So I’ve just bought una casa in Espana with a plunge pool on the yard (which is nice) and this morning I purchased a Bosch covfefe grinder plus a bag of organic roasted beans to go with my Andrew James stainless steel insulated cafetiere.

Am I now of the Middling Sort?

Although I don’t wear brown shoes into town, I do have a rather nice pair of Karrimor sandals…

I’ve got a small telly

Nope.

Middle Class people go to church on Sundays.

You’ll never be one of them.

you were born middle class, but just trying desperately to not believe it.

My neighbour came over to ask if my Satellite (SKY) TV was working OK. I said I don’t remember the last time it was turned on. (I don’t have SKY, just in case you were wondering if I had it, but just didn’t turn it on; that would ridiculous. I mean imagine owning and paying for stuff you never used, like road bikes!)

What’s actually the difference between middle and working class? (I’ve googled it, and I’m none the wiser)

the difference between middle and working class?

The Midlands.

“Am I now of the Middling Sort?”

yes absolutely. mainly because you have no taste and are picking the middle class baubles that are more about their cultural significance than their actual intrinsic qualities.

if you are a true coffee aficionado which is a classless pursuit you will be using a v60 filter and direct sourced not organic/fairtrade bean and a decent ceramic burr grinder, instead you are more interested in the cultural associations (and getting the details wrong) than high quality coffee.

huge difference between being a snob and being discerning, something the middle classes fail miserably at.

i think of it like a nice bottle of wine or fizz, to me its something to be shared for the enjoyment and socially sharing something that tastes nice instead of look at me i can afford to drink vintage Möet (and that bottle would probably be something that wasn’t so socially recognisable and tasted better)

saying that i remember the interior decor of your UK property you were selling. no way was that middle class, underclass/ghetto class springs to mind. 😆

What’s actually the difference between middle and working class?

Middle class – oh my god I have run out of Quinoa
Working class – what the **** is Quinoa

It’s all about Tomato Ketchup.

Keep your Red Sauce in the cupboard with the teabags? = working class

Store your Ketchup in the fridge as per the instructions on the bottle = middle class

No idea where Cook keeps the pickles and preserves? = upper class

saying that i remember the interior decor of your UK property you were selling. no way was that middle class, underclass/ghetto class springs to mind.

It wasn’t acheived without a great deal of pain.

Thanks for the advice, though. Now I needn’t bother with the Holistic Gong Therapy I was considering, to help me with my Liberal guilt…

You’re an Englishman in Spain, that’s a whole class in itself.

You should be whining that you can’t get PG Tips and dressing like you’re about to go to a parent’s evening.

However, drummers are all middle class, unless you nicked your first kit and the van to carry it. 🙂

I understand your confusion.

Keep your Red Suace in the cupboard with the teabags? = working class

Store your ketchup in the fridge as per the instructions on the bottle = middle class

No idea where Cook keeps the pickles and preserves? = upper class

Decanting the sauce into a bowl with a small spoon for serving before placing on the table is a good working/middle class distinguisher.

You should be whining that you can’t get PG Tips

PG tips is easy here.

I’ve been trying to get Yorkshire Tea bags for the past month…

It’s just awful.

What’s actually the difference between middle and working class? (I’ve googled it, and I’m none the wiser)

Maybe white v blue collar these days but really it’s your family background that counts.

dressing like you’re about to go to a parent’s evening.

Eh?! There’s parent’s evening specific clothing? 😯

I do have a rather nice pair of Karrimor sandals…

You were doing ok ish to this point, then admitted you shop at a chav shop.

It’s either Burks or Teva’s for sandels

dressing like you’re about to go to a parent’s evening.

Eh?! There’s parent’s evening specific clothing?

You turn up for parents evening?

maccruiskeen
I’ve got a small telly

I see autocorrect has saved your blushes.

You should be whining that you can’t get PG Tips

PG tips is easy here.

I’ve been trying to get Yorkshire Tea bags for the past month…[/quote]

You can get it in my local Carrefour or Al Campo, can’t remember which. Prefer PG tips 🙂

looks in fridge, a bottle of Wilkin and Sons tiptree tomato sauce and a jar of mothers homemade spicy plum sauce (like brown sauce but 100% nicer) had to move the jug of Aricha Yirgacheffe colbrew coffee to read sauce label 😳

a rather nice pair of Karrimor sandals…

My current budget dictates Karrimor everything. The class debate is a fool. I’m a style-bereft walking limping fire-hazard, head-to-foot wrapped in plastic.

But mandals? Mandals are a class all of their own

Plunge pool = Middle class
Jacuzzi = Working Class.

maccruiskeen – Member
I’ve got a small telly

Never mind. At least you don’t have ninfan’s problem…

Don’t have a clue about class, and don’t really care for myself. I do know that if I met someone who was class orientated I would probably find it quite irritating!

I do know that if I met someone who was class orientated I would probably find it quite irritating!

That sounds like lower-middle class.

What’s actually the difference between middle and working class?

Middle class is justifying resting up in kids clothes and cycling round a hill is cool, and you’re a loser if you don’t use an Aeropress with imported Guatemalan coffee after shaving with some single bladed (German, natch) razor. And justifying your Westfield as you’re an awsum driver. Whilst also denigrating anyone who admits to speeding.

I thought bring middle class was about your beliefs, ideology, education, interests, social circle etc.

I say that cause I drive a 56 plate mondeo and shop at aldi but know many of those who have a 4 bed suburb house and white audi who always say they are middle class but can’t name the prime minister, drink rosé and think having the full sky Q bundle is a benchmark for how well you are winning at life.

Maybe I’m just jealous.

