What makes you working class?

[Greenbluestar]

I noticed the thread on what makes you middle class. So how about what makes you working class? I’ll go first..

• achievement achieved through merit and seldom by privilege
• keen to work and hard working

Any more?

You know exactly who you are & where you come from, you could take a step up the ladder, but you’re happy as you are, you don’t want to be that person with airs & graces.

What makes you working class?

Believing that people who shop at Waitrose have more money than sense.

I have no idea what class I am...

Interesting that few people have answered with what "makes them working class", and are more likely to answer with what "makes them NOT middle class".

So far, being middle class seems to have been defined here as being workshy, dirty, scruffy-housed, "cocky", and wasteful. Oh, and that tired, old "Waitrose, lol!" line.

What a horrible attitude to have. Doesn't seem to be much actual pride here, just reverse snobbery and spite.

In my experience, you could always tell the self-identified "working class" people because they were the most class-sensitive and vocal about class systems, picking apart behaviours, possessions, and appearances to see who fit and who didn't. Meanwhile, the "middle class scum" they reviled didn't seem to notice, care, separate, or judge them in return. Must be all that elderflower cordial from Waitrose, eh?

Coincidentally, this week's New Statesman has a long, statistically based article on the topic of class and how/why people assign a particular class status. My main take out from it was the importance of age and income in the definitions. Most people over 65 are much less inclined see the factors examined as "not necessarily a factor in class".

Statistics eh? Hmmm. Depends how they've been gathered then, doesn't it. the huge number of threads asking about class on MN over the last few weeks, probably

Not that I shall be buying the New Statesman to find out

Thinking Miller & Carter is a high end restaurant.

Heating on all day ! ? 😆 U don't know any working class people do u ? None of us can afford to put our heating on all day ! Aaaaaaahahaha , or maybe u were being facetious .

Hahaha ! How about not having a Waitrose within one hundred miles of where u live , never even seen a Waitrose carrier bag never mind the actual shop !

What's the New statesman ? A novel by Alan Bastard ?

Miller and Carter ? Is that a cop show ?

According to the notes, the article summarised some of the content from a recently published book @toppkatz. The author is an academic, so presumably it isn't based on the recent threads.

From my humble experience....
Asking some-one who's doing a degree - 'and what will that make you when you've finished?'

Not understanding why you'd go on holiday to anywhere that's not hot and doesn't have sun loungers.
Knocking once and shouting 'anyone in?' before walking into some-one's house unannounced (or is that just my family)?
Thinking a restaurant isn't very good if it doesn't have 100 instantly microwavable meals on the menu.
Talking about the lottery and/or bin collections too much.
Seeing men's jobs and wages as more important than womens.
Believing in angels.
Watching lots of soap operas.
Getting worse healthcare and education results because they're less willing to fight their corner and don't get how to complain and work the system.
Contributing a higher proportion of their wages to charity than the MC
Being more inclined to help out some-one in need with favours / money / childcare etc.

@GreenDressRedWine
My mc husband talks a lot about bin collections. I think seeing men’s jobs as more important is probably more generational. The person I know who does it most blatantly went to a Swiss finishing school, but she is nearly ninety.
Otherwise, yes.
There are a dwindling number of houses I would go into without awaiting an answer.

@DesignforLife - very enlightening and well written post.

I always dress my son impeccably he is always lovely and clean and I’m well fitting clothes if second hand they are nice. Always bath him before nursery etc. When I send him to nursery (posh area) some of the kids look like they’ve just got out of bed! I just don’t want people to judge me and think he’s not cared for, when he is absolutely adored, there’s no reason for me to think they would I just have this thing where he always has to be 100% clean and well turned out.

@GreenDressRedWine

From my humble experience.... Asking some-one who's doing a degree - 'and what will that make you when you've finished?' Not understanding why you'd go on holiday to anywhere that's not hot and doesn't have sun loungers. Knocking once and shouting 'anyone in?' before walking into some-one's house unannounced (or is that just my family)? Thinking a restaurant isn't very good if it doesn't have 100 instantly microwavable meals on the menu. Talking about the lottery and/or bin collections too much. Seeing men's jobs and wages as more important than womens. Believing in angels. Watching lots of soap operas. Getting worse healthcare and education results because they're less willing to fight their corner and don't get how to complain and work the system. Contributing a higher proportion of their wages to charity than the MC Being more inclined to help out some-one in need with favours / money / childcare etc.

I think I just went up in the world!! 😂

Not having to ask randoms on the Internet how often I should shower.

Today I made the cross over from working class childhood to fully fledged middle class adulthood.
I made a lemon meringue pie using lemons from my own lemon tree.

Humour

Middle class - university educated comics e.g. David Baddiel, David Mitchell, Jimmy Carr with high brow comedy such as Have I got news for you, Mock the Week, QI etc

Working Class - Ant and Dec, gameshows, celebrity based shows e.g. Strictly, IAACGMOOH,

For older generations it would be a contrast between Monty Python and working men's club comics e.g. Jim Davidson

My Dad (WC through and through) is a lifelong Monty Python and HIGNFY fan. He doesn’t like Jim Davidson because he’s a horrible misogynistic pig.

QI is sneering, superior nonsense and I’m a celebrity is usually an oxymoron and trash TV, enjoyed across the spectrum.

Definitely no class distinctions here.