Seven Classes

[poliphilo]

According to a widely publicized piece of research Britain now has seven distinct social classes. I can't see the idea catching on- seven is too many to memorize or keep track of- but it might help explain (as Martin Kettle suggests in the Guardian) why our political system- which is predicated on the existence of only three- is so manifestly unfit for purpose.

Comments

[veronica-milvus.livejournal.com]

I don't feel elite. I was never in the Bullingdon club. All I've done is bought a reasonable house in the south-east of England, and been to a few museums. I have never had any class privilege under the OED definition "a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group". I've decided this thing is a nonsense.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I had a middle-class upbringing and an elite education but the test says I'm "traditional working class". At first I thought "piffle". And then I remembered that for the past 27 years I've lived in a working class area and done working class jobs.

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

Nonsense it most certainly is- 'Established middle class' when I'm first generation off the council estate?

Oh per-lease!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

But are we defined by our origins? I'm not sure we are.

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

Probably not, but how can I possibly be 'established' in one generation?

Like they say, you can take the girl out of the council estate, but..............

I still have a lot of friends living on the one that replaced it! :o)

Unlike some people I could name of the journalistic persuasion, I don't despise my roots.