What’s the difference between middle and working class?

I’m known to have a bit of a bee in my bonnet about the middle-class myth so prepare yourself.

This is how real life works.

If you are born into money and influence and either don’t work, or only work through choice and not to feed yourself, you are Upper Class, Ruling Class, whatever. There will be some being snippy comments from other members of the class about nouveau riche sons and daughters of self-made Men and Women, but they’re only a Public-School Education away from joining the club. Whilst Money isn’t always a barrier to entry, Power and Influence certainly is and that usually comes with money.

However, if, as soon as your parents stop keeping you it’s a choice between getting a job or a council flat and Aldi beans lifestyle then you are working class – it doesn’t matter if you’re a shit shovler’s assistant or most fancy of A6 Avant driving IT Managers, you’re not part of the club and you never will be – the best you can hope for is to make lots of money which will give you some influence so one day they might let your kids join.

The real difference isn’t how much money you’ve got, it’s how powerful you or your friends are to ensure you never have to do anything you don’t want to.

The ‘Middle Class’ was invented by the Upper Class to stop their power and influence over the Working Class from being eroded, democracy should mean that these sorts of people:

Shouldn’t hold as much power over the common man as they do, they’re not repetitive of the people they govern – which is bad news for the Upper Class, because, well, guillotines are a cheap and effective way to redistribute wealth when things have gone a bit too far, and things have gone more than a bit too far indeed.

So, the ‘middle class’ was invented – the only barrier to entry is a job, that’s the only real barrier, other will judge a mechanic is he middle class? Well he could be – back in the 70s it was easier – were you a worker, or were you management? But even Telesales people have some variation of ‘Manager’ in their title now so who knows.

Middle Classness is brilliant for the Upper Class, because it’s members live to serve them:

They’re committed consumers, from Spiralisers to Coffee Makers they love an over-priced gadget, especially for the kitchen.

They borrow like mad, from the credit card bills to pay for the above to the PCP deals for the ‘right’ cars to the massive mortgages to put it all in – they spend and spend.

They think they’re rich – they’ll vote for any manner of crazy tax breaks for people who actually are rich, sometimes because they think the tiny theoretical benefit is actually better for them over-all, or party because they think if they tell their friends they vote Tory, their friends will think they’re rich too.

It gives us an enemy – Working Class people don’t like Middle Class people and vice-versa, we argue constantly about income tax rate, we fight tooth a nail about every percentage about what’s fair and all the time, no one notices that the Upper Class pay almost no tax at all, because we’re too busy arguing about income tax, we never consider wealth tax.

Middle class – oh my god I have run out of Quinoa
Working class – what the **** is Quinoa

Right, I’m working class then.

Keep your Red Sauce in the cupboard with the teabags? = working class

Store your Ketchup in the fridge as per the instructions on the bottle = middle class

Ah, no, middle class again.

yes absolutely. mainly because you have no taste and are picking the middle class baubles that are more about their cultural significance than their actual intrinsic qualities.

if you are a true coffee aficionado which is a classless pursuit you will be using a v60 filter and direct sourced not organic/fairtrade bean and a decent ceramic burr grinder, instead you are more interested in the cultural associations (and getting the details wrong) than high quality coffee.

huge difference between being a snob and being discerning, something the middle classes fail miserably at.

i think of it like a nice bottle of wine or fizz, to me its something to be shared for the enjoyment and socially sharing something that tastes nice instead of look at me i can afford to drink vintage Möet (and that bottle would probably be something that wasn’t so socially recognisable and tasted better)

LOL, bang on. 😆

Karrimor anything = ‘no’ class 😉

+ anything that puts a penny in Mike Ashley’s pocket

I went to a gin festival on saturday; it was achingly middle class.

What maniac puts ketchup in the fridge?

What’s the difference between middle and working class?

It’s all about how people swear. You can tell they’re middle class becuase the swearing sounds forced, put on, not natural. Working class the swearing is effortless and sounds normal.

So, the ‘middle class’ was invented – the only barrier to entry is a job, that’s the only real barrier

The middle classes came from the merchants and bankers – so people that work with their brains and have cash to invest.

The use of language is considered by some to be a good way of indicating class – ketchup sounds working/lower class to me – I say tomato sauce anyway…. 😉

thomthumb – Member
I went to a gin festival on saturday; it was achingly middle class.

I’ll raise you Chorlton Off Road Triathlon, a couple of years back.
🙂

What maniac puts ketchup in the fridge?

Not me. Cupboard with the teabags in our house.

Working class rebel, sticking it to the man.

What maniac puts ketchup in the fridge?

This one.

EDIT: D’oh! I’m always behind perchypanther.

My simple theory:
1. Upper class can afford to live without working and are self supporting.
2. Everyone else are working class!
.
Anyone who has debt or subject to long lease agreements are working class – working to pay off the mansion/range rover/holiday home/coffee machine etc. no matter how much they want to label it as middle class to distiguish themselves from the traditional low income working class.
.
However…
My theory falls down when considering a beggar in the street. No mortgage, no pcp deal, don’t have to work ‘for the man’, etc. So I suppose anyone who is not having to worry where their next hot meal is coming from should consider theirselves comfortable.
.
Forty years ago, working class people had to rent a TV and pay for it on a monthly basis because they couldnt afford to buy outright. Now renting a posh car and paying for it in the same way constitutes middle class?.
Hmmm… something doesn’t quite stack up right there.
.
FWIW, I keep the ketchup in the fridge… just next to the beer!
😀

1. Upper class can afford to live without working and are self supporting.

You can be upper class but quite poor. Your upper classness is not removed when you lose your money.