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Author Topic:   What Social Class Do You Belong To?
Straggler
Member
Posts: 10333
From: London England
Joined: 09-30-2006


Message 16 of 41 (666877)
06-30-2012 4:50 PM
Reply to: Message 4 by Tangle
06-29-2012 5:31 PM


I think I agree with you that many of the old distinctions no longer apply. But I'm not sure that we live in any sort of meritocratic Nirvana either.
If anything social mobility seems to be declining and one's place in society increasingly dictated by situation at birth and the social position of one's parents.
So I don't think we live in either a classless society or anything that can be really be called a genuine meritocracy.

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fearandloathing
Member (Idle past 4144 days)
Posts: 990
From: Burlington, NC, USA
Joined: 02-24-2011


Message 17 of 41 (666878)
06-30-2012 4:51 PM
Reply to: Message 14 by Straggler
06-30-2012 4:41 PM


Re: Connotations
I understand now I think, sort of like Keeping Up Appearances? ( Love that show. )

A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves.
― Edward R. Murrow
"You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them" - Ray Bradbury

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Straggler
Member
Posts: 10333
From: London England
Joined: 09-30-2006


Message 18 of 41 (666879)
06-30-2012 5:02 PM
Reply to: Message 17 by fearandloathing
06-30-2012 4:51 PM


Re: Connotations
"Keeping Up Appearances" is indeed a piss-take of many British middle class stereotypes. None of which - I think - particularly apply to me!!
My dad was an alcoholic, drug addicted, communist, can't-leave-the-sixties-behind local-demagogue-of-sorts for most of my upbringing. In his old age he has become a rather reactionary right-wing self-righteous old git (bless him).
So whilst I take his accusations of middle-classness with a pinch of salt I also think:
A) In many material respects he is correct that I am 'middle class' whatever aspects of my upbringing I might more self identify with.
B) I might well be more 'middle class' in terms of attitudes than I might like to admit.
C) He's my dad, he is a key contributor to what might be referred to as my 'world view' and I can't help but take some of the things he says more to heart than they probably deserve.
Hence my question in the thread I guess.....

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ringo
Member (Idle past 411 days)
Posts: 20940
From: frozen wasteland
Joined: 03-23-2005


Message 19 of 41 (666880)
06-30-2012 5:11 PM
Reply to: Message 15 by Straggler
06-30-2012 4:47 PM


Stragger writes:
So is Canada a classless society then?
I don't think there are any class boundaries. There isn't really a sense of wantng to "get out" of one's class. Getting a better job is a matter of getting an education, which can be a function of money. We don't have any "old money" in the West, where I live, but that may be a factor in the East. People may be trapped in a lower economic bracket because of their own decisions - e.g. having children too young - but not because of the circumstances of birth.
Unless you're aboriginal, which is a whole other story.

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fearandloathing
Member (Idle past 4144 days)
Posts: 990
From: Burlington, NC, USA
Joined: 02-24-2011


Message 20 of 41 (666881)
06-30-2012 5:14 PM
Reply to: Message 18 by Straggler
06-30-2012 5:02 PM


Re: Connotations
I know the reason for you asking now, makes much more sense to me. My father was born in 1929, grew up poor, went and served in the USMC in Korea. He used his GI bill money to go to Elon College and get a business degree. He worked in Textiles as a supervisor til he retired. I am 40 and have never had the work ethic he think I should, he has referred to me as "white trash" more than once when we disagree.
Our stories are poles apart, ( an appropriate Floyd tune IMO)

A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves.
― Edward R. Murrow
"You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them" - Ray Bradbury

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Shield
Member (Idle past 2861 days)
Posts: 482
Joined: 01-29-2008


Message 21 of 41 (666883)
06-30-2012 6:16 PM


Edited by rbp, : No reason given.
Edited by rbp, : No reason given.
Edited by rbp, : No reason given.

