homeschooling they are doing.

We all have different circumstances and struggles in this. Loss of normal routines is tough whoever you are, whatever class or income.

It's a real mix or reasons. Home, children, working etc...

We are struggling and completely on our knees tiredness wise due to wfh with a toddler (we are doing shifts of work and waking at 5am to work and going to be about 11pm when we finish work) no outside space at all, so taking our exercise once a day for a family walk.

If we go onto full lockdown and we cant get outside at all this will be really detrimental to our physical and mental health. People with gardens however small will still be ok mostly. They can have access to the outside and get fresh air.

But we are also lucky that we have food in the cupboard, and we are healthy so far.

I think wealth inequality was already a pretty glaring problem tbh.

It's not only income. It's situation.

I still have to work from home. I'm not exactly bored at home browsing fashion sites. Just MNetting...
Many people in good incomes will still have children at home, and have to work too.

But most commentators don't have an inkling, at the best of times, anyway.

I agree Op. My middle class friends seem to all have well off parents living miles away but with plenty of community support and friends to help them. Even the ones with medical conditions have access to cars, computers and money to enable shopping, whilst they self isolate.

My poorer friends have poorer parents with less access to these things. Often they are living closer because both they and their children rely on each other for support or childcare rather than buying help in.

I’ve helped out a neighbour with their shopping. This required me to pay up front and they will refund me. Quite a big bill for a large shop. No way would this work in a community of minimum wage workers. Especially like the Op many are still required to go to work for nothing extra.
There’s no money for failed cooking experiments or time off for redecoration and DIY.

I've got to be honest and say that going by the threads on MN I'm reading, the three types of people who seem to be posting the most are:

Those who have ongoing mental health or abusive relationship troubles (and this is making things a whole lot worse).

The small business owners and others who aren't 'self-employed' so are entitled to no financial help at all and min-wage employees whose employers have shat all over them (financial nightmare),

The ones who are fuming because their priority Ocado slot has been cancelled (and they're going to have to queue up with the rest of us).

Guess which one of those three I feel least sorry for.

Isn't it more to do with people who have DC and those who don't? Financially we are comfortable but I can hardly sit around online shopping when there's so much going on in the house!

willowpatterns
That's probably because most people are just getting on with it and doing their best.

If there was a thread of people sharing their minor lockdown irritations then it would probably be more representative of most of us. Mine would be the fact that Tesco tried to substitute my shower gel for Femfresh

It depends on your job ,nothing to do with class
My dh is still working ,but 95% of his colleges are sat at home on full pay ,because His employers are only making essential people work .
Just luck of the draw he has to work ,they don’t
That’s nothing to do with class .

Nothing to do with income either
Literally down to which job is essential,

Things are worse in Southern Italy and Sicily where heathcare is more basic they are facing civil unrest because some are hungry and can get no food at all. There is high unemployment. Now some have taken to raiding supermarkets with stockings over their faces. Just seen this on Sky news. At least we have good healthcare system and Boris has given generous package for both PAYE workers and now self employed, who although they myust wait till June for grant, they can claim benefit in meanwhile. It is always hard to care for elderly relatives especially if they have dementia and can't understand they must stay in. It is also hard for all those still at work. My son is a delivery driver and now is working from 6-8 delivering food. When he gets home and goes to supermarket there is not much left. He is not NHS or elderly so can't get any priority. His boss tells him he must continue to work even thoughn he is asthmatic as they are 'feeding the nation'.

Actually those on full benefits are not having their incomes cut. The people who have suddenly lost income and still have to pay bills are in real trouble. Those with the five bedroom hosues may be shitting themselves because twelve months down the lilne they may be horrendous debt.

It is showing up differences but not class. I am shocked at the selfishness - the panic buyers who greedily bought everythign in sight and are now binning it. The people who insist on going out and about and versus those who are on their knees with exhaustion and in danger delivering a health service and essentials to everyone.

No it is not class. It's about the sort of person you are

Some people have more money/time than others. Always been that way really. Not sure what’s different now.

I have a family member who is married with one child all of them live in the same house and dont work all claiming benefits and have a nice standard of living....big house in the same area as me and hubby with a small mortgage and all have thier own cars.....i am abit fed up of thier bragging that their income can only go up and how they are not concerned whatsoever about money. Then there is me and my hubby and our daughter worked all our lives...due to expensive area we don't own our house and pay alot in rent we will struggle due to work situation re this virus. We are all the same class.....but somehow I just feel that we should just stop looking for work jump on the benefits wagon and see where life takes us. I just can't speak to them right now

I think it’s more situational than class related. Dh and I are earning a reasonable income but having a teen with ASD and PTSD who struggles dreadfully with change to routine and a toddler in a very small semi with only one loo has left us worried about how to isolate if one of us catches covid.

If we, god forbid, came down at the same time with the nasty version of it, neither of our kids would be able to look after themselves and we’ve both got parents in the risk group. I don’t know how anyone else is dealing with this worry and how income or class would affect it

I know what sort of articles you mean OP. I think it’s a combination of older planned material, convolutely sponsored writing or try to write something as a bit of a diversion. I doubt anymore than 5% people actually take any notice of these articles, even if more people glance at them, it means nothing.
I regularly read style, beauty, fashion, decor articles out of interest/curiosity, to keep informed on trends and as a source of inspiration. Beauty stuff I always read because I like the stuff. But I don’t actually go and buy any of that stuff because most of it is silly money and some of it is ridiculous. If I like a particular concept, I translate that into my life gradually and never ever impulse buy.
I haven’t read a single one of these pieces over the last two weeks. Zero interest, it is superfluous at present and find it slightly annoying they still publish the stuff.
We have good stable incomes, apart from observing the current rules, our lifestyle hasn’t changed and is likely to remain OK from a financial perspective. What’s the point of shopping for new trends or planning trips for now or the next half year at least?
So it’s not about the income either I don’t think anyone finds this of interest at present. Bigger things to occupy the mind with. These articles are fillers.

Lots of factors. Finance wise we are fine, but working full time from home plus homeschooling 1 child and providing childcare for the other means 18 hour days. No time for shopping etc although money wise we could.
Really rich people (millionaire upwards) and SAHP have an easy ride, so do people who sit at home do nothing but are paid. All the rest is struggling