Re: The class system.

That exactly the point I was about to make Stevmk.........people who are further up the social scale, due to their birth, their jobs or whatever are usually perfectly nice people. They don't put any importance in the fact that they're well off and own their own houses, two cars, huge wall mounted tvs, etc. They just live their lives and take people as they find them. In my experience people who look down upon council tenants and others who are not as well off as themselves are simply snobs and most of them are not much better off than I am. They've simply moved onto the next step and they think that gives them the right to look down at the ones on the lower steps. Not in my mind, it doesn't. I am what I am and I live my life how I live it. I was brought up with a sense of decency and manners and a firm grasp of right and wrong and I bow to no-one. So I don't own my house.......I've never been on a high earning scale.........I don't and never did have money to throw around but I will not be looked down upon by someone who has had the good fortune to end up in a slightly better position than me. I don't care if they own an ex-council house or a damn fine mansion............they're no better than I am.

Re: The class system.

I say ... you have some good threads here don't you!

Very interesting ... it's always nice to read what other peeps think.

Class system?
I reckon it pretty much died with WW1. So many lads didn't come home afterwards that the wealth of cheap labour was lost which put the landed gentry in a bit of a fix. Less oppurtunity for exploitation! It was the era of the Suffragettes. Trade Unions.
The rise of the working man!
But then .. instead of people been pigeon-holed by their birth and breeding (whether living in an impoverished crumbling ruin or not) ... came the rise of MONEY!

So in that respect I'm not sure the term 'common' applies anymore. Some of our wealthiest celebrities (who most of us have never heard of anyway) are the most ignorant and insular people you could hope never to have to meet.
Without money ... there are less oppurtunities to meet the right people ..

Perhaps how to climb the social ladder .. i.e. attain success is better phrased this way in the modern world.

You stand a chance of attaining success by ...
1) Been incredibly talented or gifted.
2) Knowing the right influential people, preferably wealthy ones.
3) You just work bladdy hard!

I drop into number 3. Bah ... common as muck then that's me. If I could claim number 2 I could be a total nit and still climb to the top rung
The luckiest person has 1) ... knows 2) .. and puts their back into it (3.

Re: The class system.

Gawd .. look at the length of that post. No wonder my little fingers are sore.

Re: The class system.

Nice one Morticia, I really like that....

Keep those fingers working girl, there's no stopping you now...

Re: The class system.

Good post morticia...............

As I stated in another thread, I absolutely detest the phrase 'council trash' and I'd now like to add another to that 'common'..........that's a word I've heard used by various people to describe someone who's not quite as well off as they themselves are........... what gives anyone the right to call another person 'common' as if they're something they just scraped off the sole of their show. That word is right up there with 'council trash' under the heading 'Snob's dictionary'

Re: The class system.

Well if someone would care to bung me fifty million, I am sure my working class roots would take a real hyke.

When walking into a Mercedes / BMW/ Audi car showroom and have some ponce ask me, rather disdainfully if I will be taking credit for the purchase, I would quite happily turn round and say ------- "Nahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh tosh, cash is my game" I would just enjoy the look on his /her pompous face when I brought out a huge wad of "REDDIES", and then walked out.

Money might not change ones social background, what is it they say ---

"You can take the man out of the gutter, but you can't take the gutter out of the man" -----

But with that kind of money --- who would bloody care, certainly not me, and I would reply to EVERY single begging letter I recieved, saying simply ---------- NO ----------- at least I am honest,

Re: The class system.

A very honest response Jonsey.

Re: The class system.

having reread this thread I am of the opinion that its Roots that make us what we are not Class.

Re: The class system.

In my time I've worked with people from all walks of life, from Honourables to men with a Knighthood.

The Honourables with double-barrelled names and were landed gentry had no clue whatsoever how to behave in polite company. They had vulgar mouths, and even more vulgar table manners.

I was once temporarily assigned as PA to an Army Major who had a wealthy background and one day I was taking him his coffee. The door was open and, as I walked in, he started a four-letter rant at a Captain who went redder and redder. The Major told me to put the coffee down and go away.

I interjected and told him he wouldn't get the coffee, nor would I go away until he apologised to me and the Captain for his disgusting behaviour. I didn't care. I was a Civil Servant and my husband a then "lowly" Corporal.

He apologised.

On the other side of the coin, my now ex-husband until recently was working for an Earl up in Yorkshire, and what a wonderful, genteel family they were. Totally different and very down to earth.

My point is that class has nothing to do with how much money you have, or what your standing in the community is or your rank in life. It is to do with your upbringing and how much you're respected by others.

Re: The class system.

Although I would agree to a point with Mollie, except to say her last statement, and I quote >>>>>>>>>>>>>

My point is that class has nothing to do with how much money you have, or what your standing in the community is or your rank in life. It is to do with your upbringing and how much you're respected by others. >>>>>> unquote, is, in my opinion, wrong.

For example, if you were brought up in a working class enviroment, and your parents wanted the best, in their opinion for you, and they scrimped and saved to send you for --elocution lessons--- private tutoring for your weaker subjects etc --- you would become known, by your contempories as a bit of a "snob". Because your parents were trying to "better you, you have now become, in their minds, better than them, and THAT demands ridicule and the "snob" label.

I know things they are a changing but the fact still remains, if you are born into "class" whether you be rich or even richer the simple fact of your, or your parents title will open doors for you that would otherwise remain closed to the "lesser" class.

Those two types of upbrimg are still VERY relevent in todays society when it comes to --jobs for the boys----- and please don't deluge the thread with stories of ---- well I know this boy / girl etc etc etc ----- I am generalising, and as the same as --averaging out --- some will fall BELOW the line and some will RISE above that average line.

Manners, they say, maketh the man, now that applies in EVERY class, manner are, in my opinion a gentic thing, you are born with with average manners-- but some fortunately are gifted with being above the average, whilst others fall sadly well below the average, most of us, i would think, are fairly average.

When class is added at birth, those lesser mannered people could be regarded arrogant -- blustering --- haughty --- Lordly etc etc etc. But when born to a working class with less than good manners you are labelled as ---- ignorant ----- uneducated --- crude ---crass --gross etc etc .

But the similarity is --- both classes are the same, its just the path in later life they choose to travel that reveals all.