How do you define being Common !!!

Good heavens, vegasmags, what a terrible primary school! I have never heard of anything like that happening (I'm assuming it was in the UK?). When I was at school in the 50s I don't think we were really aware of any class or rich/poor differences, and certainly weren't made so by the teachers.

Well, this thread has certainly evoked a few memories for me! At primary school in the 1950s, I first realised that I was perceived as 'common' because I was segregated to one side of the classroom with the other poor kids, whilst the teacher addressed all his comments and questions to the middle class children on the other side of the room. I may have been common, but I wasn't stupid and realised I had to be moved to the posh side if I was to stand a chance of passing the 11 plus. I persuaded my mother to write to the teacher asking for a move of desk on the grounds that the poor kids all swore non-stop. Of course, this wasn't true but I was indeed moved and later passed the exam. I suppose that makes me a class traitor. Later on in life, I went to university and then became a lecturer, but I'm afraid I still use my knife like a pencil.

No problems in France - we are all 'madame'.

I'm not bothered either as long as it isn't dear as in Michael Winner!

Doesn't bother me what I'm called (within reason!). I have never felt patronised when referred to as a 'lady', or 'girl' - although my hackles would certainly rise at 'little lady' . Simmering resentment at how I'm addressed seems to have passed me by - thank goodness.

Greatnan following on from your previous post about preferring to be addressed as a woman rather than a laydee. I totally agree with you, I have calmed down a bit, but when I was younger say 20s/30s being referred to as a lady used to leave me feeling incandescent. I think this was borne out of attending too many dinner/dances put on by my late father-in-law's golf society, these were patronisingly called "Ladies Night" and the captain or whoever he was then made some awful speech where he thanked the ladies for letting their other halves out to play golf, which for most of these men was pretty much all the time, and then all the women got a God awful present which, if I remember rightly, was some useless piece of china crap to put on a dressing table or a lace handkerchief. My late mother-in-law and the other golfing widows were a mass of simmering resentment, as most of the men, even on this designated night when they had condescended to include "her in doors" still spent the evening talking to the other men about golf, cars and little else. However, I think David Walliams' sublime Emily Howard parody definitely helped me get over the whole "lady" thing or maybe it's because I'm now on the wrong side of 55 the expression just washes over me. Strangely as annoying as I found the use of the word lady, instead of woman, when my children were small and we were buying something in a shop I would invariably ask them to say "thank you to the lady", rather than thank you to the woman, somehow that wouldn't have sounded right. Now I find the "Here Come the Girls" as played in the Boots ad. when you have a whole load of women dressed up to the nines and trooping out together really annoying.

Same here, greatnan! I'm trying to avoid the tabards, but frequently wear the wellies.

Depends where you are in France -the women in my village wear mainly tabards and wellies.

Seasider, you are quite right Ascot throws up some pretty awful sights as well, and I'm not referring to the horses. I agree with nanachrissy, I wasn't implying a north south divide in bad taste, you get that overdone look everywhere in the UK these days. Personally, I think less is more, I can't imagine that too many French women would go out looking like that, but then again I may be wrong.

I didn't mean to imply that woman was derogatory. That's what they are, women.

Seasider I don't think all the women at Aintree are common looking,just the awful ones in the paper.

Personally, I don't think a lady would dress like that.
Yes,*Greatnan*, I do think that dress style is spread across the whole of the UK, and I don't think it looks good anywhere.

I saw the picture of the women at Aintree. My thought was "Gosh! I hope I never look like that!" I guess that could be called a derogatory thought. So be it. I'm not ashamed of the thought, but I would be ashamed to be pictured as those women are pictured. However, if that's what they like, so be that also. I just don't have to find it attractive or appealing myself. I don't think I'd call them common even, just unattractive — in my eyes.

Sorry, it was nanachrissy who seemed to think 'woman' was derogatory!

baNana - I for one would preferred to be called a woman. I wonder why you think it is derogatory? I associate the word 'lady' with patronising men.

I haven't seen any of the pictures of women at Aintree, but I think you will find that the spread of style, intelligence, and humour is pretty even over the whole of the UK!

I think it is a bit harsh to call all the ladies at Aintree common. Is this the north south divide rearing it's ugly head. I have seen ladies in equally revealing outfits at Royal Ascot! I do a lot of work with ladies from the Liverpool area and on the whole they are intelligent, bright and bubbly with a great sense of humour and they love to dress up.

baNANA Those women (I won't dignify them by calling them ladies!) are beyond common.

Ladies Day at Aintree as shown on the BBC News at 6 tonight, takes common to a whole new level!

They have a placement every three months in NZ - my GD loves them. She is fancying geriatric nursing which might come in handy!

Yes, I am an old style SRN too. I started at 16 as a cadet nurse so I already had two years practical experience before I went into PTS. All of our lectures and exams were done alongside of our ward work, it was hard work but I would not have had it any other way.

Frankly, wiccibat, I think the 'old style SRNs' were far better nurses than the new style ones with degrees who are reluctant to get their hands dirty. No need for snobbery there!

Greatnan, no one here has said nursing was common, it's just been my unfortunate experience in the real world.

I'm an old style SRN and even within the profession there's snobbery about not having a degree, although we have to keep up to date & the many courses I've done would add up to a degree if I was bothered about getting the accreditation.
As however, it won't achieve better pay or promotion, I don't see the point.

I don't think anyone has said nursing is common! One of my grand-daughters is taking a nursing degree in New Zealand - she can switch to a medical degree at the end of this year as her grades are so high (she has been given a scholarship for next year's fees). She loves nursing and her Director of Nursing says she will go right to the top if she stays in the profession. She would probably earn more in the long run if she became a doctor, but she loves the close contact with patients and may well work as a nurse for at least a few years.
I believe all nursing courses in the UK are also at degree level - in fact I have read some criticism of the fact that it has been over-professionalised so that some nurses are reluctant to do any of the traditional jobs, like washing patient and changing beds.
In the past, there were State Registered Nurses and State Enrolled Nurses, and the latter usually carried out the work now done by care assistants.

I hope membership of Gransnet is seen to be open to all who wish to join, irrespective of what life might have offered them in the way of educational chances and qualifications. Wisdom does not depend on having a degree - looking at the Boat Race idiot, it might be thought they are inversely proportional!

Thanks guys, I know I'm in a worthy profession, Mum, Dad & my other Grandad were all nurses, plus 3 aunties, 1 uncle, 1 cousin, 1 sister & 1 sister in law.

I'm just surprised that some people view it as 'common'

I was going to college for a year to learn shorthand/typing after leaving school at 15. Anyway, we had to pick one other subject and I asked mum for her advice and she said 'needlework'. The other kids burst out laughing when they heard what my subject was going to be. They weren't being kindly and I realised needlework wasn't appropriate; it had to be something academic.

However poor you are it's a benefit to have parents who know their way around the system a bit.

I managed to claw my way up the social scale in the end, though, and as proof that I did here I am on Gransnet

Agreed!