lighthearted, are you middle class?

[mrziggycoco]

How do you define classes, personally, and are what class are you?

I read a book once that said if you are a professional (in one of the professions; teaching/doctor/engineer/surgeon/lawyer) you are middle class.

Similarly if you are a blue collar worker (you have a uniform for work) this makes you working class.

I wonder if being socially housed makes one automatically working class?

Thoughts? Just for fun.

'Medicine and surgery are different disciplines and different jobs'

arguably better described as one is a sub-set of the other rather than 'different' otherwise every specialism would be listed as different to a doctor and the class of doctors denuded. If your surgeon is going to operate on you and not your tree and is not a medical doctor then perhaps withdraw consent.

That should say ‘ex paid school fees’

@Phos

I’d fight anyone who says I’m middle class. I read for a hobby, I have a career in financial services, own a detached house and our household income is 6 figures. But all those things (well except the reading) are just the result of good choices and a bit of luck. It doesn’t automatically make me middle class.

I'm in the exact same position now in my 50s. On paper people would sunrise I'm middle class (until I open my mouth!) but I grew up on a council estate in the East end

I did a quiz once. Apparently I am middle class, but I grew up 100% working class so I don’t feel any different to that.

I don't think you can change what class you are. I wouldn't say Wayne Rooney is now middle class just because he's wealthy. Class is so much more than money.

I'm working class anyway.

I thought it was all based on the fluffy-ness of your towels?

I suppose DH and I are middle class now, an accountant/Finance Manager and early retired teacher. We both went to uni, own our home and 8 btl houses and a holiday home in France. We both grew up poor and both our Dads worked in a factory. My Mum was a cleaner and DH Mum a cook in a care home. I would say growing up we were definately both working class but once careers established and buying our home and got btl's at some point we moved to middle class.

Sent too soon!
Grew up in the East End of London, was a teenage single parent and many of my peers have died from drug overdoses over the years. I didn't ho to university and ended up in financial services at 16 and have worked my way up. So I'm going with Mickey Flanagan and say that I'm working class with middle class trappings!

Like if you're born and raised in a working class household I don't think you suddenly turn middle class when you get a high paying career. Your kids would be middle class though if you bring them up in that environment.

[quote desiringonlychild2022]@mrziggycoco I would argue Boris Johnson has to work as he has to support X number of children including two young ones. And I don't think Carrie's income can support a nanny and 2
sets of private school fees.

But a lot of titled nobility have lots of kids and their kids all need to go to private school and have fancy weddings and gifted homes! And they are far from Bezos rich...[/quote]
I think it's about investments for the latter and they have a lot of passive income so don't have to work.

I also think Boris/Alexander comes from generational wealth? Is his father not extremely wealthy?

All these threads ever show is that class is as much a state of mind as a state of finances

Some people identify strongly with the concept and lean in to it
Others couldn’t care less and don’t let it influence their life or decisions

Both are fine

@mrziggycoco his father had 4 kids and Boris is terrible with money apparently. It's why he had a donor to pay for the gold wallpaper

Some have investments, others have to get jobs (even if it's jobs through the old boys network i.e. consultant). Mixture of the two. Contrary to popular opinion, most fortunes are squandered which is why most billionaires are unwilling to let their heirs get their hands on it. Wealth is good for things like buying an expensive house for a 25 year old/paying for school fees but it would not feed a rich family for a lifetime. It is not enough. Passive income can help but that also depends on how well it is managed.

It's why the wealthy find their way into politics.

What class are you when you attack people?

Under? Or possibly below that in a new sub category.

But what do I know. Born scummy and slightly less no nowadays. Couldn't care less about class TBH.

Unless you are a billionaire. Then the next 10 generations don't need to work. But most titled nobility are far from that. And most billionaires are self made

@Waxonwaxoff0

Like if you're born and raised in a working class household I don't think you suddenly turn middle class when you get a high paying career. Your kids would be middle class though if you bring them up in that environment.

I would have said the same -

but then caringcarer says ''I suppose DH and I are middle class now, an accountant/Finance Manager and early retired teacher. We both went to uni, own our home and 8 btl houses and a holiday home in France. We both grew up poor and both our Dads worked in a factory.''

If they were still relying on their wage/s and hadn't got the btl houses i'd have said they were still working class despite the finance manager/home in france stuff. The fact they have invested their money (BTL) and it's working for them, i say they have jumped class.

The question of state of mind vs finances is very interesting.

Mostly i think Working and Middle are completely linked to finances, and upper is not linked to money at all.

My partner is a manager in a high street bank, I would consider that middle class but he wears a uniform so I think the uniform thing is weird.

I'm Irish so we dont have the same interest in classes as britian but I think there irrelevant. I'm a teacher but a plumber or electrician would comfortably out earn me.

If they were still relying on their wage/s and hadn't got the btl houses i'd have said they were still working class despite the finance manager/home in france stuff.

So are all BTL landlords middle class then? I know plenty of people from modest backgrounds who are BTL landlords. Considering you can buy a house for 100k in parts of the north, I would say most homeowners in the south could probably afford to be BTL landlords if they remortgaged their homes...

Cressida Dick wears a uniform

Prince Phillip sometimes wore a uniform

Pilots wear uniforms

@desiringonlychild2022 - So are all BTL landlords middle class then?

I dunno I was asking myself the same question even as i typed that out!

If you work for your money you're working class in my book, and if you don't have to work then i say Middle. Managing property is still working isn't it. So no. I retract that - and caringcarer is still working class.

But her kids might not be eventually ...

When I did that BBC survey 8 years ago it said I was in the metropolitan elite because I went to the opera/plays

Which is ridiculous

In my opinion there isn't really a clear class system in this country any more. There are way too many strata to make classification simple or worthwhile. There aren't many useful clear definitions.

One I do like is that anyone who will be working out of necessity to earn a wage/salary from somebody else, for their whole working life until a nominal retirement age no earlier than 60, is part of a modern "working class".

[quote Laiste]**@desiringonlychild2022 - So are all BTL landlords middle class then?

I dunno I was asking myself the same question even as i typed that out!

If you work for your money you're working class in my book, and if you don't have to work then i say Middle. Managing property is still working isn't it. So no. I retract that - and caringcarer is still working class.

But her kids might not be eventually ...[/quote]
So you move from working to middle class on retirement?

@Aimee1987

My partner is a manager in a high street bank, I would consider that middle class but he wears a uniform so I think the uniform thing is weird.

I'm Irish so we dont have the same interest in classes as britian but I think there irrelevant. I'm a teacher but a plumber or electrician would comfortably out earn me.

That was the blue collar/white collar distinction that I grew up hearing about. I don't think it is said at all now.

@oldwhyno

In my opinion there isn't really a clear class system in this country any more. There are way too many strata to make classification simple or worthwhile. There aren't many useful clear definitions.

One I do like is that anyone who will be working out of necessity to earn a wage/salary from somebody else, for their whole working life until a nominal retirement age no earlier than 60, is part of a modern "working class".

I think you've summed it up perfectly.