Class

Yes I agree, the aristocracy is purely by birth. I

I think the same is true in reverse, middle class people who have fallen on hard times financially and moved down a class so to speak will never be truly accepted by the working class

Roy said:

I like people for who they are not what they are worth

I wish more people had that attitude

I love that Two Ronnies sketch, one of my favourites 

Billy87 said:

but the middle classes will always see you as "working class done good" rather than one of them 

Yes, I agree, I think that comes down to background and education and I don't think you can actually move into the aristocracy - I think that's a birth thing.

Interesting points. I have always felt there was some sort of establishment vendetta to bring down Boris Johnson. Probably because he wouldn't toe the conventional line on so many modern issues, plus he fought against further lockdowns and other measures

He was brought down by media coverage of Partygate, however our current Prime Minister was also fined by the police for lockdown parties yet the media completely ignores that. I think that shows the agenda against him

1  working class

2 Financially very working class, as far as tastes and outlook goes somewhere between working and middle 

3 I do and I don't. I dont really define myself by class but I think most of Britain still does

4 Yes it does, I think Britain is very obsessed by class, more so than other countries with the possible exception of India 

5 Yes I think you can, but the middle classes will always see you as "working class done good" rather than one of them 

Art said:

My hobby of game making brought in the big bucks and suddenly I climbed to the top

Congratulations.

I see that as autism working to your benefit as I assume (I don't like assumptions) that your success with this is related to ASD?

out_of_step said:

It was interesting listening to a local project, an autistic person there said they didn't have an accent because they talk in a particularly autistic way.

I've read about this in Tony Attwood's book 'The Complete Guide to..'

I remember reading about it and being particularly interested because I've always been told I don't have a Portsmouth accent, that I sound 'posh', that I apparently have a wide variety of foreign accents!

I borrowed the book so can't refer to the chapter.

However, I just read this article which is similar in themes:

https://www.autismparentingmagazine.com/autism-speech-patterns/?gc_id=19594643965&gclid=CjwKCAjw0N6hBhAUEiwAXab-TYS9awMOOLFpQYZlTBXL4HuNCDSgRnOyruVshmAIdGRiLgr4Vu27PhoCxlwQAvD_BwE

My G, that's a long link.

Definitely agree with all of this. Well said.  

I don't think people should forget their roots. It's our roots that shape us in to the people we become.

I remember that.  :-)

Oh yeah it exists.  And the upper classes have means of ensuring they stay the upper classes.  The rest of us matter only in so far as we can keep the economy working in their interest and if we can't, we can die in a ditch.

I'm working class.  

Art said:

My hobby of game making brought in the big bucks and suddenly I climbed to the top. But only money got me to where I am. I don't have it in my blood like some people do and I don't forget that I was and suppose still am of working class blood.

My situation is similar- not quite game development money but still a pretty good income. I don't think I'll ever forget what it was like to be much closer to the bottom of the pile, and that's why people like you and me are probably still working class really. Like footballers- they earn a LOT of money but their backgrounds tend to be working class, and when you look at the priorities of players like Marcus Rashford it's clear that they're still much closer to their roots than their incomes would suggest.

Hmm interesting question. I think it depends on the people, to some people it doesn't matter, to others it does and classes are still a major part of their lives.

I come from working class family and area. That's what I was born in to. A house of six, including my parents, living in a house that wasn't really fit to be lived in by mice let alone us!

I'm right at the top of classes now, not that it's really important for me or my family. My hobby of game making brought in the big bucks and suddenly I climbed to the top. But only money got me to where I am. I don't have it in my blood like some people do and I don't forget that I was and suppose still am of working class blood.

Never forget your roots, be proud of them. That's my motto.

I'm not trying to be offensive but I don't care about class, what matters is having money because if one has enough money, one can mix with all the classes.

Yes true 

Our social  circle seemed to have people from all backgrounds in it.  The big man would make friends with everyone and then they'd become our friends.

I'm not sure which class i belong to as i seem to have experienced all of them except the aristocracy:

Underclass - I was homeless and on the streets albeit only for a short time

Working class - I've had lots of working class jobs such as working on factory production lines, landscape gardening, delivering takeaway menus etc

Middle class - I went to a private primary school, then grammar, then University. My social circle has never included well educated people such as doctors, teachers, lawyers etc. My parents often seemed to be trying to give the impression of being middle class and they have done well in terms of owning properties 

Aristocracy: maybe this is my next or final destination!?

I think I sound a lot more middle class than I actually am because of my accent, which is received pronunciation. Too much exposure to the beeb at an impressionable age.

But then I lived in a town whete the women especially were very middle class. I felt very out of place there, looked down on really, till I moved to a more working-class town. I found an artist group there, based in the inner city (of course) and someone else, also with a degree, and a teaching qualification, who has remained a good friend since, also came up against hidden class barriers. 

I remember one autistic YouTuber talking about how his accent was much more BBC/RP than most people he grew up with - a a solitary child on a different wavelength he’d picked up more from television that local dialect. I think I might have a bit of that in my case. my Belfast accent is certainly discernible but maybe a little softer than many around. I notice that my father has a much more neutral accent too, despite having siblings with the broadest of Belfast accents. I have asked about it once or twice - did he consciously adjust it? He believes that being a teacher had some effect, but now I wonder..,

Accent is heavily tied to notions of class. I wondered what people thought about their accent and class? It's a massive part of my identity but I'm also good at doing other accents. There's more social mobility now but we cannot get away from how we speak. I love local dialect which is quite strong where I live, even travelling just a few miles down the road and people speak differently. We make assumptions about people and their class based on their accents. It was interesting listening to a local project, an autistic person there said they didn't have an accent because they talk in a particularly autistic way. I think one of the "uncanny" feelings I get is that I can be too articulate for some people in the language that i use but too broad in my accent for others. 

Discuss!

Ok