Would you admit to being middle class?

[cressida]

It's more important to have class, than belong to one, anyone can have class but belonging to one class doesnt ensure you'll have it.

 

there are only two kinds of class, first class and no class (David Lean, film producer)

[Mathom]

Management includes being on the board and being a director. Sir Alan Sugar or Sir Richard Branson for example...

 

Neither of them stand a chance of being considered Upper Middle as they haven't had the education. They may be successful and rich but this cannot put you into the Upper Middles - they're Middle Middle along with the Beckhams and the nouveaux riche in general.

[Ms Macbeth]

Neither of them stand a chance of being considered Upper Middle as they haven't had the education. They may be successful and rich but this cannot put you into the Upper Middles - they're Middle Middle along with the Beckhams and the nouveaux riche in general.

 

Oooh, I haven't heard that term for yonks! Wealthy mill owners used to be looked down on as the 'nouveaux riche', but the poverty stricken landed gentry were happy to see their offspring marry into the money. I believe it was said that many of the grand houses of England were sustained by trade. The 'trade' of course wanted their children to marry into the gentry or aristocracy of the day - so they would be accepted into 'society'.

 

I suppose the Beckhams are considered Middle Class, although their apparent love of bling isn't exactly classy...or is it? Understated elegance is usually thought to be far classier.

[Mathom]

Oooh, I haven't heard that term for yonks! Wealthy mill owners used to be looked down on as the 'nouveaux riche', but the poverty stricken landed gentry were happy to see their offspring marry into the money. I believe it was said that many of the grand houses of England were sustained by trade. The 'trade' of course wanted their children to marry into the gentry or aristocracy of the day - so they would be accepted into 'society'.

 

I suppose the Beckhams are considered Middle Class, although their apparent love of bling isn't exactly classy...or is it? Understated elegance is usually thought to be far classier.

 

Heh. Nothing's changed! However, the Upper Middles would usually keep to themselves - it's the wealthy Middle-Middles who'd be most likely to snag a poverty stricken Baronet

 

The modern footballers and celebs are definitely the 'nouveaux' of today! They'll do things that they assume are 'classy' but definitely are not - buying a Hummer instead of a Land Rover for example. That's a lot of what distinguishes the different Middle classes - tastes!

[Whatif wewin]

I voted working class in error. My dad a Liverpool docker would have considered himself working class ergo his family. I thought that Major had declared Briton a classless society a long time ago.

This idea of the job you do determining what social class you are cannot bear up to the earnings system any longer.

What class is a non league footballer compared to a premier league player earning millions?

[Cyclone]

Neither of them stand a chance of being considered Upper Middle as they haven't had the education. They may be successful and rich but this cannot put you into the Upper Middles - they're Middle Middle along with the Beckhams and the nouveaux riche in general.

 

And being knighted doesn't make them upper middle?

 

By some definitions they are simply upper as they certainly have no need to work anymore.

[Mathom]

And being knighted doesn't make them upper middle?

 

By some definitions they are simply upper as they certainly have no need to work anymore.

 

Nope! Now do you think being knighted in this day and age actually bestows any class on a person? Or in fact any kind of official 'honour'? A true Upper Middle person would either pointedly reject an official honour (and make a song and dance about it) or would get it for being a hospital consultant, a senior civil servant or after retiring from the upper reaches of the armed forces.

 

To be Upper Class you have to be landed gentry, at a push, a 'proper' Lord - not just a 'Sir' but a Baronet or something of that type, and even then the Upper Class establishment simply may not accept you.

 

Money doesn't define class or else people like that chav who won the lottery a few years back could be classed as 'Upper' and likewise a poverty stricken Earl could be called 'Lower'.

[Cyclone]

Other peoples definitions definitely do include money amongst a range of other things, not having to work for a living being part of it as well.

[Leg-end]

For anyone who believes in Geodemographics, in particular the Mosaic system from Experian, my parents live in D22 Affluent Blue Collar "Older manual workers with a good standard of living in comfortable semis where traditional working class values are held" and i now live in E29 City Adventurers "High-salaried, twenty-something singles in smart flats in inner urban areas".

 

At the end of the day its determined by socio-economic status and anyone can exist in any one class…actually having class is a completely different kettle of fish.

 

P.S. verging slightly off topic http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/6932551.stm Labour 'fails on North-South gap'

[Leg-end]

Output Area Classification for England, Scotland & Wales:

 

http://www.casa.ucl.ac.uk/googlemaps/OAC-super-EngScotWales.html