To want to be middleclass?

[holliejobber]

Im not though. I live in a council house! These are the things i have done to try and 'raise my game';
Have a vegetable patch.
Breastfeed for ages.
Go to baby massage classes.
Recycle my household waste.
Try not to watch jeremy kyle.
I am hoping to get a place at uni in september, that will definately make me middleclass surely?

Zeph - I know, and this will sound daft, but it saddens me.
I like a tin of Roses at xmas, I like Findus crispy pancakes, I like drinking what I want and never worrying about sodding units.

My life is a bit working class compared to yours litchick, and that saddens me at times. I'll swap you if you like?

lol Verity

You are wrong about the Bingo you know..
I suggested a night out at the bingo to my middle class / upper middle class friends and they were very enthusiastic about it.One of them said that she liked the idea of a night out where you come home with more cash than you went out with.

Baroness - I agree, that was a bit childish.

But I'm stung by your personal criticism of me on what I thought was a light-hearted thread. Do you have ethical objections to anything that I've said here, or are you just having a poke at me because you don't think I'm funny and you want to bring me down a peg or two? If you do have an ethical objection to what I've said, do you mind telling me what it is, as I don't think I've said anything particularly offensive.

Sabire, I just find this whole self conscious listing of middle class attributes rather embarassing, it makes me want to hide behind my sofa cringing.

It appears, to me, a pursuing and measuring of class with horribly self satisfied overtones which are barely disguised by the flimsy humour.

I am aware that I will fit one class stereotype, but I give it little thought, it does not defeine me and when poele start discussing waht class their floor covering places them into comparde to thier childrens friends, I want to scream 'no stop!! It's just too awful for words.'

So, I guess not exactly an ethical argument, but just personally distatsful.

I am sorry, I have personally stung you howver, I did get uncessary personal towards you when really my wincing about this thread is more general.

I do sincerly apologise for any hurting of feelings I have caused.

That's ok.

I am fascinated by class and really enjoy having a laugh about it. Maybe it's because of my background and where I am now - I was raised out of the UK and now live in a very deprived area. I feel like a complete fish out of water - and I love it. My husband is from an immigrant family and my children are mixed race. I draw my friends from the broadest social background of anyone I know - from the wives of Albanian builders newly settled in the UK, to teenage mums, to African midwives, to university lecturers. I'm super interested in the perception of class differences in this country - in an anthropological way I suppose. Unlike a lot of middle-class people I don't feel the need to down-play my background or to big myself up - I'm happy to be where I am and what I am.

I just think it's sad that you read any sort of moralising or smuggery into the things that people are saying on this thread. How is it 'bad taste' to talk about class and how it manifests itself in relation to consumerism and to social mores? It's interesting! I can't get my head around your squeamishness on the subject.

yabu

I would hate to be middles class, I find being working class far better as I don't have to try to do things I don't perhpas want to

SUCH an interesting thread and lots of really witty posts. Sabire - love your posts and I too was cross with Baroness Barbara and couldn't see what her problem with you was, BUT she has had the good grace to explain herself and apologise (a very rare occurrence on MN in my experience) so I think you should accept her apology and also accept that for whatever reason the subject of social class makes her feel uncomfortable. I too am fascinated with social class but I can also understand BBs feelings too.

FWIW I don't think people's social class is so much defined by veg patches, floor coverings, coffee tables, lounges v sitting/living rooms, scent v perfume etc etc but more by their attitudes and values and yes I suppose by the newspapers they read and whether there are books in the home.

It's nice to see that so many MNs are not taking this seriously though and seem to be enjoying having a laugh and being witty.

"BUT she has had the good grace to explain herself and apologise (a very rare occurrence on MN in my experience)"

Yes - very true, and it's very much appreciated!

I was just told ( by a woman that a lovely Mumsnetter once called "hideous hideous" woman ) that I will never truly be middle class because I don't do dinner parties. I actually felt quite proud I am definitly not in the club.

phew, riven, that's alright then...

what was their angle?were you appalled? pleasantly surprised?

tis much, much better than my reason for getting it once a week-

-it comes free with my tesco delivery

-and I look forward to reading it

...yet feel dirty and somehow used afterwards

...oh, and what NanaNina said!

Sabire - here's a tip - don't go shopping in Asda wearing a tracksuit.

Dh and I called in to Tesco once in tracksuits (after playing tennis, which I guess is a bit of a giveaway).

He insisted we would not be allowed out past security without filling the trolley with pasties, cider, cigarettes and £30-worth of lottery tickets.

Sorry - I meant holliejobber, the OP.

Too much Chardonnay, clearly

Organic Chardonnay of course - the cider ran out a few weeks ago.

Rofl at this thread.

Am quite curious about earlier comments about the fact that only the middle class don't worry about class they are. Thought it was the other way around, that they panicked more than anyone.

Am now going to brave Asda in my slippers. sounds comfy.

Well i did start this thread as a giggle as i am definately not middle class but when i started my vegetable patch i told my friends i was doing it to be middle class ect..as a joke.
I do find it really interesting that people have genuinely used this thread to show off. And also the fact that i was instantly judged on my spelling and grammer was a bit shocking (im using my phone to type and never claimed to be ace at spelling). Everyone elses replys have made me smile though. Especially the tips on being middleclass.

i absolutely agree with the comment:"only the middle class don't worry about class they are". i dont like the way in which the working class and v occasionally the upper class hijack the 'one in the middle' whenever it suits them - i don't think that the middle-class is any more fluid than the other two, actually.

to 'qualify' as genuinely middle class in my books you must:

always have been in an owner-occupied home except when parents were seconded overseas or when you were renting as a student (and yes, pretty much everyone will also have gone to college as far back as you can recall - or at least most of the blokes up to two generations back). ownership of PRIME land regardless of how the economy is doing is a big factor

none or very few of your ancestors were blue-collar workers/learnt a trade. it pretty much has to be sit-down-on-your-bum advisory type work all the way through the family tree

other than that, it does not matter what newspaper you read (they all cost around a pound tops - how could that possibly be all that it takes?) , where you shop (just because you go to asda why does that mean that you are after a dozen frozen burgers?), what you wear or how you say things - infact those would be real giveaways in identifying social-climbers and the nouveau riche. it does not matter whether your children are at state school (although there would prob be some privately educated people in the family tree).

I think OP sounds WC.
Sorry.
But why does she want to be MC, anyway ?