Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Other subjects

who decides what/whois middle class?

91 replies

drlove8alltheeastereggs · 12/04/2009 18:30

ive always wondered what thats all about! what makes someone middle class?, what exactly is middle class?does it have a wage bracket? say £ 50 000 - 250 000 ? or is it just a load of bollox to make the have a wee bit but used to e skint people feel better about themselves.

OP posts:
KingRolo · 13/04/2009 09:54

Lol at PE teacher!

I remember having a heated debate with my (gold jewellery wearing, merc driving) form tutor when I was in 6th form in which I argued that he was WC because he didn't own the means of production and therefore had to work for a living, just like miners and factory workers. I was doing A level sociology obviously, very influenced by Marx. He wasn't having any of it!

Mooseheart · 13/04/2009 10:58

I don't think you can categorise people into working, middle, and upper class nowadays. I think it's a very old fashioned categorisation.

To me personally it's more a question of other things such as having good taste, emotional intelligence, or sound principles - not money or a private education!

The 'm-class' is divided up itself anyway into aspirationals, pinkos, eco-worriers, Bodenistas anyway... I think there's easily as much snobbery (often inverted) among the echelons of the middle class than between classes nowadays.

Nontoxic · 13/04/2009 11:00

'The workers owning the means of production' - ee, that takes me back - you really don't hear that mentioned any more, especially not in the Labour Party.

pavlovthepregnantcat · 13/04/2009 11:01

I can't be bothered to read the whole thread but my understanding of middle class definition was a home owner, but doubt that is entirely accurate these days.

onebatmother · 13/04/2009 11:26

lol PE teacher.

It's true, PE teachers are not middle class.

That's all I know.

Nontoxic · 13/04/2009 12:09

I think it was Thatcher who encouraged us all to be home owners and thereby created a huge, docile 'middle class', but as someone else said, originally ownership of the means of production was the definition of middle class - if you could be sacked tomorrow, even if you wore a shirt and tie to work, you were WC.

The drive to home ownership was all part of the 'divide and rule' policy to avoid solidarity among the workers - sister.

Swedes · 13/04/2009 20:57

If you buy organic meat you are middle class.

Working class folk have more interesting things on which to spend their money.

The upper classes are unaware of the joylessness of a battery hen or a really cheap slab of belly pork - so long as there's a bottle of Sauternes to go with the Apple Charlotte and Bird's custard.

Academics seem to me to be most often working class.

onebatmother · 13/04/2009 21:38

I love you Swedes.

StrawberryWinders · 14/04/2009 12:21

There was a similar thread a few months ago and someone said it was all to do with how you make your money and what you spend it on!

Obviously that's still very subjective but I think in our day and age when traditional concepts are so blurred it sounds just about right

BitOfFun · 14/04/2009 20:30

What is an artist then?

MarmadukeScarlet · 14/04/2009 20:46

My DH comes from upper middle class - family mention in Burkes, 3rd generation Oxbridge Grad, Grandpapa was a Bishop and missionary in the Far East, expensive proper old school boarding (with fagging as he is old) etc.

He says tea, serviette, his mother has fish knives although they are solid silver and several generations old and has actively eradicated any trace of RP from his voice.

He is not interested in any 'country persuits' or yachting (only football) and knows nothing about fine wines. Is often found buying D&G for the DC (which I then flog on ebay) and will wear OTT labels (and yes he had a burberry cap about 10 yrs ago).

Am I married to the only 'proper posh' (as opposed to arriviste) chav in existense?

minxofmancunia · 14/04/2009 21:19

nothing to do with cash, I know some v skint posh people living in council flats, claiming benefits rebelling against "the system" that educated and facilitated them for years

equally a lot of wadded footballers live down the road with their trophy wives (cheshire set types), def not mc or classy for that matter!

I'm from a mc family, dh is from a wc family simple as, me and him blend togethre fine most of the time (although the table manners/eaating habits thing has caused a few cross words), our families DON'T blend the difference is blinding

xfabba · 14/04/2009 22:14

it's simple:

If you say room like roum you are mc

If you say room like rooom you are wc

Not sure how the UC say it as don't know any.

tigerdriver · 15/04/2009 08:13

rum

chriskelly · 15/04/2009 09:06

no thanks tiger
a bit early

ExtremeFistingWiththeGoat · 15/04/2009 09:20

i am in a class of my own

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread