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Class

359 replies

Boe · 07/08/2003 17:49

Just wondered what made people a certain class - I was described as middle class the other day and not sure if I agree.

There are a few mentions n Northerners thread about her parents coming to stay and I can not for the life of me figure out what makes one middle class or working class - I go to work so IMO I am working class - Is this right????

OP posts:
Northerner · 08/08/2003 12:30

Dictionary description of working class:

people who work for wages (esp manual labour)

Hands up, anyone who could live the same standard of living if you or dp/dh did not go out to work.

Anything above this, style of house, holidays etc is personal choice and more to do with taste than class.

ScummyMummy · 08/08/2003 12:32

Damnation, Tinker! I can't belive my tests are letting people slip through the net- didn't you say that your mum was a graduate though? I will think of some more for later. Meanwhile my sister has arrived to help me tidy up my flat and has suggested that "logging onto mumsnet may be quite a good sign"... ciao class warriors all.

prufrock · 08/08/2003 12:33

Northerner - very telling. I bet many people who see themselves as middle class would say that they don't work just for the wages (obviously they still need them) but for the personal satisfaction they get from their jobs. Maybe you're working class if you don't have freedom to make that choice

ScummyMummy · 08/08/2003 12:33

Gah, Doormat!

Teletubby · 08/08/2003 12:35

Northener - I agree that anything above your description is down to taste not class. That doesn't mean to say that those below don't have any taste (before i start another load of comments)

Northerner · 08/08/2003 12:38

In a nutshell, most people are working class. Howevers some people who may have more than others label themselves 'middle class' in a sorry attempt to feel above others.

I am happy to be labelled working class, but also happy with my life. So the fact that other people have more than me is not a concern. Money doesn't buy you happiness! (only people with not alot of money use this old chestnut)

doormat · 08/08/2003 12:48

Is right Northerner

Money does not buy happiness.I am very happy with my lot. I dont want to belong to no class.

Teletubby you made the statement that the "council" were like your sister implying that they are scroungers and expect everything to be handed to them on a plate.
Please make your mind up.

whymummy · 08/08/2003 13:03

when we first moved to where we live now i met sarah she lived with a lot older than her boyfriend in the house he once lived with his wife,sarah being the reason why he divorced,i lived in a rented flat,from day one she look down on me,but being my only friend i put up with it,shell only invited me to hers if shed had a new carpet or sofa to show me,she thought i was jealous when in reality i felt sorry for her,we bought a house and when she came to see it just made nasty comments about everything,we bought things for the house bit by bit paying all in one go,she had debts right,left and centre but still looked down on me constantly,she really was like her from keeping up the appearence(sp?),i never told her that dh earned more in a week than her partner in one month i just let her get on with it,then i met a friend who lives in a council house and that was the last i heard of sarah she wasnt jealous of my new friendship as she had lots of friends but she couldnt cope with being friends with someone living in a council house,i`m better off without her friendship i really could not stand her thinking she was above everyone else

dadslib · 08/08/2003 13:15

Message withdrawn

doormat · 08/08/2003 13:24

whymummy better off without her.I cant tolerate snobbery.
My next door neighbour is one. She looks down on everyone in our neighbourhood.She thinks she is better than everyone and so far up herself I dont think she would ever find her way out. When her dd was born, dh and I got invited into her home a couple of weeks later by her dp to have a look at the baby. I got the shock of my life. Here was a woman who wears designer clothes and her house was a cesspit. There was dog poo in all corners of the front room and hall. Her furniture is manky and basically I had to wipe my feet on the way out.I dont feel sorry for her because she is just pathetic.
She also had the cheek to ask my dh once to mow her lawn which he did.After he finished she came out and without a word of thankyou all she said was dont you think you could brush the mess up. Dh told her to piss off.

janh · 08/08/2003 13:24

dadslib, I was just going to ask what class Tellytubby's skivers are - was assuming there was a sub-working class called NOT-working class.

I like yours better - esp the toffee-nosed gits - but in fact the true aristocracy (ie pedigrees going back 1000 years like those Percys) consider the Royal Family rather beneath them - so we still need a 4th class for the toffee-nosed gits. Super class maybe.

whymummy · 08/08/2003 13:28

ROFL @ wipping your feet on the way out doormat and thank you

doormat · 08/08/2003 13:31

I do not jest whymummy, her house was and still is that bad.

ScummyMummy · 08/08/2003 13:33

dadslib- most people don't own property or play golf...
And notions of class are not irrelevant for the sort of reason that Oldiemum mentions way below.

Janstar · 08/08/2003 13:33

Northerner, Spike Milligan said that money doesn't buy happiness but you can afford a better class of misery.

Northerner · 08/08/2003 13:36

Dadslib - I like your new class structure. I will now officially call myself classles! (SP?)

Teletubby · 08/08/2003 13:36

I refer to my sister as 'council' not because of class or where she lives but simply because she is one of those people that chooses not to work, keeps breeding and claiming every benefit she can to pay for things. She could get a job but chooses to live off of others and then moans about her standard of living! I'm not very sympathetic i'm afraid. Like i said, my choice to use the word council has nothing to do with where people live or class etc, maybe it was a bad choice and i should change it to 'hangers on or lazy arses'

whymummy · 08/08/2003 13:37

doormat i must say sarahs</strong> house was inmaculate,her poor little boy could only play upstairs and wasnt even allowed to sneeze anywhere near her precious furniture and carpets,felt really sorry for him

Janstar · 08/08/2003 13:38

Teletubby, your sister has no class all.

Teletubby · 08/08/2003 13:38

By the way, why are upper class called 'toffee nosed gits?' Why is it acceptable to talk about one class in this manner but not others?

Janstar · 08/08/2003 13:38

sorry I meant AT all! ds climbing all over me.

doormat · 08/08/2003 13:52

Teletubby I dont know why they are called toffee nosed gits, I prefer to call snobs "turdy nosed gits"coz it looks like they have a turd up their nostrils.

ScummyMummy · 08/08/2003 13:56

doormat

Northerner · 08/08/2003 13:56

I believe that the upper classes are described as toffee nosed gits, because long ago when eating toffee (that mere mortals like us were unabled to afford)they would stuff there faces and bury their noses in the toffee, just cause they could afford it and noone else could.

doormat · 08/08/2003 14:00

northerner