Lockdown is where middle-class people hide and working-class people bring them stuff

[havanacabana]

I’ve seen this quote on twitter a few times and realised there is actually a lot of truth to it. IRL most of the people I know who are truly able to ‘hide away’ are the middle-class, privileged ones who are currently on furlough or working from home. People I know on minimum wage are the ones having to go out and mix at work in supermarkets, takeaways, warehouses etc. to keep everything going.

I don't think "hide" is the right word here. I am not sure if I am middle class, ut I am working from home so probably. I dont have any risk factors at all that could make me vulnerable to Covid (although I know tats no guarantee I would be fine) therefore the main reason I am staying home is out of general responsibility. I did feel guilty, especially during the first lockdown, but would it help if I went out as much as possible in "solidarity" with key workers, caught Covid, passed it all about and then the mum of the shop assistant I had a nice long chat with, died?

[quote TheReluctantPhoenix]@Marchitectmummy,

That is just nonsense.

If a company cannot set up a secure link to a home computer, that is just poor management.

How on earth do you think teachers work from home? Do you think schools don’t hold highly confidential pieces of information about children, which could even compromise their physical security?

You can now transfer almost unlimited funds electronically from home. I bought my house that way. There are totally secure systems accessible from a home computer.

I know someone who works for a central bank, seeing privileged price sensitive information. He was given a lap top (with many layers of security) and works from home.

You probably do need some IT professionals in to maintain the central system, but that is it.[/quote]
I am not an accountant so no point pointing your aggressive denial to me, I am telling you what my accountant has told me. It bares no resemblance to you transferring your own funds so not sure why you have mentioned that.

Whether my accountant is right or wrong is actually irrelevant for this discussion - their firm are not working at home.

Whatever class you are (or think you are), you don’t get to choose whether to wfh, be furloughed or go out to work. It depends on the type of work and your employer’s attitude.

You also didn’t choose lockdown, unless you’re Boris.

@Porcupineintherough

Several of my family have become delivery drivers because their former jobs (Tefl teacher, actor, catering manager) arent there any more. Have they changed class then?

From what class to what class?

Well lawyers are still being forced to attend Court in person (despite it being possible to have remote hearings in most cases). And there aren't a lot of mc lawyers.

I wfh, job safe, shopping delivered so no visits to the supermarket. But I am certainly not middle class. I think the upper classes can pretty much carry on as they wish. Even holidays are okay for them with their out of the way second homes and private jets.

Doctors are frontline and they are not working class, nor are many highly qualified nursing staff. Teachers aren't either.

I've noticed the opposite locally. Distinctly plummy chaps on the till at the local supermarket and delivering for Hermes round here, gets them out and about. And a massive MC drive to help at food banks and deliver freshly cooked food and hand sewn PPE to hospital staff. Lots of MC people needing to feel useful and belong to a community, not hiding away.

Would it help then if we all stop ordering stuff online so those people fulfilling orders can loose their jobs too? No, didn’t think so.
OP your statement is probably generally true but isn’t the point that those who can stay at home and those who can’t go to work. We don’t really have time to swap everyone’s jobs round at the minute so middle class go to work on factories and working class take over their office jobs.
I’d also prefer it if supermarket workers wore masks, both for themselves and others. When I go to my middle class job I have to wear a mask all day and I wouldn’t take it off because there’s a bit of plastic between me and anyone else (which there isn’t anyway).

Would it help then if we all stop ordering stuff online so those people fulfilling orders can loose their jobs too?

Why couldn’t they be furloughed like everybody else who can’t work?

@waltzingparrot

Communism could solve that for you.

And kill millions

Whatever class you are (or think you are), you don’t get to choose whether to wfh, be furloughed or go out to work. It depends on the type of work and your employer’s attitude.

Exactly this. I'm working class. And I'm WFH. Or do I need to say WCWFH?

@JS87

Would it help then if we all stop ordering stuff online so those people fulfilling orders can loose their jobs too? No, didn’t think so. OP your statement is probably generally true but isn’t the point that those who can stay at home and those who can’t go to work. We don’t really have time to swap everyone’s jobs round at the minute so middle class go to work on factories and working class take over their office jobs. I’d also prefer it if supermarket workers wore masks, both for themselves and others. When I go to my middle class job I have to wear a mask all day and I wouldn’t take it off because there’s a bit of plastic between me and anyone else (which there isn’t anyway).

It wouldn't help, but a bit of acknowledgement of what we are doing would be nice. Factories and warehouses are an easy place to spread Covid as it really isn't as easy to social distance as people think, especially when you need multiple people to make large items like furniture (my industry). Some people shouting at everyone to stay at home seem to think that everything they order online is made by fairies or something.

I am hiding away because I am shielding. If I wasn't shielding I'd be frontline NHS. So it's a bit more complicated than class. However, I am very grateful to the people who bring me things.

What a ridiculous quote. If we're still having to endure the archaic notion of 'class', I think we can safely say that plenty of middle class workers are having to get on with it and just as many working class people are currently at home 'hiding away' (AKA following government guidelines). Absolutely sod-all to do with status though.

What's the point in trying to set up this kind of divide in society, especially at the moment when we should all be pulling together?

If this is the kind of shit that's churned out on social media I'm not surprised we're in the state we are right now. Protect your brains people: you never know when you might need them!

@TheKeatingFive

Would it help then if we all stop ordering stuff online so those people fulfilling orders can loose their jobs too?

Why couldn’t they be furloughed like everybody else who can’t work?

So all the vulnerable people can’t get deliveries and we should pay all couriers, postal workers and delivery people to stay home snd not work so anyone who could be deemed middle class couldn’t possibly have something delivered by someone who could be deemed working class?

Aye, that’s a great idea.

What a load of divisive claptrap.

@frozendaisy

What a load of divisive claptrap.

Well said. It’s total and utter bullshit.

I am not British, and even though I've been here for many years, the class system here is still something I cannot understand completely, so weird! (No offense, I love this country but seriously I cannot understand it, some things just don't make sense!)

Examples of (broadly) middle class who are working - doctors and other medical staff, scientists, teachers, dentists, farmers

Farmers are middle class?? Every day I am more confused about the classes....

Farmers are middle class?? Every day I am more confused about the classes....shock

The thing you have to remember is that although technically people who collect data still relate class to occupation, actually it’s all about where you buy milk and what you call your evening meal.

Confusingly it’s also good to be working class if you have enough social capital not to care, so it isn’t unlikely that future King George will hark back fondly to his working class roots, but in real life Carole Middleton has been mocked by snobs.

I agree with this @havanacabana

I remember reading at the start that the working class will be thrown to the dogs and the middle classes will be working from home....its very true.

Farmers are middle class?? Every day I am more confused about the classes.

Don't worry @piscis, it's just made up bollocks, designed to help some people feel superior. This quote might help clarify?

In the work Class, Jilly Cooper quotes a shopkeeper on the subject of bacon: "When a woman asks for back I call her 'madam'; when she asks for streaky I call her 'dear'.''

Never-mind, when the treasury have finished concocting a plan to tax the ballooning bank accounts, the middle class will be made to pay.
Tax rises are imminent.

Also wealth and class is based on land ownership, but it’s sometimes seen as more credible to have an occupation so Prince Charles is a ‘farmer’.

Doctors are frontline and they are not working class

What, none of them?

*Farmers are middle class?? Every day I am more confused about the classes.

Makes sense to me - they own vast amounts of land