Political stereotyping

knickas63 is spot on and has it absolutely right. I think a lot of voters are influenced by the tabloids and the BBC and haven't a clue what they're voting for - I just despair really!

Many apologies to eazybee

It was not your post, it was knickas's post to which I replied.

Sorry, eazybee!

knickas why do you assume that someone who may drive a white van is not educated and is convinced that everyone is out to take what is theirs?

If it's the case that only those two demographics (you imagine) vote Tory, then the Tories would never be elected.

There is a lot of prejudiced thinking on here, stereotyping people into boxes, especially in eazybee's post.

I don't actually know what people vote, wouldn't be so presumptuous as to ask, but as the Tory always gets in, I presume many must vote Tory. I know some people who were privately educated and some who drive white vans and many others who do not fit either category.

Thinking that children are separated by their education, where they live etc in modern Britain is a fallacy.
Only about 6.5% go to private schools.

The pupils at my DGC's comprehensive school range from from poorer backgrounds to the children of more wealthy parents.
That was the same when I was at school and my DC too.

One thing I take a slight exception to you say we are fairly well off because DH worked hard that actually makes me cringe because many people work their arses off all their lives but aren’t well off through a variety of circumstances although working hard can leave you in a comfortable position it may not always
Hard work doesn’t always bring riches and it feels disingenuous to write as though it is only well off folks who work hard

Political stereotyping and class. So my parents were working class, lived through the depression and the,war. My Dad brought up in poverty with 7 siblings in 2 up 2 down house left school at 14. Mum raised in a house with father in and out of work and also left school at 14. Certainly not well off, but worked hard for what they had. Both life long Conservatives.

Replying to you, maizie, about people (in general!) using those terms.

It does touch a nerve in this quarter, maizie and shows a very prejudiced attitude in the people using such terms.

Not suggesting that I have a prejudiced attitude then, kitty? So why mention me by name?

Happy to say it's libellous, rather than slanderous, Janipat.

The stereotyping does, of course, goes both and more ways.

Political stereotyping is also encouraged by the First Past the Post System- where so many Constituencies are so polarised, and it is constant see-sawing between right-left-righ-left and there is no space nor respect for anyone else.

maizie, that seemed to touch a nerve! I accused you of nothing

Don't know what "class" I am, not voting Tory (or Labour!) but MaizieD I think you'll find you'd be accusing kitty of libel not slander.

Interesting this business of political stereotyping.
It seems to be used by one group to show how superior they are to another group: better educated, more caring, harder working, more successful, more aware; in every way better.
On social media, anyway.
On the doorstep whilst canvassing over the past few weeks I have been met with perfect politeness everywhere; some people prepared to discuss their, and my, views; some not, from voters of every age, situation and persuasion. None of the condescension and patronising sense of superiority that is so evident on here, possibly because people feel they are anonymous so can be as rude as they like.
Sad.

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

kitty.....you are whistling in the wind with this.
Anyone on GN who says they will vote Conservative is regularly castigated as uncaring and posts usually start and end with things along the lines of ‘how can you see people dying and children hungry’( you would think we were Syria)
Or ‘shame on you’ ( that’s a favourite) or ‘only heartless Tories
Blah blah’.
I think some don’t engage the brain before banging out their comments on how they see Conservative voters.
Don’t let it bother you, it’s not ( thankfully) real life, and to paraphrase something that some are fond of saying : it says more about them than it does you.?

Luckygirl is right about universal credit. To imagine that every family has the resources to live for 5 weeks without any income does show an ignorance of so many ordinary people's lives.
This sort of ignorance does not lead to good policy decisions.

I trust that you are not accusing me of being prejudiced, kitty?

Because if you are, that is slanderous...

I have explained why I used the term, once, and it had nothing to do with political stereotyping.

Personally, it is not about 'the haves' - but about attitudes towards those who, somehow, didn't manage to do so well, fallen on bad times, been very unlucky, been at the wrong place at the wrong time.

My MIL didn't manage to do so well, having fallen on hard times, been very unlucky, having two DHs who were in the wrong place at the wrong time, either killed in the war or died too young from effects of war.

She was a have not as described on GN and a staunch Tory voter all her life.

Happy to be corrected maizie providing you go onto the Election thread and send a complaint to the electoral commission.

Fair swaps?

It does touch a nerve in this quarter, maizie and shows a very prejudiced attitude in the people using such terms. I might be a 'have' and 'middle class' but that doesnt make me thick or thoughtless!

I could say all labour voters are communists or trots which would be equally wrong.

Why are people who vote Tory regularly described as 'the haves'

Are you referring to this happening on Gnet or in the country at large?

Because if it's Gnet I don't recall seeing it used at all (though perhaps I'm wrong and you could give me some examples, kitty?)

I used the term a day or two ago but it had nothing at all to do with political stereotyping, it merely described the situation in the population when some people 'have' and some don't.

No it isn’t out of date it is a useful tool when identifying a group of people with particular values etc.

I would disagree with you there, Whitewave. I don't think it says anything about a group of people's 'values'; it just describes their economic status. To use it in any other way is badly out of date...

It clearly touches a nerve in some quarters, though.

The class war still, it disgusts me.

As for middle class ! Voters criticising Johnson, many, many life long labour voters are criticising Corbyn.

In this election for me it is not about political "wings" - right or left - but about honesty and integrity, both of which matter to me.

I think both parties (and particularly their leaders) certainly fail this test today; but the most likely outcome at the moment is a small Tory majority and as BJ is so deeply lacking in integrity, my vote will go to whoever in this constituency stands the greatest chance of toppling the Tory - thus hopefully clipping BJ's wings.

I do have to say that the evidence of my eyes and ears tells me that a grasp of the reality of the lives of those at the bottom of the heap seems sorely lacking amongst Tory MPs. Universal Credit is a case in point - how did they think financially poor people were going to survive the 5 week wait for the benefit to kick in? This legislation is simply based on ignorance - ignorance by those who are comfortably off about those who are seriously poor. That such ignorance became enshrined in law is very worrying indeed.

People dont live in a bubble jura or go around wearing blinkers. That is blinkered thinking.

Well, the education of the chidren in the UK separates them to often, and so do the 'estate' style housing system- where similar types of families, with similar incomes and lifestyle live together without really knowing what it is like for others- in any direction.

And your post knickas confirms the prejudiced thinking of the left!

Middle class (for want of a better term) Tories do not interact with the 'underclass' (what a dreadful term) or they would vote Labour, is that what you are saying?