Are you middle class?

hmmmmm just trying to work out why I might care what class I am..... nope.... I don't care :-)

Think this is an interesting way to look at it - don't exactly hold with it but understand it!:

THE difference between the classes is in their relationship with society's institutions. The working classes do what the system sets out for them. The middle classes invent, operate and belong to the system. The upper classes tolerate the system but know the right people to speak to if they feel the need to bypass any part of it.
J Nieman in the Guardian

www.theguardian.com/notesandqueries/query/0,5753,-1257,00.html

I have just taken the test and as I said believe myself to be working class it now says I'm established middle class on the basis that I like the opera, ballet and theatre. this 'test' doesn't look at your values, aspirations, voluntary work nothing of any importance just money and who you socialise with. You can take the girl out of the East End but you cant take the East End out of the girl.

Born definitely working class, youngest of 5, and DM often wasn't sure, on Thursday, where Friday's dinner (midday meal) was coming from. Worked all my life, except for when the children were small, having received higher education. Comfortable in retirement, reasonably cultured. Would still prefer to be considered working class, though I agree it doesn't really matter.

But grandMattie, are you not concerned about class when you say 'just people whose lives are similar to mine '

I have just done the test, and from having thought of myself as probably upper middle class all my life, I have been defined as "Traditional Working class" which sits well with me as we have worked for our living... there was nothing for the retired, whose income is necessarily smaller.
I don't "do" class, just people whose lives are similar to mine, whose education is similar [but not compulsorily so] and in whose company I am happy to be in!

I am sure I have said this before on these threads. I recognise 3 classes of people.

1. People who neither work nor want and contribute nothing to society e.g. petty crooks, benefits cheats, pimps, drug dealers, fraudsters. Thankfully this is a small class of people.

2. People who work if/when they can, make ends meet, stand on their own two feet, pay taxes due, save if they can for a rainy day and to help their children, claim only benefits to which the are entitled, are carers, contribute spare cash, time and energy to improving society for all. Thankfully this is a huge class of people containing all the decent folk, whether they are happy with their lot or constantly grumble but get on with it anyway and includes those who have 'fallen on hard times' and are currently struggling.

3. People who neither work nor want but are rich e.g. tax dodgers, successful crooks and fraudsters, 'celebs', and those with inherited wealth who hoard and protect that wealth while making little contribution to society in general. This appears to be a growing class of people.

There is an argument that classes 1 & 3 could be combined as they are fairly similar but I believe that class 3 is different from 1 in terms of the disproportionate power and influence that they wield.

Pricariat and proud. hugs

I can't seem to do strikethrough. Fiddlesticks!

Further on the Mitford line of thought, there's another recent thread on whether you say 'lounge' or living room'; 'sofa', 'settee' or even 'couch'; and whether you have Dinner, Supper or Tea..... Maybe we should combine the two to get a better codge up estimation.

I did the test and it tells me I'm in the Elite class!!!!!!!!!!! Can't for the life of me think why the occupations of people I know is enough to get me out of the gutter of the working class where I actually belong!

Well I've just just done the test and I'm 'established middle class' It seems to reflect intellect and culture as much as financial wealth so not sure how accurate it is as I'm certainly not wealthy.

Sorry for errors Am killing time for eye appointment with drops in

Yes we've been very prudent and like many in our age group our house has appreciated considerably in 28 years Also both have final salary pensions and djd AVC s so decent income even in retirement
The 'interests' bit is actualy more interesting Mylate father wasone of thr most intelligent ,well informed and cultured people I have ever known .Wrote poetry in his native language (Welsh) and lived to read literary novels again in Welsh .But not sure he ever went to the theatre (except am. Dram) the opera or concerts though he loved music .

Neversaydie that is now 4 of us in the elite section. I have saved all of my life, that is also a contributing factor.

Apparently I am a member of the Elite Which is funny as I was raised in a council house and my dad was a manual worker and my mum a cleaner My uni education and a well paid job have obviously elevated me! I did marry someone 'middle class'but I am better educated than he .

Blinko I quite agree- it is a load of rubbish.

The BBC survey says I'm a probably young "New Affluent Worker". If I use the income we were on before I retired and leave out the things I only started doing since I retired, I would have been "Technical Middle Class".

Using the graph at theuxbridgegraduate.wordpress.com/2013/09/29/definitively-rich/ my income is well above the £14K modal value, and note that this is a graph of taxpayers so deliberately fudged to ignore all the people who have no income.

Sorry - bit of a rant!

Established middle class. Very nice but what a load of b******s! OH and me both council house kids but worked hard, had our own business and sent 2 kids to uni - now both in professional jobs. We have a nice life - with the usual worries everyone has- 2 homes, good friends, occasionally go to the theatre and nice restaurants. On paper it may appear that we are EMC but I think we are just an ordinary, loving family, hopefully with good values and do our best to make the most of what we've got and not take anything for granted! Sorry if that's a bit of a ran. It just proves that these quizzes are just a bit of fun!

In the interests of a level playing field, I think we should all upgrade our properties to what they would be worth if we lived in London. That way, everyone's surely going to be 'Elite'. Job done!

Ha ha - to my parents class was easily defined by the meals that one ate and how one ate them - eg an indication of upper-middle to upper class was that bread was sliced very thinly for afternoon tea. For me we are both professional people and live quite comfortably but have little in the way of savings, have never had a brand new car, rarely eat out, and can't afford to go on holiday more than once every ten years or so. I work hard and always have done, with no capitalistic benefits from anyone else's labours. We do live in a rural detached house and still have a mortgage. I would never think of myself as anything other than educated working-class.

What is a middle class life?

Not taking the test due to suspicious fraud on my bank account probably accessed via FB. Information with ActionFraud.
But as a person I am happy to be me, and can socialise between all classes comfortably. I just love people...

My mother was one of eight and grew up in a two room cottage in the west of Ireland where the family owned an acre ad lived hand to mouth. My father was one of five who, his father having died when he was young, grew up in London in a working class environment. I have subsequently found, however, that his direct ancestors were respectable market gardeners in oxfordshire.

These facts make me working class by birth. However, both parents were aspirational and, before they divorced, started businesses which were successful. I used the education system to become a teacher as did my sister. We now live very middle class lives. Indeed my (lower middle class by birth) husband and I are depicted as 'elite' by the BBC class survey quiz. We oaid for our children's prep education and sent them to grammars schools and they now both hold managerial positions.

However, I always think of the saying a friend of mine had: ' Clogs to clogs in three generations.'