High brow or low brow?

Wha' ?

Eh!

For those educated middleor upper class women who wrote books about how not to be common, there were two sorts of people, common ones and "us". Those who actually lived real lives in mixed neighbourhoods saw endless layers of respectability or lack of it, the lowest lying dead drunk in the gutter. No wonder they tried to make their children aim for the better path!

I know.....

I never paint mine either. Makes my feet hot!

I NEVER paint my toenails! I can't reach them. I get them done instead!

Yes, I thought it was just light-hearted (like the 'Posh' thread). No one was actually judging anyone or anything - it was mainly about what our parents and grandparents considered 'common'.

I would never paint my toenails because my mother always taught me that it was common.

Only joking!

snailspeak the concept of commoness did exist back in the 1950s and probably beyond whether we like it or not, and ruled some people's lives. Now we say chavvy instead.

I have always assumed that when Gransnetters post on what is common (or whatever) they are not saying they believe it themselves, just that they have noticed that some other people do (or used to).

I didn't go to a convent school either, but what's it got to do with the price of fish?

Oh, come on. What is this high brow/low brow thing? Surely people like what they like and it is nobody else's business. To stand in judgement of other people's tastes must be terribly boring and my mother always told me that to be bored demonstrated a lack of intelligence. The list of common things that appeared on Gransnet a short while ago made me cringe. I think it was to do with clothing and make-up. I was horrified to find that I was terribly common on several counts, one of which was painting my toe nails. Everyone in my Pilates class, where it is usual (I nearly said common!) to go barefoot, had a really good laugh at that one as we compared the vast array of colours adorning our feet.

I don't like soaps I just can't get into them. I am very fussy about what I watch usually something historically orientated so watch a lot of BBC4. I do like Timeteam. I enjoy nearly all types of music and Radio3 is a favourite with Radio4 another. I can have those on while reading

But at the moment am enjoying the Olympics the Men's Road Race is on.

I don't know about nuns Vampirequeen my grandmother disapproved of eating anything, including sweets, in the street as common. As for seeing a lady smoke in the street - well!! What would she think of the almost 4 course meals people eat in the street these days?

jeni someone told me that the old navy blue dyes faded quickly, thus looking shabby; so mother would have thought that it showed one was poor, which for her equalled common. Oh dear, Mum! We were poor, but she was desperate not to be thought so.

The nuns used to say that eating icecream in the street was common and would hit your hands if they saw you. A friend was holidaying as an adult. She was eating an icecream when she saw a nun coming towards her. In a panic she stuffed her icecream into her handbag. As my friend passed the nun she looked her up and down in a way only a nun can. My friend quivered waiting for the rebuke. The nun said 'Ice cream is no longer deemed to be a sin'. My friend relaxed then the nun continued in a stern voice, 'but wasting food is.'

Ooh, lovely! Thank you for the flowers, nonu Such tasteful beauts with those psychedelic colours! Mwah!

Not now! She's dead I'm alive

petallus...feel free! The rest of us do it all the time.

The Virgin Mary is nearly always portrayed with eyes modestly downcast, so she might well blush.

There is one painting though which is lovely, she stares right at you. Can't remember the name of the artist, but one of the old ones.

I've got a postcard of it,from the National Gallery.

Have I deviated?

Sister Saint Paul told us that it was common to whistle. What's more, it made the Virgin Mary blush. I ask you! What a load of trollocks.

Bet you don"t Jeni

Who gives a toss what she thinks

I AM NOT POSH! I'm dead common, or so my MIL thought

Delivery to Bags , hope u like them ? Cost an arm and a leg , well we all know how much flowers cost from the petrol station , dam meant to cross that out really meant interflora [big cheesy grin] [flowers flowers flowers]

Hmm - as a consequence of my early life experiences I grew up in dread of being thought common. So, from a very young age I learned my manners, wore modest clothing and minded my P's and Q's in public and in private - but tried very hard not to make judgements about how others (including my own family members) live. With a modicum of self-awareness I came to realise that I am actually an okay person and my background was nothing to fight against or be ashamed of. I have sloughed off the Hyacinth Bucket in me and become comfortable in my own skin. So I would say that I'm neither high nor low brow and am truly eclectic in my likes and dislikes.