mjmooney Posted May 18, 2018 VT Supporter Share Posted May 18, 2018 (edited) Is it about money, or is it about 'culture'? e.g. a kid grows up on a sink estate, becomes a professional footballer, and make tens of thousands a week. He has five sports cars and a huge, ugly house with no books, but a 100" TV screen on which he watches nothing but lowbrow reality TV. What class is he? Or the bloke with a university degree who has a mortgage on a terraced house, works as a part time teaching assistant on a low salary, but likes to spend his time listening to classical music and reading about church architecture? It seems to be about how people judge us, and how we perceive ourselves. Edited May 18, 2018 by mjmooney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wazzap24 Posted May 18, 2018 Share Posted May 18, 2018 Lower middle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted May 18, 2018 Share Posted May 18, 2018 Grandparents were working class - they worked in factories all their lives and lived within walking distance of work... in traditional working class areas (Aston & Ladywood) I guess my parents were the ones who went from working class to middle class - my Dad started as a carpenter living in Kingstanding, then had a change of career, starting wearing a suit and moved (with my Mom) to Erdington and then latterly Sutton Coldfield. 2 cars and foreign holidays followed (late 80's). I was raised in a typically middle class household. Therefore I'm middle class. I work, I live in Four Oaks and I'm 'comfortable'. I have worries, but luckily money isn't one of them, due to 1) my job and 2) never spending any money! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugeley Villa Posted May 18, 2018 Author Share Posted May 18, 2018 7 hours ago, mjmooney said: Is it about money, or is it about 'culture'? e.g. a kid grows up on a sink estate, becomes a professional footballer, and make tens of thousands a week. He has five sports cars and a huge, ugly house with no books, but a 100" TV screen on which he watches nothing but lowbrow reality TV. What class is he? Or the bloke with a university degree who has a mortgage on a terraced house, works as a part time teaching assistant on a low salary, but likes to spend his time listening to classical music and reading about church architecture? It seems to be about how people judge us, and how we perceive ourselves. It's a tricky one really. I think you can come from a working class background, and then earn millions a year as a football, and still look at yourself as a working class lad, even though in reality your circumstances clearly state you're not anymore. Living in some terrace house in inner city Birmingham, but having done well in school, getting a respectable job, and listening to Beethoven every night does not make you middle Class. Working Class people are allowed to do well for themselves, have a bit of culture , and can still proudly hang on to the working class tag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted May 18, 2018 VT Supporter Share Posted May 18, 2018 43 minutes ago, Rugeley Villa said: It's a tricky one really. I think you can come from a working class background, and then earn millions a year as a football, and still look at yourself as a working class lad, even though in reality your circumstances clearly state you're not anymore. Living in some terrace house in inner city Birmingham, but having done well in school, getting a respectable job, and listening to Beethoven every night does not make you middle Class. Working Class people are allowed to do well for themselves, have a bit of culture , and can still proudly hang on to the working class tag. I don't know. By that token I could claim to be working class. If I did, I know my kids would piss themselves laughing. And yet (probably because of my background) I don't feel comfortable thinking of myself as middle class - it's something I mentally associate with golf and tennis clubs, share portfolios and voting Conservative. I voted 'don't know' in the poll. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Albrighton Posted May 18, 2018 VT Supporter Share Posted May 18, 2018 Upper working or Lower middle, as a guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StefanAVFC Posted May 18, 2018 Share Posted May 18, 2018 (edited) I think I grew up middle class; at least my surroundings and schoolfriends were Edited May 18, 2018 by StefanAVFC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coda Posted May 18, 2018 Share Posted May 18, 2018 I saw a programme about class with some toff (possibly Brian Sewell) who reckoned you can't change your own class but you can change your children's. I could live in a manor house but I'd still be a Brummie alroight bab where yew gewin? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xann Posted May 18, 2018 Share Posted May 18, 2018 7 minutes ago, coda said: I saw a programme about class with some toff (possibly Brian Sewell) who reckoned you can't change your own class... Bet Archibald Leech got better seats for the polo than possibly Brian Sewell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted May 18, 2018 Share Posted May 18, 2018 I always took upper class to be the inbred lot with chauffeurs and titles , yer footballers can have more money but would never be upper class and not just due to the chavvy names they give their kids Working class is defined by if you drink bitter , wear a flat cap and keep coal in your bath , so pretty much everyone north of Watford and then everyone else is middle class It’s an out dated concept in all honesty but I’m like a lot of the posters here in that we grew up working class 1 car holidays at Butlins and then somewhere around the Thatcher revolution suddenly owned our house , 2 cars , holidays abroad ... we sorta clawed our way into middle class 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Risso Posted May 18, 2018 Share Posted May 18, 2018 Tony is right. I think lower and middle classes are quite interchangeable, but the upper class is set in stone, and is "old money". We've done OK, and the kids are at a good school, but the old guard there let you know that while you may have as much money as they do, they will never, ever consider your their equals. Which is no skin off my nose, as I grew up on a sink estate and have worked for what I have rather than inheriting old money. "Team Pheasant" is what my mate called them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted May 18, 2018 Share Posted May 18, 2018 Lower class with a lower middle class profession and income Die in the class you were born My kids would be lower middle class though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhatAboutTheFinish Posted May 20, 2018 Share Posted May 20, 2018 On 19/05/2018 at 01:38, Risso said: "Team Pheasant" is what my mate called them. Team Pheasant vs Team Peasant sounds like it has the hallmarks of an epic playground rumble! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A'Villan Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 Working class. Mothers parents moved here in '59 and '57. Greek background. Not sure if people are aware but Australia might be multicultural but doesn't necessarily mean it's good to all cultures. Brought up in a single parent home, we often struggled to makes ends meet, and fortunately ended up in commission housing. Quotes which I think are apt to the thread: 'Corporate Media: The rich telling the middle class to blame the poor.' 'Class warfare kept out of the news, replaced by a corporations political views' 'Ain't no Uzis made in Harlem, not one of us in here, owns a poppy field' 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choffer Posted July 17, 2018 VT Supporter Share Posted July 17, 2018 On 14/07/2018 at 13:56, A'Villan said: Not sure if people are aware but Australia might be multicultural but doesn't necessarily mean it's good to all cultures. I think most of us are at least aware of how they treat their indigenous people. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davkaus Posted July 17, 2018 Share Posted July 17, 2018 Mage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lapal_fan Posted July 17, 2018 Share Posted July 17, 2018 I'm the **** best one. No other word removed touches my class. I often say "get your grubby little fingers off my **** class you idiots" and they do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blandy Posted July 17, 2018 Moderator Share Posted July 17, 2018 27 minutes ago, lapal_fan said: I'm the **** best one. No other word removed touches my class. I often say "get your grubby little fingers off my **** class you idiots" and they do. I knew that, because the others, they all said "he's floated right to the top, that lapal_fan. He's floating on the top like a great floater, or a big floaty jobby", that's what everyone said about you. "Different" they said. "Special" they said. Jobby. The best. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lapal_fan Posted July 17, 2018 Share Posted July 17, 2018 6 minutes ago, blandy said: I knew that, because the others, they all said "he's floated right to the top, that lapal_fan. He's floating on the top like a great floater, or a big floaty jobby", that's what everyone said about you. "Different" they said. "Special" they said. Jobby. The best. I laughed and my toupee nearly fell off. It's the best toupee you understand? It's great. One of a kind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blandy Posted July 17, 2018 Moderator Share Posted July 17, 2018 2 hours ago, lapal_fan said: I laughed and my toupee nearly fell off. It's the best toupee you understand? It's great. One of a kind. What's that on your head? A wig Wig. Wig. Wig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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