  
Straggler
Member
Posts: 10333
From: London England
Joined: 09-30-2006


Message 22 of 41 (666884)
06-30-2012 6:53 PM
Reply to: Message 19 by ringo
06-30-2012 5:11 PM


Wiki on social mobility writes:
Several studies have been made comparing social mobility between developed countries. One such study (Do Poor Children Become Poor Adults?")[5][15][16] found that of nine developed countries, the United States and United Kingdom had the lowest intergenerational vertical social mobility with about half of the advantages of having a parent with a high income passed on to the next generation. The four countries with the lowest "intergenerational income elasticity", i.e. the highest social mobility, were Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Canada with less than 20% of advantages of having a high income parent passed on to their children.
Link
Canada certainly seems to be more meritocratic than the UK or the US.

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Phat
Member
Posts: 18262
From: Denver,Colorado USA
Joined: 12-30-2003
Member Rating: 1.1


Message 23 of 41 (666890)
06-30-2012 11:03 PM
Reply to: Message 22 by Straggler
06-30-2012 6:53 PM


Merits
All I can say is that I'm glad that my Father made it easier for me, though some would argue that by making it easy, it made me less ambitious. I am of the firm belief that wealth should be passed down through the family, however. Tax the ones with over five million dollars of course. Leave the rest of us alone.

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johnmatyus 
Suspended Junior Member (Idle past 4287 days)
Posts: 5
Joined: 06-25-2012


Message 24 of 41 (666932)
07-01-2012 12:26 PM


Lower middle class. My dad's an accountant, but I went to a crappy inbred regular school.
Edited by Adminnemooseus, : Shut off spam signature.

  
Modulous
Member
Posts: 7801
From: Manchester, UK
Joined: 05-01-2005


Message 25 of 41 (666957)
07-01-2012 3:26 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by Straggler
06-29-2012 3:48 PM


Does it affect my working class credentials if I want to change the thread title to read 'To What Social Class Do You Belong?'

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jar
Member (Idle past 393 days)
Posts: 34026
From: Texas!!
Joined: 04-20-2004


Message 26 of 41 (666962)
07-01-2012 3:42 PM
Reply to: Message 25 by Modulous
07-01-2012 3:26 PM


Should it not be "To which Social Class do you belong"?

Anyone so limited that they can only spell a word one way is severely handicapped!

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Modulous
Member
Posts: 7801
From: Manchester, UK
Joined: 05-01-2005


Message 27 of 41 (666964)
07-01-2012 3:48 PM
Reply to: Message 26 by jar
07-01-2012 3:42 PM


Should it not be "To which Social Class do you belong"?
I guess my credentials remain intact. I'm not sure if either is more correct, but I guess I have a preference for your version.

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jar
Member (Idle past 393 days)
Posts: 34026
From: Texas!!
Joined: 04-20-2004


Message 28 of 41 (666967)
07-01-2012 4:08 PM
Reply to: Message 27 by Modulous
07-01-2012 3:48 PM


We could go so far as to phrase it as "What is the social class to which you belong"?

Anyone so limited that they can only spell a word one way is severely handicapped!

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onifre
Member (Idle past 2950 days)
Posts: 4854
From: Dark Side of the Moon
Joined: 02-20-2008


(3)
Message 29 of 41 (666983)
07-01-2012 5:49 PM
Reply to: Message 23 by Phat
06-30-2012 11:03 PM


Re: Merits
Tax the ones with over five million dollars of course. Leave the rest of us alone.
Yeah those 4.9 million dollar guys are totally down to earth.
- Oni

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Son Goku
Inactive Member


Message 30 of 41 (667003)
07-02-2012 7:05 AM


Class, lol!
I don't really think we have the same class structure over here. I suppose from a British perspective my family would have been working class (farmers, I think that's working class), but it doesn't really mean anything in Ireland or have any of the connotations it has in Britain.
The whole "class" thing was the most cultural fascinating thing about England, for me, when I lived there. As an outsider it seemed really culturally rich, although you guys on the inside might have a different view.
The closest I have is that I'm from a Bardic family, which still commands some respect in the Gaelic speaking areas.

  
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