The class system.

I have just been reading a thread were one person describes another as "Council trash". Why would you use the word council and trash in conjunction with each other to form an insult? Surely the word should have been simply trash, if that was how they felt about the other peron.
Now I am not having a go at the person who used the term but pointing out how we perceive each other and I suppose we are all guilty of it.

Do you suppose that it is to do with how the class system in this country has taught us to think, or do you suppose it's the way we define and distance ourselves from those we think are lower down the social ladder than ourselves.

There was, at one time, three classes in this country. Upper, middle and lower, or working class.
Now it would seem we have added to the class system and we now have an under class and an up and coming feral class.

You will no doubt have heard the term "Chav" and even though it's origin is Romany for child, here is the dictionary definition.


Definition of chav
noun
British informal, derogatory
a young lower-class person typified by brash and loutish behaviour and the wearing of (real or imitation) designer clothes.

We have legislation in this country, to make sure minority groups are treated equality and as equals.

I think that the class system is the last stronghold of prejudice in this country. What do others think?

Re: The class system.

Whether we like it or not "class" is a fact of life. The government uses "socio-economic" class when compiling it's statistics. It is how we react to people in a different class to ourselves which is important. The "upper" class are not necessarily better citizens than the lower class- witness the "expenses" scandal, bankers behaving dubiously and other "top" people dodging paying their due taxes. Likewise the "lower" classes are not all thieves and vagabonds. People vary regardless of their "class". In my experience people are more comfortable mixing with others in the same "class" as themselves.

Re: The class system.

My dad was called charver all through his childhood.

Re: The class system.

There will always be a class divide as most people are proud of their place in the greater scheme of things. I revel in my common working class heritage, and don't they say there's a no bigger snob than a working man in his Sunday suit....

Re: The class system.

Not sure that the Class Divide still exsists, as is evident in our memory span. Too many people have jumped the "Class" Echelon by default, Lottery Winners, Property Developers etc, etc. Trash has infiltrated the landed gentry, and maybe for the better (or not) who knows.

Re: The class system.

There is a bigger class divide than ever. And new money "Trash" will never be accepted into the landed gentry, just tolerated.

Re: The class system.

We are all equal under the skin, but some are more equal than others.I dont like common people or dirty people and you get both of those in all classes of people so I dont know what to think.I believe in good manners and respect, where ever you come from.

Re: The class system.

I know my place and I'm happy to be there. Honestly I couldn't be bothered to aspire to the so called upper echelons when being one of the "great unwashed" is so much fun.
Let the nobs enjoy their status and I'll enjoy my life.

Re: The class system.

It is simply not correct that people change class by winning the lottery, developing property, etc. They remain in the same class (just have more money - which is different - having money, or lack of it, does not change a person's class). Rightly or wrongly, the class system certainly does still exist in this country and other countries We are largely born into a class and it is possible that by marriage any children and subsequent generations will move into a different class from their forebears. Defining "class" is quite a complicated thing, although for socio economic purposes we are allocated a "class" depending on a variety of factors.

Re: The class system.

I'm sorry if it upsets people but you only have to look carefully around you to see the class system is still intact and as contentious as ever.

People gaining vast sums of money are not changed class-wise by that fact but they do allude to having stepped-up in the system but that's simply an egotistical daydream and therefore meaningless to anyone else!

We have, like us, ordinary, working class people on one side of us and rather pretentious neighbours on the other.

We get on fine most of the time because we ignore the fact that one side appears to think that they are better than us.
They are not, but you'll never convince them otherwise!

If people really feel happier then that's fine by me but it's really their own, private fantasy world that they live in, not the reality that most of us live on a daily basis.

Class systems have been around for thousands of years but as least the ordinary people are not simply cannon fodder or slave labour anymore, although some around the world still cling to that assumption and act accordingly!

Actually, when you meet those that are obviously a bit higher on the social scale they are usually pretty decent people; they've just had a little more and are often blissfully unaware of what hardship really means. stevmk2