New British Class System

Eloethan Into which class would you place retired people who receive the State pension and also have income generated from private pensions and other assets?
Just wondering.

Nanjae Same as you but the other way round.DH came out as Elite and myself as established middle class. I have the same thoughts as you and we are both teachers too. The only difference was he has a solicitor amongst his friends and I have a secretary !There may have been one or two other minor differences too.

I came out as Elite but DH as established middle class!! Not sure how as our household income /value of property is the same and we tend to socialise together..I may have a slightly wider range of friends but that is all! All very silly..we are both teachers by occupation so I would say solid middle class in the eyes of most people!

I think the a sentence from the linked article provided by vegasmags should be of far more concern to people than some silly survey cobbled together by the BBC.

"the top 1% of the UK population has a greater share of national income than at any time since the 1930's."

My feeling is that there are two classes -

(a) those who have to work for a living (whether as a business owner or an employee) and those who are dependent on the state (via the taxpayer) for an income; and

(b) that very tiny minority of people who have enough capital and assets to live on the income generated therefrom.

Did it, result quite bizarre. Survey questions full of flaws (like most of these things). Most of them are so unspecific that you just make a guess and others so specific that you can't find a match and er... make a guess.

Can someone explain to me why the particular class people come from should be a source of pride?
Isn't it an accident of birth?

Wonder where the Cambridges would come?

The talk of snobbery about various occupations reminds me of a girl at our school who was called into the Headmistress's office because she had been seen talking to a DUSTMAN while in school uniform. Her mother came storming down to the school to complain because the dustman was actually the girl's ice skating partner, who was working to cover some of his competition expenses.

I noticed yesterday an item about the possessions you need to show you are successful - 50" TV screen, holidays in the Maldives etc. They all seemed to be things I would pay money NOT to have

j08 However talented the sketch writer and the people acting out the sketch, it won't strike chords if there are no chords to strike. Generally speaking, people do not find something that is completely unfamiliar funny (ha ha, not peculiar).

I have tried inputting the position I would have been in if I had stayed in London and not inherited my parents house.
My home would have had a higher value but I would have had less savings.
I came out as Technical middle class.

Frank

We came out as established middle class. So did my DD, but when she did the test again leaving out listening to classical music and visiting museums she dropped down two classes!

Absent because of the talent of the sketch writers and the people acting the sketch out.

One of my favourite books as an impressionable teenager was Jilly Cooper's 'Class' she wrote with great relish about such characters as Mrs Jen Teal (geddit) having lace curtains and decorating her spare loo rolls!

They didn't have archaeology or history down. And like you Sunseeker I have friends who are judges and friends who are cleaners and gardners.

Have just read the article on this subject and am amazed that the BBC can spend some of our license fee on such tripe. Prof. of Sociology, Manchester Uni. Fiona Davine is quoted as saying "It's what's in the middle(of the list) which is really interesting and exciting" WOW! and they think us oldies live boring lives. This woman ought to get out more.

sunseeker Me too...and VERY proud of the fact.

I come out as Traditional Working class which pleases me no end and this is what I consider myself to be.

However, I don't think the questions are very good - the people I know socially range from a Bishop to a man who labours on building sites. I listen to all types of music (except hip hop - just can't get into that).

I did the original survey last year on which these latest categories were based. I think the question about who you know socially was designed to see how wide or how how narrow your social contacts are, not if they fall into a narrowly defined group. The same with the cultural experiences. So for example football is weighted equally with opera (not that I go to either) but I think it wasn't being judgemental about categories at all, just looking at breadth.

think you can still take part in the originally survey. There are a few other interesting ones too. I seem to remember one was designed to see how 'moral' you are, or rather how you conform to feelings of distaste about certain behaviours. And there's another about some sort of skill, which I forget now. But it was one of those where logical thinkers and those who are good at maths do well. I'm not revealing my score on that one! But my husband had a most superior look on his face for some time.

I hate labels!!!!

harrigran Please don't think I was belittling you. You are quite right to be proud of your fine profession.

When you/your children/grandchildren eat cherries and "count" the stones, do you use "Tinker , tailor, soldier, sailor, rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief" or "Army, navy, law, divinity, independent, medicine, trade"?

j08 Of course there are people who look down on others to make themselves feel superior. Why do you think the John Cleese, Ronny Barker, Ronny Corbett sketch still strikes such a chord?

Trade?*Gracesmum*! Surely not!